A grand Gothic Revival church contains Scotland’s largest group of stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan and is entering a new community life.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1904–06
- Architect / designer
- John Robertson of Inverness
- Type
- Large Gothic Revival church with tower, steeple and historic boundaries
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB31663)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 03565 58876
Architecture and continuing use
Bull-faced rubble and pale dressings shape a large nave, chancel, porch, buttressed tower, stone steeple and ridge fleche. Inside, an ornate timber roof and rich chancel accompany fourteen Strachan windows; Georgian gatepiers survive outside.
Its story
John Robertson built the church in 1904–06 on a much older worship site. Douglas Strachan’s major window sequence arrived between 1931 and 1939. Regular services ended in January 2025, and a community trust acquired the building on 18 March 2026.
Why it is included
Architectural scale, exceptional stained glass, ritualist interior and carefully documented transition to community ownership give the building outstanding local importance.
What to notice
- The tower, stone steeple and small ridge fleche.
- The sequence of Douglas Strachan windows in saturated colour.
- Late-eighteenth-century gatepiers retained from an earlier church landscape.
Reading the surroundings
The trust is developing events and community uses. Attend only through advertised activity or arrangement, respect the former kirkyard and do not assume unsupervised access during transition works.
Timeline
- 28 February 1906 The first service opened John Robertson’s new parish church.
- 1931–39 Fourteen Douglas Strachan windows transformed the interior’s colour and meaning.
- January 2025 A century-long phase of ordinary parish occupation came to an end.
- 18 March 2026 St Laurence Forres Trust completed community purchase.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The new venue programme remains in development, so particular uses and opening arrangements should be checked with the trust.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: St Laurence’s Church, LB31663 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- St Laurence Forres Trust — Current ownership, emerging arts and events use and contact information.
- Scottish Parliament motion S6M-21201 — Dated evidence for the March 2026 community acquisition and intended reuse.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 03565 58876 · 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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