Lewis, Stornoway Parish Church
Church (19th Century)
Site Name Lewis, Stornoway Parish Church
Classification Church (19th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Stornoway, Lewis Street And Church Street, St Columba's Old Parish Church
Canmore ID 4323
Site Number NB43SW 2
NGR NB 42595 32995
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/4323
- Council Western Isles
- Parish Stornoway
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Ross And Cromarty
Lewis Street St. Columba's Church, John Loban, 1794 The old parish church, built to replace St. Lennan, is shown in John Wood's plan of 1821 as an impressive landmark overlooking the town from the foot of Goathill. The original building is much altered: it underwent repairs in 1831 , acquired a short transept and lead-covered lantern/bellcote during a neo-Romanesque remodelling in 1885, and has succumbed to a modern coat of brown-tinted roughcast.
Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
NB43SW 2 42595 32995
(NB 4258 3299) Church (NAT)
OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1898)
This is the parish church, built 1794
Name Book 1850.
The first Earl of Seaforth (temp. Charles I) built a Church in Stornoway, probably because St.Lennans (NB27NE 4) had fallen into disrepair,and Martin lists 'Stornoway Church' in addition to St. Lennans.
W C Mackenzie 1919; M Martin 1934.
'The ancient place of worship in Stornoway was levelled for the purpose of building a safer and more commodious church', which was erected in 1794.
New Statistical Account (NSA) 1845.
The old parish church, St Columba's, is entirely 18th century and later. No traces of an earlier church exist, but so far as the minister (Rev R Macdonald, St. Columbas Church) knows the site was not changed in 1794.
Visited by OS (A L F R) assistent archaeology officer, 22 April 1964.
Publication Account (1997)
St Columba's Old Parish Church, nearby, retains little of its original late eighteenth-century character, having undergone alterations as early as 1831, additions in 1885 and later substantial changes. Although development here is unlikely, environmental improvements, for example the insertion of new services, are more likely. Monitoring of this type of work may reveal traces of the original ground plan and enable a fuller understanding of the development of one of the oldest churches in Stornoway.
Information from ‘Historic Stornoway: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1997).
