Artwork unveiled at north west Sutherland church to celebrate rich heritage
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The fascinating origins of a north-west Sutherland parish church have been celebrated with the unveiling of a new artwork.
The new piece, which was funded by the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, was commissioned by Assynt and Stoer Church of Scotland to coincide with the 120 year anniversary of the building's unique journey from Nairnshire to north-west Sutherland.
The parish building was transported in its entirety from the east coast to the west over a period of three years between 1901 and 1903.
The church first opened in 1845 as a dedication to St Ninian, situated on Lochloy Road in Nairn. But the local congregation refused to accept the authority of Scottish bishops and continued as an English episcopal church, albeit in Scotland.
The dispute was eventually resolved, but by that time a new church had been built leaving the 'Church of England Chapel', as it was referred to latterly, in abeyance.
It was around this time that James Gordon, a church elder from Nairn, had moved to Lochinver in a bid to alleviate poverty in the village. He was asked by his family how they could further assist the community there, requesting that they help him erect a church, and he duly obliged.
He purchased the dormant Nairn church and thus began a three year project to 'tranship' the building by sea, brick by brick, to Lochinver.
In doing so, the church materials had to make an arduous 200-mile journey through the Pentland Firth, via Cape Wrath, and around the coast of north west Sutherland. Overall, it took 15 trips using a fleet of schooners, among them the Gordon family boat known as the 'Snowdrop', to transfer the entire church.
The church was re-erected in Lochinver by architect John Robertson and later reopened as a Church of Scotland, making its home on the shores of Lochinver in the very spot where the schooners would have offloaded the various parts of the church.
A plaque inside the church commemorates the generosity of James Gordon, noting that for 50 years he was a devoted member and elder of the church, and that it was by his 'zeal and enterprise' that it was removed stone by stone from Nairn and re-erected on its present site in 1903.
Artist and storyteller Lizzie McDougall was tasked with leading the project to create a piece of art worthy of recognising this historic feat, working with several young artists from Lochinver Primary School.
The treacherous journey through north coast waters provided significant inspiration for the piece.
Ms McDougall said: "Those transporting the church undertook this journey without a lot of the technology we take for granted now. Weather forecasting, sonar, radio broadcasting. Their only navigation would have been the stars in the sky.
"There are a lot of people who wouldn't even attempt that journey now, as it is still a very dangerous one."
She also looked to the church itself to help school pupils bring their ideas to life.
Ms McDougall added: "The technique I used was collage. The first activity I did with the children was to create coloured papers, which are used in all of the pictures, by doing rubbings of the actual walls of the church using wax crayons.
"We then did colour washes, using warm and cool colour palettes to represent the land, sea and the sky."
Children also visited the local woods to create some texture artwork, while also taking inspiration from the nature and wildlife they found.
Ms McDougall added: "I think the children were really engaged in the project. The most important outcome was that the children enjoyed taking part. I wanted all the children to be engaged and to feel a part of this project. I wanted it to mean something to all of them."
An unveiling event was held at the church on Tuesday, June 27, led by Church of Scotland minister Iain Macleod, who introduced Ms McDougall and Donald Gordon, grandnephew of James.
Mr Gordon said: "To have the anniversary recognised means a very great deal. We have kept in touch with James's ancestors as much as we have been able to. It is an important part of our families' heritage, there's no question about that."
The junior years of the Lochinver Primary School also sang songs to the audience, treating them to renditions of 'Reach for the Stars' and 'Build Up'.
Ms McDougall revealed the new artwork, comprised of 16 individual canvas paintings made by the school children which surrounded a centrepiece collage, telling a visual story of how the church made its historic journey.
Several of the pieces were inspired by the sea-faring elements of the tale, while some celebrated the wildlife that can be seen in the area of Assynt.
Colin Masterson, head teacher at Lochinver primary, felt that the artwork truly reflected the journey of the church, and exhibited links to the flora and fauna of the local area.
He said: "The individual canvasses allowed the children to share their thoughts and hopes as well as adding to the Christian element of the journey with links to fishermen, doves and bible stories.
"The pupils were really engaged with the project and enjoyed both the learning about the church’s history as well as the creative processes involved in producing the artwork. They loved visiting the church and creating the materials that would then be used in the collage as well as working on their individual ideas for their own pictures.
"It is not every school pupil that gets the opportunity to work alongside a professional artist and create an artwork that will be on permanent display for generations to come."
Reverend Iain Macleod said: "The piece is everything and more than I could have expected and I couldn't be happier in terms of the impression it will create. Our building here is in a state of mid-repair and the vibrancy of the colours in this artwork will really give it a lift.
"Once construction work is complete here at the church, some time at the beginning of August, we will hold another ceremony to invite the community to come back to see the piece on the wall. I am sure it will be a focal point for people coming in, to have this visual representation of our building's story."
