Parish Church Of St Columba, Longhope, Hoy

The Parish Church of St Columba in Longhope, Hoy, was built in 1832 and features a plain, two-storey, rectangular design. It has a single-storey porch on the north side, a single-storey vestry on the south side, and a bellcote on the west gable. The exterior is finished with wet harling.

On the northeast elevation, there is a plain appearance with a central porch, a simple north gable wall, a window on the right side, and a door on the left side. The east and west elevations each have a central round-headed doorway with a recessed door and a fanlight above. There is also a central round-headed opening on the first floor, with a rectangular window set back and ventilation louvres above.

The south elevation features two tall central round-headed windows and two smaller round-headed windows in the outer bays, all with intersecting tracery. The central vestry has a plain gable wall, with a door on the right side and a window on the left side. Sandstone skews and exposed, droved keystones are present on all gables. The roofs are pitched and covered with Welsh slate, with gable end coped stacks on the porch and vestry. The birdcage bellcote on the west gable has arched openings on the west and east faces, corner pinnacles, a truncated pyramid roof, and a ball-finialled obelisk on top.

Inside, the church has a carpeted flag floor and timber pews arranged in the north, east, and west areas. There is a central passageway running from east to west, with an entrance from the porch in the north wall. A central timber pulpit is located on the south wall, with flanking steps leading to the east. Above the pulpit is a tall sounding board with a canopy. In front of the pulpit is a carved timber communion table, and to the left is a stone font featuring a Celtic design. There are two large box pews in the north, with seating on all sides and a narrow central table. Access to the gallery is available at both the east and west ends, with galleries in the north, east, and west, featuring timber pews and panelling at the front. The gallery is supported by thin, fluted, square-plan timber piers, and the ceiling is finished with timber boarding in a coved design. Brass gas lamps have been converted to electricity.

A granite tablet to the west of the north door commemorates the crew of the Longhope Lifeboat who perished at sea while assisting the SS Irine in 1969. Below this is a bronze plaque marking the unveiling of the memorial by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in 1970. Additionally, there are three early 17th century timber panels above the door leading to the porch, intricately carved with saltires and rosettes.