St Machar's Cathedral is a Grade A listed building in the Aberdeen City local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 12 January 1967. Cathedral. 1 related planning application.
St Machar's Cathedral
- WRENN ID
- grim-granite-sage
- Grade
- A
- Local Planning Authority
- Aberdeen City
- Constituency
- Aberdeen North MP: Kirsty Blackman (SNP)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 12 January 1967
- Type
- Cathedral
- Address
- St Machar's Cathedral, AB24 1RQ
- OS grid reference
- NJ 939 087
- Coordinates
- 57.16979, -2.10243
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
St Machar's Cathedral is a significant building constructed between 1422 and 1440, with a ceiling added by James Winter between 1518 and 1531, and spires added to the towers during the same period. The cathedral underwent alterations by John Smith in 1832 and was restored by James Matthews in 1867, although not all of Sir George Gilbert Scott's advice was followed, leading to a largely renewed ceiling. The structure is built of granite, primarily using ashlar, and features eight bays with a clerestory and aisles, circular piers, and a flat ribbed ceiling adorned with coats of arms. The south porch is notable, as is the twin tower west front, which includes machicolated parapets, spires, seven narrow windows, and a large round-headed double doorway. Inside, there is a 17th century monument to Bishop Scougal along with other memorials. The cathedral was further restored between 1926 and 1929 by A. Marshall Mackenzie & Son, with additional materials removed. The east window was designed by A.G.R. Mackenzie in 1947.
Local climate
St Machar's Cathedral receives an average of 890 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 65% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 81% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 12 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 89% of listed buildings. Of these, 8 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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