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Summary

Description

1804, repaired 1828, alterations and conversion to residential, 1998. Gabled, Gothic, former parish church with transept to south and later addition to east gable to form dwelling house. Rubble. Bird-cage belfry to west gable with moulded columns, stepped cap and ball-finial at apex. Pointed windows, three to each side, with Y tracery and leaded stained glass; thistle motifs to south elevation. Slate roof. Chimney addition to south pitch. Later timber shutters and bargeboards as part of conversion to dwelling house.

INTERIOR: Exposed rubble walls. Remodelled interior scheme for residential, including stair with timber bannisters and balustrades to upper floor area. Rubble chimneypiece insertion to west gable wall.

BOUNDARY WALLS: rectangular-plan, extending to shoreline; low rubble wall with rubble piers linked by wrought-iron railings.

Statement of Special Interest

The former Kilfinichen Kirk was built in 1804 to replace the earlier medieval Kilfinichen Church and burial ground, the remains of which are located a short distance to the east. It is a good survival of a small, traditional parish church in the Gothic Revival manner with pointed-arch windows and a fine moulded stone birdcage belfry. Now converted to a private dwelling with a pitched-roof extension added to the west gable in 1998, it continues to evidence the period in which it was built and makes a contribution to this remote, scenic and sparsely populated area of Mull.

Located beside Loch Scridain (loch with the scree side) near Kilfinichen Bay, the former church sits between Tavool House to the west and Killiemore House to the east (see separate listings). The simple gabled design recalls an early pre-Reformation tradition of church building. The revival of Gothic forms, including the use of pointed windows, in the early 19th century was partly a reaction to the upheaval of the rapidly changing industrial and agricultural landscape. Refuge was sought in earlier medieval architectural forms that were felt to reflect a more secure and simple way of life. The distillery at Tobermory was first established around 1800 and the kelp-burning industry on Mull was active from the 1750s through to the early 1820s with the quality of the kelp particularly good on the west side of the island. These and other industries saw an increase to the island's population during the period in which Kilfinichen Church was built.

The transom to the south appears on the 1878 Ordnance Survey Map and may have been added when the building was repaired in 1828.

Previously listed as "Kilfinichen Bay, Kilfinichen Kirk"

Change of Category from B to C, and change to Statutory Address, 2014.

References

Bibliography

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