The shortlist / Scotland / Kirkmichael Church
Photo: Church of Scotland. Click the large photograph to see it full size.
235 years old
Kirkmichael Church
Kirkmichael, by Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
A harled village kirk of 1791 on the bank of the River Ardle in Strathardle, with a pine gallery of 1893. The sale includes a strip of riverbank. It has electricity and no water.
Our verdict
Seventy thousand pounds for a kirk in a Perthshire village with a river at the bottom of the churchyard. The inside was painted not long ago and the heaters work.
It needs a tap and a drain. Get those priced, look at the flood map, and this is the easiest of the seven to put back into weekly use.
What is wrong with it
- No water supply. The brochure says nothing about drainage.
- The building stands a few metres above the River Ardle and you would own part of the bank. Check the flood map and who maintains the bank.
- The war memorials may leave with the sellers.
- The photograph on the brochure cover shows a stone building with gabled windows that does not match the church in the other photographs. Ask what it is.
- The brochure gives no roof condition.
The story
- 1791The parish built the present church. One source gives 1797. It is a plain rectangle of harled rubble with a bellcote and a Venetian window in each gable.
- 1893John Sim, an architect in Montrose, renovated the interior and probably added the porch. The gallery, pews and pulpit in the photographs are his.
- 1971Listed Category B.
- 2026Offered for sale at offers over £70,000 with a strip of riverbank.
The listing record is short and so is this history. We have not yet found a record of the church that stood here before 1791 or a date for the last service.
Sources: Historic Environment Scotland, LB11515; Church of Scotland sale brochure
What it needs, and what it might cost
- Safe and dry
- £4,000 to £9,000
- Everything on the list
- £75,000 to £141,000
- Each year after that
- £2,000 to £4,000
The photographs show a building in use until recently, painted and carpeted. The unknowns are under the slates and on the river bank.
What the photographs show
- The side walls are harled and painted white, and the finish is even. The gable is bare rubble with red sandstone round the openings.
- The slates lie flat and even on the slope facing the camera.
- Inside, the roof trusses are exposed and painted white against a red ceiling. The paint is fresh.
- The gallery front, pews and pulpit are varnished pine with no visible damage.
- There are modern electric panel heaters and fitted blue carpet.
- Two windows either side of the pulpit hold coloured glass.
- From the air the river runs directly below the churchyard wall, with trees on the bank.
The work, line by line
| Now: safe and dry | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and written report by a conservation-accredited architect | £2,500 to £5,000 | Our assumption |
| Check the river bank and the flood map, and price any bank repair before you offer | Not costed | Seen in the photographs |
| Clear gutters, check slates and the bellcote | £1,500 to £4,000 | Our assumption |
| Next: fabric and glass | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Bring in mains water from the village street and connect a drain, for one WC and a sink | £8,000 to £20,000 | From the listing |
| Patch the harl and repaint, about 250 square metres of wall | £6,000 to £15,000 | Seen in the photographs |
| Later: interior and services | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Relay the roof, about 230 square metres, when the survey says so | £57,000 to £97,000 | Our assumption |
Yearly upkeep, £2,000 to £4,000. Insurance, electricity, gutters cleared twice a year, a yearly roof check, and upkeep of the river bank.
Grants. Scotland's Churches Trust gives small grants. Category B buildings rarely get national repair money.
Condition, as the listing describes it
| Roof | Slate. No condition given. | Unknown |
| Walls | Harled rubble. | Checked by us |
| Interior | Galleried, renovated in 1893 by John Sim of Montrose. | Checked by us |
| Services | Mains electricity only. No water supply. EPC rating C. | From the listing |
These are our rough estimates and not quotes. Nobody from this site has been inside the building. We measured from the listing, looked at its photographs, applied published Scottish rates for 2025 and 2026, and raised them for scaffolding, height and heritage rules. Figures are for works only, before architect's fees of 10 to 15% and VAT. Rot, structural movement and asbestos do not show in a photograph. How we estimate.
The seller
Church of Scotland General Trustees. To the Kirk. The General Trustees hold the title for the congregation, and sale proceeds go back to the Church of Scotland for its remaining congregations and buildings.
What you may do with it
Light use. Category B, in a village, with an interior of 1893 and no earlier fittings. A hall, studio or gallery fits without a change of use. The best EPC rating of the seven, at C.
Sacred status
| Worship | Closed for worship and declared surplus by the Kirk. The Church of Scotland dedicates its buildings and does not consecrate them, so there is no deconsecration step. | From the listing |
| Last service | Not stated. | Unknown |
| War memorials | The sellers keep the right to remove them. | From the listing |
Heritage status
| Listing | Category B, listed 5 October 1971, record LB11515. | Checked by us |
| Consent | Listed building consent is needed for any change that affects the character of the building, inside or outside. You apply to the council. | Checked by us |
| Use | Crèche, museum, gallery or library without a change of use. A house might be possible with consents. | From the listing |
What comes with it
| Floor area | 268 square metres including the gallery. | From the listing |
| Land | The footprint of the building and the land at the riverbank, coloured purple on the sale plan. | From the listing |
| Furnishings | Pews, pulpit and gallery are in the photographs. | From the listing |
The dead
| Churchyard | Not included. Assumed to belong to the local authority. | From the listing |
Getting there
| Road | On the A924 in the village. Blairgowrie has the nearest shops and services. | From the listing |
| Train | Not stated in the brochure. | Unknown |
How to offer
| Process | Offers go in writing through a Scottish solicitor. Register your interest through a solicitor so you are told if a closing date is set. The sellers say they are not bound to accept the highest offer. | From the listing |
People to call
- Seller: Church of Scotland Law Department, properties@churchofscotland.org.uk, 0131 240 2263
- Listed building consent: Perth and Kinross Council planning department
- Heritage adviser: Historic Environment Scotland
- Advice and small grants: Scotland's Churches Trust
"From the listing" means the seller's agent says so. "Checked by us" means we confirmed it against a public record, linked where possible. "Unknown" is a question to put to the agent before you visit.