Roman Catholic Church Of St Mary, Arisaig

Church: William Burn, dated 1849, Renovated, 1900. Tall

Gothic church; heavily cement pointed rubble with tooled

ashlar dressings. 4-bay flanks 3-storey square tower

projecting from west gable and slightly lower gabled chancel

at east.

Pointed-headed entrances in base of tower at west, and also

each side. Large pointed-headed window in centre west at 1st

floor of tower, now infilled with Fife stone, leaving glazed

cross as centre light. Pointed-headed louvred windows each

side of upper stage of tower which has clock face at south,

angle buttresses rising full height, and corbelled and

crenellated wallhead.

North and south elevations lit by long, pointed-headed

windows divided by buttresses.

Gabled chancel at east with single small high windows north

and south, and large traceried 3-light window at east with

blind occulus above. Apex cross finial at east end of nave;

steeply pitched slate roofs.

Lean-to vestry in re-entrant angle of chancel and nave links

church with adjoining presbytery.

Interior: lofty interior with timber boarded ceiling,

ribbed and with braces supported by corbels. Stained glass

window (1900) in chancel east wall, and carved reredos

screened.

Modern glazed screen divides west end of church, forming

ambulatory, with semi-circular centre portion as baptistry;

gallery above. Prebytery; later 19th century 2-storey and

attic, irregular 3-bay gabled house. All dark rubble with

tooled ashlar dressings. 3-bay east entrance front, with

advanced SE (left) gable and simple lean-to porch masking

entrance in re-entrant angle. Symmetrical south elevation

with wide, slightly advanced and gabled centre bay with

apex stack and flanking gabletted dormers. Small round-headed

attic windows in some gables; 4-pane glazing; apex and end

stacks; slate roofs.