Roofless Outbuilding at Former Roman Catholic Seminary, Scalan, Braes of Glenlivet

Roofless Outbuilding at Former Roman Catholic Seminary, Scalan, Braes of Glenlivet

The roofless outbuilding at Scalan forms part of a complex of buildings that together comprise one of Scotland's most significant ecclesiastical sites. Located in the remote Braes of Glenlivet, this group of structures—including the main seminary building, a late 18th-century cottage, and the outbuilding—are arranged around a U-plan court and exemplify the hidden practice of Roman Catholicism in Scotland during the 18th century.

The outbuilding is built of rubble stone and forms the left side of the courtyard arrangement. It now stands roofless. The building is an important component of an informally arranged agricultural group that, together with the North Mill and South Mill at Scalan, documents the historical, social and agricultural development of the site from the 18th century to the early 20th century.

The seminary itself was built in 1767, with the first floor and attic raised in 1787–8. It is a 2-storey, 4-bay rectangular building rendered with lime harl and deliberately disguised as a farmhouse to avoid drawing attention in the moorland landscape. The main western elevation features irregular window openings and a central 2-leaf timber door, above which is a small rectangular recess (a blocked window from the 1767 phase). The windows are predominantly lay-pane glazing in timber frames, with first-floor openings slightly larger than those on the ground floor. The north gable contains a first-floor door that once provided access to the chapel via an external stair, which no longer survives. The roof is finished with Tomintoul slates, straight skews, and tooled granite ridge and end chimney stacks. Two single-storey lean-to extensions were added to the rear elevation in the late 18th century: one served as a chapel, the other as a kitchen.

The interior was restored in the 1990s to return it to its 18th-century seminary layout. Most internal walls are finished in pointed rubble stone, though some retain plaster and old wallpaper. Ground-floor floors are stone flags; upper floors are timber. The first floor contains a small chapel at the north end with a timber altar. Stone fireplaces exist on end walls at ground and first-floor levels.

Attached to the seminary is a single-storey cottage dating to the late 18th century, built of rubble in shallow courses with harl pointing. Its south elevation (the entrance front) is 3 bays with a later lean-to porch at centre. A 2-bay extension extends to the east gable. The north elevation has a single central window. The roof has been replaced with corrugated asbestos sheeting; gables retain straight skews and chimney stacks.

Historical Context

Roman Catholicism was outlawed in Scotland following the Reformation of 1560, with practice theoretically punishable by deportation. The Braes of Glenlivet's remote and isolated landscape provided shelter for Catholic communities. Founded by Bishop James Gordon, the seminary at Scalan operated from 1716 to 1799 and trained approximately 100 Catholic priests while serving as an administrative centre for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. The seminary was first established in 1716 in a small cottage. During the 1720s, pupils and staff were repeatedly forced to hide due to government troop movements. In 1746, following the Battle of Culloden, the Duke of Cumberland's troops burned the original cottage to the ground.

The rebuilt seminary was deliberately designed to resemble a farmhouse so it would appear unremarkable among the scattered crofts and farmsteads of the moorland. The 1787–8 heightening of the walls to provide a larger first floor and tall attic space, documented by Dean and Taitt's architectural research, represents a significant expansion phase. Evidence for this phase includes the blocked opening above the main door and the enlargement of first-floor windows.

The seminary closed in 1799 when repeal of the Penal Laws made it practicable to establish a larger, more openly visible seminary elsewhere. The seminary was transferred to Aquhorthies near Inverurie in 1799 and subsequently to Blairs College near Aberdeen in 1829. Following closure, Abbé Paul MacPherson established the nearby town of Chapeltown, where a Catholic parish church was founded. The seminary building then became a farmhouse, and additional agricultural buildings, including the two mills, were subsequently constructed.

The building was upgraded from Grade B to Grade A listing on 9 November 1987. The statutory address and listed building record were revised in 2016 following an interior inspection.