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• Type

  Map

  Title

  Map for Auchaber Manse, Former Free Church and Steading including boundary walls, Forgue, Huntly (LB9448)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600040158)

Summary

Description

Dating from the 1840s (with later alterations), a group of former ecclesiastical buildings, including a former Free Church (later Auchaber Parish Church) with an associated U-plan steading, and a two-storey and attic, three-bay former manse. The buildings are prominently sited at a crossroads where Aucharnie Place meets the road to Ythanwells, south of Forgue.

Built as a Free Church, Auchaber Church, designed by James Henderson and dating from 1843-4, and later remodelled in 1908, is a simple, single-storey, T-plan former parish church (church use stopped in 2022). It is constructed in stone with harled exterior walls and slim margins. The front (northeast) elevation is a broad gable, three bays wide, with a central arch-headed entrance door and a tri-partite window above. There is a ball-finialled stone bellcote on the gable apex. There is a three-bay aisle, slightly lower in height, attached to the southeast elevation that was later reconfigured to a hall and a small minister's room at the rear of the building.

The side (northwest) elevation has four, leaded, arched windows and the southwest elevation has double lancets and a roundel window. The roof is covered in grey slates with three triangular roof ventilators in the northwest roof pitch and a ball finial opposite the bellcote.

Internally, there is a Gothic platform timber pulpit of 1908 at the southwestern end of the church with twin approach stairs and a canted front. Behind this is the arched recess of the original pulpit framed by fluted colonnettes. There is stained glass in the south gable with emblems of the Free and United Presbyterian churches and a dove motif in the roundel window. The remaining windows are predominantly leaded with red borders. There is timber wainscoting throughout, some painted and some stained to match the pulpit furniture and numbered, timber pews remain in place. The timber roof trusses are supported by tension rods.

To the southeast of the church there is a single-storey, U-plan steading with a circular chimney on the northeast corner and a hayloft opening. The building likely dates from the 1840s. It is constructed in rubble stone with the outside walls and gable ends predominantly harled, the walls to the courtyard are of exposed rubble. The roof is covered in slates with rooflights in the courtyard-side of the roof pitch. There are some traditional timber-boarded doors and timber multi-pane windows, as well as some replacement casement windows in the rear of the building. There are some timber horse stalls within one of the ranges.

The manse, built between 1847-9 by J & W Smith, is a two-storey and attic, three-bay former manse. It is cream-harled with a railed stair to a central doorway. There is a single-storey, three-bay entrance extension, offset, to the rear (southeast) elevation.

The windows are predominantly multi-pane glazing in timber sash and case frames with some later uPVC replacements in the rear. The roof is covered in slates with straight skews and canted dormer windows in the northwest roof pitch. The house has ashlar end chimneystacks with clay cans.

The interior of the manse includes an entrance vestibule with a tiled mosaic floor, simple cornicing in the principal rooms, timber panelled doors and window shutters and a timber staircase with a polished timber handrail and plain metal balusters.

The former church, manse and steading are intervisible with one another and the manse is set within a large, private garden ground with mature trees and planting. The site is surrounded by rubble-built boundary walls with later changes to some of the access points.

Historical development

The Disruption of 1843 saw roughly a third of all ministers and their congregations leave the Established Church to form the Free Church of Scotland. Following the Disruption, the Free Church began to fundraise to build hundreds of new churches across the country. Over 700 Free Churches were built between 1843 and 1847.

The land on which the church and manse was built was originally gifted by Miss Wilson of Auchaber. Built as a Free Church, the foundation stone was laid on 15^th August 1843 by the Reverend Joseph Thorburn of Forglen. The church opened for public worship on 10^th February 1844 and the first minister of the congregation was Reverend John Matheson (Aberdeen Press and Journal). The manse was completed within five years of the church being constructed. Plans and specifications for the manse were drawn up by J and W Smith Architects and a notice for contractors was advertised in the Aberdeen Journal in May 1847 (Aberdeen Journal).

The church, manse and steading are first shown on the 1^st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1870. The Ordnance Survey Name Book (1865-71) describes the Free Church as a plain stone edifice, built in 1843, with the capacity for 600 people. The manse is described as a neat stone building with garden and office houses attached, the home of the minister, Reverend Alexander Wishart (OS1//1/31/73). Wishart was the Minister (and lived at the manse) for 45 years (Aberdeen Press and Journal). The footprint of the buildings appear largely unchanged on the 2^nd Edition map of 1900.

By 1904, the church was in need of repair and improvement, and a building fund for the church's renovation was set up (Aberdeen Press and Journal, 1904) By 1908, this remodelling work was complete. The walls and windows of the church were heightened and the interior was recast, including the addition of the platform pulpit, the pews and the stained glass (Aberdeen Press and Journal, 22 October 1908 and 19 June 1908; Banffshire Journal). The original footprint is retained and the extensions to the exterior walls were reported as being in keeping with the original masonry (Banffshire Journal). Around the same time, the east aisle was divided off to become a church hall (The Buildings of Scotland, p.496).

The church became a Church of Scotland parish church in 1929. The manse was separated from the church sometime between 1947 and 1982 and became a private home (Aberdeen Press and Journal, 1947; Aberdeen Press and Journal, 1982). Church services stopped in 2022 and is now privately owned along with the manse and steading (2025).

Statement of Special Interest

Auchaber Church, manse and steading meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

• The buildings' design and setting retain a high level of authenticity. Both the church and manse have largely intact plan forms and exterior detailing which are typical of the building type.
• The interest of the designers for the church and manse - architectural firms, who carried out numerous church commissions throughout the northeast of Scotland – is relevant to the design and history of the site.
• They form a largely complete group of former ecclesiastical buildings that retain their historic setting and character, including the rare survival of ancillary components.
• The church includes later fabric, dating from its remodel in 1908, but its overall character is in the Free Church style and, as such, remains stylistically related to the manse and its ancillaries.

Architectural interest:

Design

Built in 1843-4 as Forgue Free Church to designs by James Henderson and remodelled in 1908, the former Auchaber Parish Church is a good example of Free Church architecture designed by a prominent regional architect. Known for being architecturally plain, this rural example at Auchaber is typical of the pared-back Free Church style of the mid-19^th century (The Buildings of Scotland, p.34). In 1908 the church was substantially remodelled internally and upgraded. This included the heightening of its walls and windows and a full renovation of the interior decorative scheme and its fixtures and fittings. The 1908 alterations to the church do not detract from the overall historic character of the building, but rather it retains and enhances its simple, relatively plain, Free Church 'box-like' plan form and an unadorned aesthetic to its exterior elevations typical of Free Church architecture of the 1840s. Internally, the church survives largely as it did after its 1908 refurbishment and retains good quality timberwork, including wainscoting, the platform pulpit, pews and its roof trusses.

The former manse has a relatively simple design externally, but the overall austere classical style of the property is largely retained and complements the similar style of the neighbouring church. The manse is little altered in terms of its footprint and internal layout, which is overall typical for its building type, including large principal rooms as well as service areas to the rear of the house and the attic, clearly showing the division between the service rooms and the minister's living areas. Its decorative scheme retains some 19^th century architectural details, such as cornicing, a curved staircase with plain metal balusters and a polished timber handrail, panelled timber doors, working timber shutters and a vestibule with a tiled floor, all of which add to the property's authenticity.

The survival of the ancillary steading is unusual, and its footprint largely survives as it was when first built (as shown on the 1^st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1870). A number of interior and exterior features survive, including timber animal stalls, a hayloft opening in the north range and a circular chimneystack on the northeast corner of the range, which all indicate the building's former agricultural and storage function.

The designers for this church and manse carried out numerous church commissions throughout the northeast of Scotland and both were prominent local architectural firms. James Henderson (1809-1896), along with his older brother William, undertook almost all of the Free Church work in Aberdeenshire after the Disruption in 1843. The brothers shared the patronage of the Free Church virtually exclusively between them, with James responsible for the design of over 40 Free Church manses and churches (Dictionary of Scottish Architects). The manse was completed within five years of the church with designs by J & W Smith. Most of their manses were designed in a Tudor-style, but Auchaber Manse is unusual for its classical design. The interest and output of these designers is relevant to the design and history of the site.

Together, Auchaber church, manse and steading are a good surviving grouping of rural former Free Church buildings. Although there has been changes to the church fabric, overall, these buildings have undergone minimal change since the early 20^th century and have retained much of their historic fabric, character and authenticity both individually and collectively.

Setting

Auchaber Church is prominently located at a rural crossroads and, from within its grounds, is intervisible with its near-contemporary manse and U-plan steading. The former functional association between the three buildings remains clearly evident.

The immediate setting of Auchaber Church, manse and steading has changed very little since their depiction on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1870 and, as a group, they remain visually distinctive buildings with each other and with their wider surroundings. The buildings stand within their own grounds and bounded by stone walls. The manse is set further back from the road, as was common, to afford the occupants privacy and set within a large garden with mature planting.

As a group, the former church, former manse, U-plan steading and the associated boundary walls and gatepiers have special architectural interest for their setting, which is, overall, little altered and contributes to an understanding of the buildings' respective religious and domestic functions.

Historic interest:

Age and rarity

Rural 19th century churches and associated residences are not rare building types. Many survive in and around small settlements across Scotland. While purpose-built manses and churches are prolific building types across Scotland, those examples that are little altered examples or those that retain much of their authenticity may be of interest for listing.

The former church, former manse and steading range at Auchaber form a complete group of ecclesiastical buildings within a rural, roadside setting. Although extensively upgraded in 1908, Auchaber church retains much of its pared-back Free Church character, particularly to its footprint and external composition, and which, as a whole, exemplifies the austere Free Church style.

The Disruption of 1843 saw 450 evangelical ministers break away from the established Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland, in protest over the British government's involvement in church affairs. As a result, the Free Church built hundreds of new churches across the country, many of which were accompanied by manses and schools.

As a group, the survival of these buildings at Auchaber, including the associated U-plan steading and stable range is particularly rare, which adds to the overall special interest of this group of historically and functionally related buildings.

Social historical interest

Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.

Due to their key function within a community, church buildings inherently have socio-historical interest for the local area. While no longer in ecclesiastical use, these former church buildings are a largely complete grouping of historically and functionally related buildings which retain much of their 19th century character, authenticity and historic setting.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2025. Previously listed as 'AUCHABER MANSE'.

References

Bibliography

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.

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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.

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