The Church of St Mary and St Finnan

This beautiful little church stands on a hill in Glenfinnan, overlooking the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived to begin the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.

It is the design of Edward Welby Pugin and was built in 1873.

Being a fairly remote area, the congregation is not large, and over the years as numbers declined, the fabric of the building began to deteriorate. When we were here last, about 18 months or so, it was cold and the internal walls were pealing and badly affected by damp. There is no resident priest.
The cost of the necessary work is £300,000, and two thirds has already been raised.

And the difference is already remarkable inside. Painted walls, shining pillars and a clean floor. And warmth too!

Mass is at 1pm on Sunday and was said when we were there by Father Roddy McAuley from Caol near Fort William. I recognised him from hi appearances on the TV series about an Island Parish...Barra.

Mass was said, hymns sung and a sermon preached. It was calm and peaceful.

After mass, we moved a short distance to Glenfinnan Railway station. There, in a converted train carriage we had a delicious soup and sandwich meal. We then visited the small museum in the old station building.
Finally we drove home via Strontian.

http://glenfinnanchurch.org/

http://glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk/

Glenfinnan

Last weekend we were staying in Fort William. We visited a few places. We travelled up via Oban, stopping off there for a couple of hours. Oban was very wet. It is a busy ferry port with boats of all sizes and ferries serving the Western Islands and the Outer Hebrides.

On Saturday we went to Glenfinnan which lies on the Fort William - Mallaig road, known as the Road to the Isles. Mallaig is a fishing port and a ferry port too.

Glenfinnan is famous for its connection with Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie.

He landed here to try to regain the British Throne, taken from the Stuarts because of their Catholic religion.
He raised an army and marched south, getting as far as Derby. Meanwhile the German king was packing his bags and was preparing to go back to Germany.
But, as we know, the Prince's advisers were  becoming concerned at the distance from Scotland and the whereabouts of a large English force. So, against his own Judgement, the Scots turned back, and the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion ended in defeat in April 1746 at Culloden, near Inverness.

You can get to the top of the monument on purchase of an entry ticket at the National Trust Centre across the road. Climbing through the hatch...not a door...needs a little effort.
the Viaduct you see is the one that features in the Harry Potter films.

More of the Church in the last photo in my next blog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden

http://www.nts.org.uk/Culloden/Home/

https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A9mSs2i2XzVUhyAAYoZLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBsYWhiN2NvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2lyMgR2dGlkAw--?p=battle+of+culloden