St Columba's Church, Strone

St Columba’s Church in Strone, within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, was constructed in the early 20th century, incorporating elements from the mid-19th century. It is the work of Peter MacGregor Chalmers, a prominent Scottish church architect. The church occupies a prominent position on the shore of Loch Long.

The original church, built in 1858-9, was a gable-fronted building with a tower to the left and halls to the rear. This was superseded in 1907-8 when Chalmers was commissioned to build a new church, retaining the original tower. The tower was remodelled with a new two-stage, spired, and battlemented design, and a Romanesque entrance was formed in its base. The nave of the new church is situated behind the tower, with an advanced gabled transept and a short south aisle. A rectangular chancel projects to the east. The tower’s original windows are pointed-arched, while the 1908 windows are round-headed, cusped, and rectangular. The external construction largely reused materials from the earlier church, with Corrie sandstone used internally.

Behind the church are simple, rectangular halls, running parallel and joined to the main body by a small link building.

The interior is relatively plain, featuring exposed squared rubble stonework. A wide round-headed chancel arch leads to the chancel, which contains a lancet window with stained glass depicting Christ bearing the cross (by Stephen Adam Jr., 1908), commemorating Hugh Highgate of Blairmore. A tall triple lancet window with stained glass depicting Christ entering Jerusalem (1925) is in the west gable. The nave features a series of lancet windows, several containing stained glass, the finest being a depiction of a shepherd by George MacWhirter Webster (1933). The aisle is separated from the nave by a three-bay arcade, with one circular and one octagonal pier. A moulded round-headed door leads south through the tower, and another leads north into the halls. The roof is supported by arch-braced trusses, terminating in stone corbels carved with figurative details. A marble war memorial, originally from St Andrew's, Kilmun, was installed in 1937.

The church is constructed from sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. The spire is ashlar and the roofs are slate covered. Double doors are timber boarded, with leaded windows.

The site is enclosed by a rubble boundary wall with Gothic sandstone gatepiers.