St Moluag's Church, Cromar Drive, Tarland

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 19/04/1971 Local Authority Aberdeenshire Planning Authority Aberdeenshire Parish Tarland NGR NJ 48452 04674 Coordinates 348452, 804674 — William Smith, 1869, spire 1889. 3-bay, rectangular-plan, Gothic church with broached spire belltower to SE corner and bellcote to SW corner. Stugged granite courses with polished margins to openings and detailing. Tall, pointed-arch windows. S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-bay. Saw-toothed clasped buttresses. Base course, saw-toothed triple dividing band to nave, eaves course. Polychrome voussoirs and chamfered margins to openings. 3-bay arcade to centre, small window to central bay flanked by timber panelled entrance doors. Large palte tracery rose window to gablehead, gable terminating in cast-iron cross finial, spur finial to right shoulder. Square-plan, 3-stage belltower with broached spire to bay to right, bipartite window to ground, blind oculus to 2nd stage, battered to 3rd stage with cusped bipartite louvred openings. Clasped buttresses framing narrow bay to left rising to form gableted bellcote supported on corbelled cornice. N (REAR) ELEVATION: stepped tripartite window to gable end, single storey, gabled boilerhouse to ground with battered gable stack. E (SIDE) ELEVATION: 6-bay. Regular fenestration with belltower abutting to outer left bay. W (SIDE) ELEVATION: 6-bay. Regular fenestration, blind window to outer right bay. Leaded windows. Grey slates, lead flashing, triangular roof vents. Shouldered skews to gable ends. INTERIOR: not seen 2002 — Ecclesiastic building in use as such. Smith was an Aberdeen contemporary of Alexander Ellis, whose influence is visible. Oversized for its location, this highly unusual piece of Victorian Gothic superseded the 18th century Tarland Old Parish Church in the village squ

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.