Dyke Parish Church

The Dyke Parish Church mausoleum dates to the early to mid-18th century and was adapted as a church hall in 1948. It was originally a rectangular burial mausoleum, likely incorporated into an earlier church aisle. A Gothic gabled porch, built between 1855 and 1860, links the hall to the church's east gable, creating an irregular, double-gabled south-facing frontage. The front of the mausoleum is tooled, while the rest is pointed rubble with some reused margins and ashlar dressings.

Architecturally, the mausoleum features a naive classical doorpiece flanked by engaged Ionic columns supporting an entablature and a bracketed cornice, possibly designed by Colin Williamson of Dyke. A blind, hoodmoulded Y-tracery window is positioned above the doorpiece, likely a reused element. Later 19th-century apex finials and skewputts are found on the south side, with earlier 18th-century skewputts at the rear. The east elevation incorporates three narrow, square-headed windows with chamfered or roll-moulded jambs, now fitted with iron bars and later lattice-pane glazing.

Inside, the mausoleum was converted into a hall and vestry in 1948, and access is now via the closed Gothic gabled porch. A 1446 tombstone is set into the vestry wall.

The church itself was constructed in 1781 by James Smith (Nairn) and James Smith (Auldearn) with Colin Williamson as an extra contractor, and renovated in 1952. It is a rectangular building with a symmetrical six-bay south front elevation. The church’s front is of pinned rubble with tooled and polished ashlar dressings. Wide, square-headed entrances are surmounted by tall, round-headed, keystoned windows in the outer bays, with four similar full-length windows filling the central bays. A smaller gallery window is present in the west gable. All windows have blocked imposts, shutter hinges, and multi-pane glazing.

The interior retains its original layout; the gallery has been ceiled. A three-decker pulpit is centrally located on the south wall, flanked by stairs with slender balusters (the sounding board survives above the current ceiling). A five-sided panelled gallery front faces the interior, and the ground floor and gallery now contain pews arranged around the pulpit. The entrance doors feature long iron hinges on the inner face. A 1613 tombstone has been reset in the southwest entrance lobby, and a 1790 mural memorial is located under the gallery. A birdcage bellcote sits at the west gable apex, topped with a ball finial at the east. The church has a slate roof with two ridge ventilators.

Surrounding the church is a dry stone walled burial ground containing 18th and 19th century tombstones. The war memorial gate arch, dated 1921-22 and designed by Dr P MacGregor-Chalmers, is constructed of tooled rubble with tooled ashlar dressings. It features a round-headed arch under a gabled overthrow with an apex cross and a niche containing a sword and laurel wreath. Short coped quadrants lead to double wooden gates, flanked by inscribed plaques commemorating the dead of 1914-18 and 1939-45.