Strontian Parish Church was one of many Parliamentary Churches placed under the Commissioners for Building Churches in the Highlands and Islands between 1826 and 1828. Built to a Thomas Telford design for a population of 1350, the building originally had internal galleries and was designed so that it could be adapted over time to facilitate a fluctuating population.
In the 1920’s the roof was lowered, galleries removed and the main arched windows were removed and replaced by plain timber frames. By this time the congregation would have been far smaller following the 1843 disruption. Many had joined the Free Church services on the Floating Church and then at the Free Church building in Longrigg.
In the 1950’s further changes included the reduction in size of the main sanctuary to create a meeting room at the back and gothic arched frames were removed from the side windows. Memorial plaques which were once on the internal walls were removed, some left lying outside the building.
By 2022 the congregation was at its lowest and the Church of Scotland took the decision to sell the building which was the only remaining place of worship in the district.
Dualchas at this time was investigating options for the creation of a local Heritage Centre, a place where the large Sunart Archives and items donated to Dualchas could be safely stored and viewed by the public.
Following competition of a feasibility study which included community consultation, the Sunart Community Company (SCC) entered into negotiations with the Church of Scotland and after three years of hard work the Church building came into Community ownership on 18th July 2025. This was only made possible with funding support from the Scottish Land Fund and the Sunart Community Benefit Fund.
Commenting at the time of the purchase, Sarah Traynor, Chair of Dualchas, said, “The volunteers of Dualchas were really pleased that at long last we can start working on a permanent home for the Sunart Archive and the many historical artefacts, books, and photographs we’ve collected”.
The SCC is currently in negotiations with the Highland Council regarding community asset transfer of the surrounding graveyard and hope this will be completed soon.
A vast amount of work is required on this 200 year old building – a new roof, new electrics and heating and full refurbishment to create a local Heritage Centre. In addition to being a place where our vast heritage (photographs, books, documents and artefacts) can be viewed and learned from, the building will be available for community groups to use. Worship, memorials and celebrations will be able to continue for any denomination.