Strathpeffer Free Church Of Scotland Church, Strathpeffer

The Strathpeffer Free Church of Scotland Church was built in 1886, designed by W C Joass in the First Pointed Gothic style. The church is constructed of bullfaced rubble with pale ashlar dressings, and is rectangular in plan, oriented north/south. The south front is gabled, featuring a tall, square gabled tower to the west, which has paired, louvred lancet windows in its upper stages and a steep pyramidal roof. A pointed-headed entrance is located at the base of the tower, with a similar entrance in a projecting wing to the east. The centre gabled bay is lit by three lancet windows on the ground floor, with a continuous row of five similar windows in the gallery. The four-bay flanks are buttressed and feature paired lancet windows. There are projecting gabled transepts to the northeast and northwest, each lit by a large window with Y-tracery. The north gable has a large wheel window flanked by lancets, with a shaped vent in the apex. The roof is covered in contrasting banded light and dark slate, with a tiled ridge. The church is an ecclesiastical building, and retains its original use. It occupies a prominent position on a hillside. References include an advertisement for tenders from the Inverness Courier of February 9, 1886, and an entry in Ewing's Annals of the Free Church (1906). Further information is available courtesy of The Building of Scotland Research Unit.