Historic church in scenic Highland glen up for sale with Church of Scotland inviting offers over £48k
A historic church in a scenic Highland glen is up for sale with offers of over £48,000 being invited.
Struy Church of Scotland, which is among various churches being disposed of by the Church to reduce pressure on congregational finances, has been identified as being surplus to requirements.
The stone building, dating back to 1897, is described in the sales brochure as being set in tranquil rural surroundings with an open outlook and “located within Strathglass which leads to Glen Affric, one of the loveliest glens in the country”.
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The property, which includes grounds surrounding the building, is connected to a mains electricity supply only. There is no water, drainage or gas serving the building.
The sales brochure states: “The building is not listed and could be used, without the necessity of obtaining change of use consent, as a crèche, day nursery, day centre, educational establishment, museum, art gallery or public library.
“It also has potential for a variety of other uses, such as a theatre, cinema or entertainment venue, retail space or community resource subject to obtaining appropriate consents.
“Conversion to residential accommodation would also be possible, again subject to the usual consents.”
Potential bidders are advised that offers will require to be considered by one or more church committees and should not be subject to short time limits for acceptance.
The building, designed by Ross & MacBeth of Inverness, has served as a body of the Free Church of Scotland (1897-1900), the United Free Church of Scotland (1900-1929) and Church of Scotland (1929 – to the present time).
It can seat up to 250 people and was initially built as a replacement for the Free Church at Mauld a short distance away on the opposite side of the River Glass.
According to the Strathglass Heritage Assocation, the Mauld church dated from just after the Disruption and was damp, in need of much repair, difficult to reach at times due to flooding and generally not regarded as a good location.
Estimated building costs were between £500 and £600 but due to the adoption of more “artistic” plans by the building committee the final cost was £800 14s 6d.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said the last service at Struy took place at the end of 2023.
"The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and serving our local communities,” he said.
“To address this, in 2021, the General Assembly tasked local presbyteries with creating five-year Presbytery Mission Plans to determine how finite resources are best used in the coming decades.
“As part of Inverness Presbytery’s Mission Plan, the Struy Parish Church building was identified as surplus to requirements and to be released for sale.
“The congregation has united with its neighbours in the Beauly area as Kilmorack and Erchless Parish Church and Struy was closed for worship following its final service on the last Sunday of 2023.
“The Church of Scotland has been going through a radical period of reformation and having fewer buildings will reduce pressure on congregational finances, freeing up funds and general income for other Church missional activities and a more sustainable situation.
“Money raised by the sale will remain with the local congregation to aid in promotion of the gospel message of Jesus Christ which inspires our work."
