Church Of Scotland, Pluscarden

The Church of Scotland at Pluscarden is a Gothic church built in 1898 by A and W Reid and Wittet. It is constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and has a cruciform plan. A square tower occupies the southwest corner, rising above the roofline and featuring a plain, corbelled parapet with gargoyles acting as angle spouts. The tower is topped with an octagonal fleche and weather-cock. A recessed, hoodmoulded round-headed entrance is located at the base of the tower, which has three lancet windows on its west elevation and two single lancet windows on each of the other elevations at the first stage. A large, three-light window with curvilinear tracery and a hoodmould is set into the west gable, with a similar design applied to the two-light windows in the north and south transept gables. Simple buttresses are present, and the roof is slate, with a tiled ridge cresting. A simple, rectangular rubble parish room is attached to the north gable end, also with a slate roof.

The interior features original pine panelling, with modern stained glass in the small, east gable wheel window. The church is an ecclesiastical building and is currently in use. It was formerly a Free Church. The building cost approximately $1,500. The congregation had previously worshipped in part of Pluscarden Abbey, as had the Church of Scotland before them, with most of the parish joining in 1843. The need for a dedicated church arose when the Abbey was purchased by the Marquis of Bute, who provided the site (known as Drinking Hill). The present fleche was erected in 1960. References to the building’s construction appeared in the Elgin Courier and Courier on February 11 and May 13, 1898.