The community have purchased this historic building and the initial target is to make it wind and watertight, to put in a small kitchen and toilet and to preserve the asset for future generations.
Estimated Price
200000
St Ernan's Church, Creich, near Fionnphort on the Isle of Mull was built in 1899 on land which was granted to the community by the Duke of Argyll. The building work was undertaken voluntarily by the crofters and fishermen of the parish, using granite from local quarries. It was built by the community for the community. For over 125 years, parishioners gathered in the church to take part in weddings, funerals and other special services.
Recently the Church of Scotland took the decision to dispose of St Ernan’s Church. Concerned that this important building could be lost to the community, a group of residents from this remote community on the Ross of Mull set up St Ernan’s by the Loch with the aim of keeping the building in community ownership. An unincorporated charity was formed, with a local board of Trustees and over 140 supporters. Funding was successfully raised and the Church passed into community ownership in early 2026. It is a community owned building now! The population of the Ross of Mull is only 700 people, so this membership represents 20% of the community supporting the project.
The community vision is to develop the building with respect to its age, history and heritage, and the beauty and tranquillity of its setting. We want it to become a modern, safe and attractive place, welcoming people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds, and available for a wide range of cultural, spiritual and social activities. We want to preserve our Church for future generations.
Our first challenge is to make the historic building wind and watertight, to put in a small kitchen and toilet. We also aim to extend the windows overlooking the Loch to the floor, this will help to bring the beautiful landscape inside the building and create an exceptional destination for Weddings, Funerals, Christenings, music and other community events.
Our Architect is preparing drawings for wind, watertight and window improvements. Once completed, we can start to prepare our planning application and building warrant and secure quotes from contractors. We think the cost will be around £200k.
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