Repairs to St Comghan's

Francis Shaw, the architect at Mingary Castle, and Brian Smith, the castle's structural engineer, visited the church in April - see post here - and warned that, although the lintel over the door had been declared a safety hazard by owners Highland Council, it was the three arches that were in most urgent need of repair. Following this, both West Ardnamurchan Community Council and West Ardnamurchan Community Development Company have discussed what should be done, and have agreed that, to save the south facade of the church, repairs should take place as soon a possible.

Brian Smith has generously provided the engineering drawings that will enable repairs to be carried out, free of charge; Highland Council has given permission to carry out the repair; WACDC has a quote for a maximum of £4,000, and is currently trying to obtain permission from Historic Scotland to do the work.

Both WACC and WACDC are anxious that any objections to the work being carried out, particularly from those who have loved ones buried in the churchyard, should be heard before they proceed further. Repairs have been carried out before - for example on the southwest corner of the building - and everything possible will be done to ensure that the churchyard and its monuments are as little disturbed as possible.

Comments can be sent to the secretary of WACDC at info.wacdc@gmail.com