Page 26 - LOTN Spring Issue 49 2022

FAITH AND CULTURE

elegantly.
This generous gift of land, given free of rent charges or feu
duty, was provided by Sir William Gordon of Letterfourie in
1850. So, on ground at the edge of the deep ravine through
which the burn of Buckie flows to the sea, is located the
Church of St Peter with related school sheltered behind the
church.
Seen in the context of the close or the distant view, the
church of St Peter with its twin aspiring steeples and large
nave and sanctuary, with the town of Buckpool close around
and the more distant town of Easter Buckie beyond, though
visually dominant, is in happy balance with the land in which
it is placed.
The church interior
The Church design and space and sympathetic in scale with the church

building.
Although there was no special ceremony to celebrate the The plan of the church is traditional, east/west in axis, with
formal opening of the Church of St Peter in Buckie, the the main ceremonial entrance door centred on the west facade.
Banffshire Journal of the day reported the “Opening of New Through this entrance is a generous vestibule area, this space
Catholic Cathedral” in its edition of 7th August 1857. In the being fitted below the choir and organ loft over, with the lower
presence of a large company, it was opened in Sabbath week structures to take the steeples over, disposed symmetrically to
by the Right Reverend Bishop Kyle assisted by the Reverend north and south.
William Clapperton “who is to be the first missionary therein”. From this vestibule two separate doors lead into the nave.
It is not clear who actually designed the church, although it The transition from the restricted volume of the vestibule to
has been suggested that Alexander Ellis, who later designed St the nave with its soaring roof and back lit by the west window
Mary’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, was involved; popular belief is is extremely powerful. The nave is of five equal bays flanked
that Bishop Kyle himself supplied the design. What is known to north and south with lower side aisles permitting high level
is that, with the foundations laid in 1851, the works were light to enter through five groups of three lancet windows each
supervised by a Mr Alex Reid of Elgin, while a Mr Lamb was side at clerestory level. No windows penetrate the aisle walls
responsible for the supervision of the quarrying of the stone at low level. The effect of this method of lighting the principal
locally and of the building of the masonry of the new church. space is remarkable giving an even spread of light at pew level
The style of the church is neo-Gothic, and it has matching and an airiness to the church volume.
twin spires symmetrically about its west façade, as once at the Five equilateral Gothic arches spring from the top of
neighbouring Elgin Cathedral. It is built of sandstone with columns which are irregular octagons with the pews passing
steep slated roofs. Two types of sandstone are used, a hard through into the side aisles. Above these arches is a string
yellow sandstone for dressings and the more intricate string course from which the clerestory windows, already described,
courses and carved work, and a softer brown stone for the spring. These grouped clerestory windows are in leaded and
infill. Attached to the church on the north-west corner and stained glass. The soaring steeply pitched roof is open to the
linking with the sacristy is the presbytery house, generous in edge and formed into ten sections (two per bay) along the full
length of the nave. The trusses holding
the roof fabric are scissor in form with
hanging posts. Between these trusses,
exposed rafters show, chevron in pattern
with a plaster finish between. The same
form of roof and ceiling treatment is
to be found in the side aisles but with
the infill between the rafters in timber
linings.
For ease of access and everyday use, a
side porch is provided. This is located on
the north face of the church next to the
north steeple base. Opposite this porch
and attached to the south face of the
building is what was intended for the
Baptistry, now a side chapel dedicated to
Our Lady of Aberdeen.
There are no transepts at St Peter’s,
the nave ending where the Sanctuary
begins. Where this conjunction occurs,
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