St John's Church, Port Ellen

St John's Church, Port Ellen is a Category B listed building in Port Ellen, Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

St John’s Church, Port Ellen
St John’s Church, Port Ellen
Map
55°37′39.5″N 6°10′59″W / 55.627639°N 6.18306°W / 55.627639; -6.18306
AddressFrederick Street, Port Ellen, Islay
CountryScotland
DenominationChurch of Scotland
Websitewww.islayjurachurches.co.uk/st-johns-church
Architecture
Designated
Listed Building – Category B
Designated24 April 2003
Reference no.LB49190
Architect(s)Arthur George Sydney Mitchell
Architectural typeArts and Crafts
Groundbreaking1897
Completed1898
Specifications
Tower height55 feet (17 m)
Administration
PresbyteryArgyll
ParishKidalton and Oa

History

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The memorial stone for the new church was laid by Mrs Ramsay of Kidalton on 1 October 1897.[1] It was built to replace the former churches at Lagavulin as the congregation in Port Ellen had grown. It is a single storey church in the Arts and Crafts style built on a rectangular plan. It was built to the designs of the architect Arthur George Sydney Mitchell.

There are three stained glass windows:

  • A memorial to Revd. James Mackinnon, minister from 1894 to 1938 depicting Christ the Good Shepherd[2]
  • A memorial to Iain Ramsay of Kidalton, killed on 30 April 1942
  • A window depicting a haymaking scene.

Organ

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An organ was gifted in 1945 in memory of Pilot Officer Alastair MacTaggart and five others of the parish who were killed on active service during the Second World War.[3] The organ is no longer there as the present organ is an Allen Protege which was installed in August 2001.

References

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  1. ^ "Port Ellen Mission Church". Highland News. Scotland. 2 October 1897. Retrieved 12 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ "Memorial to Former Islay Minister". The Scotsman. Scotland. 23 October 1940. Retrieved 12 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Organ Gifted as Memorial". The Scotsman. Scotland. 3 April 1945. Retrieved 12 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.