Project Update : New Build Chapel on the West Coast

A lot has happened since the last update and we are heading rapidly towards a dedication service just a few days after the feast day of St. Comghan in mid October.

All the mind twisting over the geometry of the apse vault has come to fruition and the vault is now complete and looking great with only minor finessing required to make it fit perfectly.

Black Isle Bronze have produced their patterns for the door handles for approval. These look great and reassured me about some concerns over the size of the ring handle. I feared it might be too delicate but in reality it fills the hand nicely and in bronze will have a good weight to it.  These have been signed of for casting and we hope to receive them soon.

There was much debate over some of the internal finishes, in particular whether all the stonework should be left exposed or, as originally designed, should be lime washed except for the carved detail of the chancel arch which would stand out in contrast.  While the lime wash would be probably more historically correct for this type of building – perhaps with vibrant decoration – it was decided that it was a shame to hide the beauty of the stone. The observant among you will have spotted that this decision was made after the vault had been lime washed, as seen in the previous update, and so we, slightly perversely had to get a specialist (Dry Ice Scotland) in to remove new lime wash from new stone. After buffing up it is now looking good.  This will initially be set off with simple leaded glass windows by Gallus Glass although there are proposals to eventually replace some of these with images of Scottish saints.

The scaffold enclosure which allowed work to progress in all conditions is now down and the landscaping around the chapel is progressing well with a small garden surrounded by a dry stone wall and wide shallow steps creating a transition zone between the secular and the sacred space.

With the next update I will be able to show you the completed building.

Neil McAllister

Architect