North Church, Church Road, Stromness

North Church, Church Road, Stromness

A 3-bay gable-ended gothic-detailed galleried hall church designed by William Robertson with builder Samuel Baikie, constructed 1890–92 and subsequently altered and extended. The building sits on steeply rising ground to the west.

The church is constructed in stugged and snecked sandstone ashlar with stugged and droved dressings. A base course and string course run continuously as hood moulds over doors at ground and first-floor levels and over windows at the second stage of the tower. Moulded and slightly corbelled band courses divide the tower stages, with machicolated battlements at the third stage and a cornice defining the gable behind. Openings feature ovolo-moulded and chamfered reveals with pointed-arched forms. Long and short quoins accent the corners, and pinnacles crown the gable terminals.

The east (principal) elevation features a central square-plan, three-stage battlemented tower with an octagonal spire. The tower is accessed via a stone flight leading to deeply recessed two-leaf timber panelled doors at the first stage, above which sits a simply traceried pointed-arched fanlight. Identically set timber panelled doors appear in each flanking return. The second stage contains a tall vertically arranged four-light window (lights arranged two over two), with narrow two-light windows and blank stone panels above in each flanking return. The third stage has an oculus facing east, north, and south, with a blocked window to the west. Gabletted louvered vents appear to every other side of the spire, topped by a weather vane. Each flanking bay to the recessed main block contains a small round-arched window set wide and low, with a tall window above.

The west (rear) elevation presents a two-bay gabled wall with tall vertically arranged four-light windows in each bay.

The north elevation (Church Road) shows a regular four-bay arrangement with full-height windows divided at gallery level by a stone transom, forming two-light windows at each floor in each bay.

The south (side) elevation is identical to the north elevation, but includes an L-plan addition projecting southward from the bay to the outer left. A modern timber door occupies the bay to the right, with a bipartite door in the advanced bay to the left. A detached rubble lean-to lavatory block with modern timber and louvered doors is positioned offset to the right of centre further south.

Stone traceried and transomed windows appear to the east (tower) and west (rear); stained glass is installed at the west end. Timber traceried windows are fitted to the east (main block), north, and south elevations. The roof is finished in grey slate, with slate also covering the spire and additions; ashlar skews are present, and uPVC rainwater goods are installed with some cast-iron remaining.

The interior contains cast-iron Tuscan columns supporting a timber panelled U-plan gallery facing the west end, finished with a bracketed cornice. Paired dog-leg staircases with cast-iron barleysugar banisters and timber handrails flank a pierced trefoil-headed galleried former pulpit. A panelled screen below a gothic-detailed carved timber organ frame is set against the west wall behind the pulpit. Good stained glass windows flank the organ. Tiered high-backed timber pews occupy the gallery (ground-floor pews have been removed). Cast-iron barleysugar railings with a timber top-rail front the gallery windows. Boarded dado panelling covers the ground floor and gallery perimeter. A tall painted glass traceried window containing an access door to the tower is positioned at the east end. Timber-panelled and architraved doors, timber skirting boards, and a timber-lined kingpost roof complete the interior.

The boundary walls are constructed in stugged sandstone ashlar with flat ashlar cope, and finished with cast-iron fleur-de-lys-headed railings.