MHG7175 - Ardclach Bell Tower
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (3)
- BELL TOWER (Post Medieval - 1560 AD to 1900 AD)
- PRISON (Post Medieval - 1560 AD to 1900 AD)
- WATCH TOWER (Post Medieval - 1560 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
NH94NE 1 9538 4533.
(NH 9538 4533) Belfry (NAT). OS 6"map, (1960)
A detached tower, two storeys high and gabled, with a chimney on one gable and a belfry on the other. It is 14' square and bears the date 1655.
Built in restless country, its primary function was that of watch tower and local prison. When the parish kirk was built in a hollow below the knoll (NH94NE 3: Built 1626 rebuilt 1762), permission was obtained to erect the kirk belfry on the tower. (G Hay 1932)
Ritchie maintains that the tower was built 'long before' 1655, in which case that might be the date of the addition of the belfry. It is said to have been last used as a prison in 1676.
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1892; G Hay 1957; J B Ritchie 1932.
Harled and well-maintained, the tower is locally known and sign-posted as 'Ardclach Bell tower'.
Visited by OS (R D) 23 August 1965.
The building was listed at Category A in 1971.
The building was Scheduled by Historic Scotland in 1995.
The site was reviewed by Historic Scotland in 2017 as part of the Dual Designation Project. The site was not visited and it was recommended that the site be descheduled but that it remain listed. <1>
The building was descheduled in 2017. <2>
GIS spatial data amended in 2018 according to OS MasterMap. <3>
See also:
NH94NE0033 Graveyard
NH94NE0003 Old Church
NH94NE0005 Present Church
Jhooper, 13/12/2001
Sources/Archives (12)
- --- SHG13306 Image/Photograph(s): Bell Tower, Ardclach.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG13307 Image/Photograph(s): Bell Tower, Ardclach.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG2307 Text/Publication/Volume: Hay, G. 1957. The architecture of Scottish post-Reformation churches, 1560-1843. 173.
- --- SHG2425 Text/Publication/Volume: Love J, McMullen E (ed). 1994. A Salmon for the Schoolhouse, A Nairnshire Parish in the C19.
- --- SHG24382 Image/Photograph(s): Taylor, A. 2007-9. Photographs of various HER sites by Andrew Taylor (CD 1). Colour. Yes. Digital.
- --- SHG2442 Text/Publication/Volume: MacGibbon, D. and Ross, T.. 1887-92. The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. Hardback. Vol. 5, 218.
- --- SHG2672 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1978. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Nairn District, Highland Region. . 16, No. 114.
- --- SHG26912 Image/Photograph(s): Puls, A. 2015. Photographic Survey - Ardclach Bell Tower. Colour. Digital.
- --- SHG2711 Text/Publication/Volume: Ritchie, J B. 1932. The Pageant of Morayland. 163-7.
- <1> SHG27995 Text/Designation Notification/Scheduled Monument: Historic Environment Scotland. 2017. Assessment for Dual designations Project: Ardclach Bell Tower. Historic Environment Scotland. 30/10/2017. Digital.
- <2> SHG27996 Text/Designation Notification/Scheduled Monument: Historic Environment Scotland. 2017. Scheduled Monument Descheduling Notification - SM90020. Historic Environment Scotland. 28/11/2017. Digital.
- <3> SHG23361 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Mastermap. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 9538 4533 (9m by 9m) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH94NE |
| Civil Parish | ARDCLACH |
| Geographical Area | NAIRN |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB551 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/15482 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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