Rattray Parish Church, High Street, Rattray

William Stirling of Dunblane, dated 1820 (church and tower), restored 1879. Rectangular-plan church with 4-bay aisless nave and slim 5-stage Italianate tower. Dark, snecked whinstone rubble (some Aberdeen bond) with contrasting droved red sandstone ashlar margins and quoin strips; rendered to E. Eaves course. Round-headed, simple-traceried windows; pilaster strips; voussoirs; chamfered reveals. Dividing band courses and raised margins to tower.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: gable end with entrance tower (see below) projecting at centre and windows in flanking bays, that to right blocked with corniced WWI memorial at cill; window to left partly obscured by low M-gabled session house with window to each gable.

TOWER: 1st stage with datestone to W and panelled timber door to S giving way to 2nd stage with windows to W, N (both blocked) and S; small square windows to N, S (both blocked) and W of 3rd stage and clock face to N and W of 4th stage (that to S apparently removed); tall belfry at 5th stage with 2 slender louvered openings to each elevation surmounted by weathervane-finialled swept Italianate roof.

S ELEVATION: 4 tall regularly-disposed nave windows with datestone high up at centre and outer pilaster strips.

N ELEVATION: 3 tall regularly-disposed nave windows and outer pilaster strips.

E ELEVATION: rendered gabled elevation with 2 tall windows (that to left blocked and that to right part-blocked) flanking top of altered? centre window and low piended projection (boiler house) with catslide roof and tall brick stack to right, panelled timber door on return to left.

Diamond-pattern leaded glazing, some coloured (see Interior). Grey slates. Ashlar-coped skews to W and overhanging eaves to E. Square-section cast-iron downpipe with decorative rainwater hopper to SE.

INTERIOR: little altered interior with 3-sided gallery on cast-iron columns facing ogee-canopied octagonal timber pulpit to S with steep stair, decorative ironwork balusters and gilded eagle surmounting timber finial; fixed timber pews to ground and gallery, panelled gallery front and dadoes. Plain cornices. Mural monuments include bronze plaque to 'Donald Cargill of Hatton of Rattray' and marble tablet memorial to 3 generations of the Herdman family, Ministers of Rattray parish. Carved (re-cut?) stone memorial with heraldic emblems, Latin inscription and initials 'MSR', dated 1623-67. Weathered gravestone of 1710, 'Boat Stone', bearing Latin inscription commemorating last ferry woman of The Ericht. Stewart Memorial Windows and Communion Table: window to right of pulpit depicting 'The Good Samaritan' (Luke 10:33), in memory of John Stewart of New Rattray: window to left depicting 'Water of Life' parable (Rev 21:6) commemorating Alexander Stewart.