Record

SCA - Scottish Catholic Archives
- MP - Missions and Parishes

Repository	Scottish Catholic Archives
Ref No	SCA/MP/293
Title	Drimnin, Argyllshire, Highland, St Columba's
Date	1869
Level	Fonds
Description	The chapel was built in 1838 on the site of the ancient Drimnin Castle, on a rocky knoll overlooking the Sound of Mull and Tobermory on lands that were once those of the Macleans of Drimnin. The Macleans lost control of Drimnin after supporting the Jacobite uprising and it passed through several other owners before being bought in 1835 by a wealthy Edinburgh lawyer, Sir Charles Gordon. The Gordons were Catholics in an almost exclusively Protestant area. Unsurprisingly the local population was disapproving when Sir Charles demolished the castle and replaced it with a Catholic chapel in about 1840, which became the centre of worship for Catholics from Mull and the neighbouring Ardnamurchan. The situation was exacerbated by the introduction of a full time priest, who lived in the newly constructed Hermitage close to the Chapel. After the untimely death of Sir Charles in 1845, the Chapel gradually fell into disuse and was supplanted by a chapel within Drimnin House. It was here that Saint Mary McKillop, whose parents came from Roy Bridge and who is Australia’s first saint, worshipped on her visit to the UK in the late 19th century. After the Gordon family sold the Estate in 1943, the Chapel became a ruin but was given a Grade B listing to protect its historical and scenic importance. Attempts to secure planning consent to convert the Chapel to a house were denied in the 1990s and again on appeal, leaving the Chapel a deteriorating ruin, despite attempts by the Highland Council to facilitate a rescue plan; The St Columba's Driminin Trust retired the chapel between 2008-2012; served from Mingarry
Admin_History	Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
AccessConditions	Open for consultation, some sections closed as they hold personal data subject to the Data Protection Act

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