Listed Building
The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.
Address/Name of Site
Eaglais Chaitligeach Naoimh Mhoire, Bòrnais, Uibhist a Deas / St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Bornish, South UistLB52573
Status: Designated
Documents
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Summary
- Category
- B
- Date Added
- 14/12/2020
- Local Authority
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Planning Authority
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Parish
- South Uist
- NGR
- NF 73287 29703
- Coordinates
- 73287, 829703
Description
St Mary's Church was built in 1837/8 and remodelled by A. R. Conlon around 1955. It is a 4-bay nave, rectangular-plan, church. Conlon added the gabled vestry to the west side and the gabled lady chapel, and a gabled porch and apsidal baptistry to the north gable. The nave has pointed arched windows. The roofs are slated and have straight skews and skewputts. On the north gable is a birdcage bellcote topped by a cross.
Statement of Special Interest
The rectangular plan form and steeply pitched roof is typical for churches of this period. The additions by a practice renowned for their Roman Catholic church work adds to the building's interest. Alexander Ritchie Conlon joined the architectural practice of Reginald Fairlie, becoming a partner in the early 1950s. Fairlie was a devout Roman Catholic and he was well known for Roman Catholic church design and renovation. His practice continued to design and remodel Roman Catholic churches after Fairlie's death in 1952.
Bornish is a small settlement characterised by scattered crofts and the isolated setting of St Mary's Church, overlooking Loch Bhornais, makes it a landmark building. In the Western Isles places of worship are often the most prominent historic building in its location or community.
While places of worship are not rare in Uist, St Mary's is a relatively early example of a Catholic Church in Scotland as it was built before the increase of numbers by the immigration of Irish Catholics following the famines of 1840s and 1850s. Although the Catholic Church was outlawed following the Scottish Reformation in 1560, Catholism survived in some remoter parts of Scotland, such as the southern Hebrides. The association of this denomination to South Uist is of relevance, as it remains the foremost faith.
St Mary's Church is similar in design to the nearby and slightly earlier, Ardkenneth Church (built 1826-9, listed at category B, see LB18779). Both of these churches originally had a priest's house, but at St Mary's the priest's house was remodelled as a chancel by Conlon.
St Mary's Church was previously listed at category B, likely in 1971 when the List for South Uist parish were first made statutory. In 1985 South Uist parish was 'resurveyed' whereby all existing listing designations were reviewed and new listings were added. Due to an administrative error in 1985 it appears that St Mary's Church was not transferred to the updated List of buildings of special architectural or historic interest for South Uist.
References
Bibliography
Canmore: http://canmore.org.uk/ CANMORE ID 171962
Ordnance Survey (surveyed 1878, published 1879) Inverness-shire - Hebrides LIII.9 (South Uist). 1st Edition. 25 inches to one mile. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.
Gifford, J. (1992) The Buildings of Scotland: Highlands and Islands. London: Penguin Group. p.600.
About Listed Buildings
Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.
We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.
Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.
We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)
Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.
These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.
The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.
While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.
If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.
Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.
Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.
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