The shortlist / Scotland / Minto Church
Photo: Church of Scotland. Click the large photograph to see it full size.
195 years old
Minto Church
Minto, by Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland
One of two churches known to be by William Henry Playfair, the architect of the National Gallery of Scotland. He built it in 1831 for the 2nd Earl of Minto as part of a planned village. It closed in March 2026.
Our verdict
Seventy-five thousand pounds for a church by the man who built the National Gallery of Scotland. It closed eight months ago and it shows: the paint is clean and the roof is straight.
I would buy this one before any of the others. It has water, an organ with a story, and no work that cannot wait for a survey.
What is wrong with it
- Drainage is not mentioned and no toilet appears on the plan or in the photographs.
- The family vault is attached to the building and belongs to someone else. Ask about access rights across your walls.
- Green growth covers the tower and the north-facing walls.
- The tower has a parapet gutter and a clock, which both need climbing to.
- Only the footprint is sold.
The story
- 1831William Henry Playfair designed the church for Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Earl of Minto, who was laying out a new village. Playfair built the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery in Edinburgh. His only other known church is St Stephen's in Edinburgh.
- 1904Andrew Carnegie offered £100 towards a pipe organ and the congregation accepted. The 4th Earl of Minto, then Governor-General of Canada, objected that the heritors had not been asked. The row ran in the newspapers all summer. The Earl ended it by paying most of the cost himself, and the Ingram organ went in that September.
- 1921A war memorial by Thomas Clapperton was unveiled in the churchyard: a soldier advancing, life size. The face is said to be that of Lieutenant Esmond Elliot, the Earl's youngest son, who died of wounds at Ypres in 1917.
- 1926Stained glass was added.
- 1934The interior was refitted with new pews, pulpit, lectern and communion table. The organ was moved and a chancel window by James Wright of Glasgow went in, in memory of the minister who had fought for the organ.
- 2007Listed Category B.
- 2026Closed in March and put up for sale at offers over £75,000.
Sources: Historic Environment Scotland, LB15233; Scotland's Churches Trust, Minto Church; Church of Scotland sale brochure
What it needs, and what it might cost
- Safe and dry
- £5,000 to £12,000
- Everything on the list
- £101,000 to £215,000
- Each year after that
- £2,500 to £5,000
This is the best kept of the seven in the photographs. Nothing urgent shows. The costs are the ordinary ones of a stone tower and a slate roof.
What the photographs show
- The slates are even and unbroken on the slopes in view. The ridge is straight.
- Green algae and lichen run down the tower buttresses and the wall beside the door, which means water sheds down the stone there.
- The stonework is squared and coursed, with no open joints visible at this distance.
- The clock has a blue lozenge face and gilt hands.
- Inside, walls are painted yellow over a panelled dado and the ceiling is blue. There are no stains on the ceiling in any photograph.
- The floor is bare pine boards under the pews. The pews are numbered.
- The windows are leaded diamond panes in stone tracery. The chancel window has three figures in colour.
- The vestry has a carpet, a brick fireplace with an electric stove and a clean ceiling.
The work, line by line
| Now: safe and dry | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and written report by a conservation-accredited architect, including the tower | £3,000 to £6,000 | Our assumption |
| Clear the tower parapet gutter and all downpipes, and find out why water runs down the tower face | £2,000 to £6,000 | Seen in the photographs |
| Next: fabric and glass | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Repoint the tower and the north walls in lime where the survey finds open joints | £10,000 to £35,000 | Seen in the photographs |
| A WC and drain connection, since none is listed | £6,000 to £15,000 | From the listing |
| Repair leaded lights and fit guards to the stained glass | £3,000 to £10,000 | Our assumption |
| Later: interior and services | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Relay the roof, about 270 square metres, when the fixings fail | £67,000 to £113,000 | Our assumption |
| Clean and overhaul the organ, if it stays | £10,000 to £30,000 | Our assumption |
Yearly upkeep, £2,500 to £5,000. Insurance, heating, the clock, gutters cleared twice a year and a yearly roof and tower check.
Grants. Scotland's Churches Trust gives small grants. Category B buildings rarely get national repair money.
Condition, as the listing describes it
| General | The brochure says it has been carefully maintained throughout its lifetime. | From the listing |
| Roof | Welsh slate. | Checked by us |
| Walls | Dressed sandstone. No condition given. | Unknown |
| Services | Mains electricity and water. Drainage is not mentioned. EPC rating D. | 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, with an interior recast in 1934. It has water and power and has been looked after. A hall, a music room or a gallery would fit. The Minto vault at the west end stays outside the sale.
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 |
| Closed | March 2026. | Checked by us |
Heritage status
| Listing | Category B, listed 7 November 2007, record LB15233. | 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 | Use Class 10: worship, museum, gallery, library, crèche. A house may be possible with consents. | From the listing |
What comes with it
| Rooms | Nave, mezzanine level, main hall, vestry and store. | From the listing |
| Floor area | 279 square metres. | From the listing |
| Organ | By Ingram & Co, installed in September 1904 and moved in 1934. Ask whether it stays. | Checked by us |
| Land | The footprint of the building only. | From the listing |
The dead
| Vault | The Minto family burial vault behind the church is not included. | From the listing |
| Churchyard | Not included. It is in the care of Scottish Borders Council. | Checked by us |
Getting there
| Road | In Minto village. Hawick 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: Scottish Borders 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.