Reginald Fairlie’s red Byzantine church brings a broad basilican presence to the rising streets behind Rothesay’s seafront.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built in 1923
- Architect / designer
- Reginald Fairlie
- Type
- Byzantine-style church with aisles, chapels, cloister, priest’s house and boundary features
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB40451)
- OS grid reference
- NS 08575 64566
Architecture and continuing use
A near-symmetrical entrance fronts a nave-and-aisles plan, with long clerestory, lean-to aisles, projecting chapels and linked priest’s house. Concrete faced with crushed red sandstone gives the church a warm, weighty surface.
Its story
Fairlie designed the church in 1923 for Rothesay’s Catholic community. The complex includes worship, domestic and service spaces and remains in parish use.
Why it is included
It is a major work by an important Scottish church architect and records the denominational and social breadth of the resort town.
What to notice
- The broad, near-symmetrical entrance composition.
- Clerestory rising above long lean-to aisles.
- Red stone-like surface and Byzantine-derived details.
Reading the surroundings
The parish publishes current Mass times and contacts. Respect worship, pastoral work and the private priest’s house, and check before an architectural visit.
Timeline
- Built in 1923 Fairlie designed the church in 1923 for Rothesay’s Catholic community. The complex includes worship, domestic and service spaces and remains in parish use.
- Present Active Roman Catholic parish church in the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Service times and opening arrangements can change; the whole listed complex is not necessarily publicly accessible.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: St Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church, LB40451 — Designation status, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- St Andrew’s Rothesay parish — Current parish identity, worship and contact information.
- Diocese of Argyll and the Isles: Rothesay parish — Independent diocesan confirmation of current parish use.
Location
OS grid reference NS 08575 64566 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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