Church Overview

Opened on the 25th July 1902, this little hall church was built for the local United Free Church congregation by local craftsmen from locally sourced stone. Its interior is entirely lined with wood that had to be specially shipped in, fetched by local boats from the port at Scrabster. It possesses a simple communion table and balustraded pulpit.

Local feeling at the time was that the building should have been called the ‘Kerr Memorial Church’ as it was mainly due to the strenuous efforts and fundraising of a recent minister, the Rev Cathel Kerr, that the church had been built.

Minister of Melness and Erriboll Free Churches for six years, the 35 year old Rev Kerr died of typhoid fever in March 1900 while on active service in South Africa during the Boer War where he was serving as a chaplain to the Highland Brigade. Work had begun on the church before he left to join the troops, with only £200 left o find to pay for the entire building. 

The United Free Church merged with the Church of Scotland in 1929, with most of its buildings eventually passing into the ownership of the Church of Scotland. In 2022, the local crofting community announced its aspiration to purchase the church from the Church of Scotland, who planned to close the building as part of the denomination’s nationwide rationalisation of its property portfolio.

Services

Sunday: 12.30pm

Opening Arrangements

Open at all times

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.