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Duror, Church Of Scotland

Burial Ground (Period Unassigned), Church (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Duror, Church Of Scotland

Classification Burial Ground (Period Unassigned), Church (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Duror Parish Church; Duror Parish Church; Telford Church; Duror, Church Of Scotland Parish Church And Burial Ground

Canmore ID 105998

Site Number NM95NE 1

NGR NM 99375 55288

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/105998

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Highland
  • Parish Lismore And Appin (Lochaber)
  • Former Region Highland
  • Former District Lochaber
  • Former County Argyll

Recording Your Heritage Online

Church of Scotland and former Manse (now Kulmony), William Thomson and James Smith, 1827 Good examples of Parliamentary church and manse for the parish of Lismore and Appin. The T-plan church's interior has been subdivided and remodelled, removing the galleries but retaining the pulpit in its original position. It deviates from Thomson's standard design in omitting fenestration from the bellcote gable and rear wing. Turning its back on the church, the manse is Smith's standard H-plan bungalow, with later canted bays.

Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

Archaeology Notes

NM95NE 1 99375 55288

For Duror manse (NM 9941 5524), see NM95NE 2.

Ch [NAT]

OS 1:10,000 map, 1976.

Telford parliamentary church, erected 1826.

G Hay 1957.

Telford church.

S Hackett and N Livingston 1984.

Activities

Construction (1827)

Built.

Publication Account (2007)

Duror [Church] (1827) was built by Gibb & Minto for £1470.[It is] T-shaped in plan, 52 ft by 32 ft overall, with six wide Gothic windows, and a small spiky belfry on one gable. The windows, of metal framing, were all bought pre-made from James Abernethy, Aberdeen.

These Highland churches, so nearly identical, were the forerunners of the ‘kit’ buildings of today.

R Paxton and Jim Shipway 2007b

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers. Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland Highlands and Islands

Publication Account (2007)

Telford Churches and Manses

After the victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, Parliament responded to an appeal which said ‘Let us show our thanks by immediately dedicating to God’s honour a number of free churches and chapels . . .’. The Highlands and Islands, with their scattered communities, were seen to be in much need of churches and manses and in July 1823 an Act was passed which led to the building of 32 churches and 43 manses from 1825–30. The sites chosen were all north of a line from Aberdeen to Lochgilphead to the Oa, on Islay, and from there 300 miles northwards to Shetland (see map, which omits two sites in Orkney and two in Shetland).

Telford was given the task of approving designs, which were to cost not more than £1500, and organising the work. He asked three of his surveyors William Thomson, Crinan Canal resident engineer, James Smith, Inverness architect and Joseph Mitchell, to submit designs which heamended, eventually approving Thomson’s.

The Thomson/ Telford church was a clever design, being easily adaptable from its basic plan to increase or decrease the seating; the standard design was to seat 312. The manses came in two styles, single-storey (Smith/Telford) and two-storey (Mitchell/Telford). Both churches and manses were to be durable and sufficiently robust to keep out the worst of the Highland weather.

The churches were constructed by various contractors and generally in keeping with the approved plans. Over the years, however, changes of use, modifications and alterations have taken place, and some of the churches are barely recognisable as ‘Telford’ or ‘Parliamentary’.

R Paxton and Jim Shipway 2007b

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.

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