Forgue Church, Forgue

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 16/04/1971 Local Authority Aberdeenshire Planning Authority Aberdeenshire Parish Forgue NGR NJ 61084 45102 Coordinates 361084, 845102 — Archibald Simpson, 1819; interior re-worked 1872 and 1926. Imposing rectangular plan church and session house on raised ground overlooking graveyard and site of earlier St Margaret's Church. Centre of W gable projects as vestibule and gallery stairs with deep-set 2-leaf timber door, raised-centre tripartite window and slender stone bellcote with bell; nave with alternating roundel windows and pointed-arch traceried windows; galleried interior. Granite rubble, squared at W end, and granite quoins and dressings; round and pointed-arch openings. Raised base course and eaves course continuing as band course at gable ends. FURTHER DESCRIPTION: S elevation with 3 neo-perpendicular, timber-traceried, 2-light windows over raised cills punctuating 4 circular windows high up in spandrel areas. Similar tracery to 2 tall windows at E and plain Y-tracery to raised centre tripartite and flanking set back lights at W. Windows retain diamond-pattern zinc with hand made glass. Grey slates. Ashlar-coped skews and stone finials. INTERIOR: some good interior detail retained including 1819 painted plaster ceiling and remnants of acanthus design stencilling; some dado panelling. 1872 pews. 1926 alterations include W gallery on 3 cast iron columns (re-used from original U-plan gallery) with pendulum clock of 1870 commemorating baptism of father of John Alexander on 1 March 1826; re-siting of pulpit at E, dedicated to Rev Brebner, Minister 1871-1927. — Ecclesiastical building in use as such. The former parish church at Forgue, designed by well-respected north east architect Archibald Simpson, is an important early survival of the reformed

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.