Laggan Church

Laggan Church was sold by the Church of Scotland  in 2024 and is now owned by the Laggan Church Partnership, it is a charitable organisation charity number is SC053716. The building is held and run for the benefit of the community.

The Church of Scotland Parish of Kingussie, Laggan & Newtonmore hold services at Newtonmore and Kingussie and these are advertised on their  website at https//ingussielaggannewtonmorechurch.com   

There are still services at Laggan and the dates and times can be found on the website at https://lagganchurch.org.

 

The present Church in Laggan was built in 1785 and the Duke of Gordon acted as patron. The Minister at the time was Rev. James Grant and the manse was the house at Gaskbeg Farm and he was allowed £20 in lieu of a manse and his stipend was £70. It was however his wife Mrs Anne Grant who is celebrated and remembered for her writings especially "Letters from the Mountains". Her comments reveal the nature of life in the Highlands at the end of the eighteenth century.

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In the 1800's there was a fire in the church and the interior was rebuilt as it is today. The pine was taken from local forests and the eight pine pillars that hold up the roof are reputed to be unique. The high pulpit and Precentors pulpit below are very distinctive. This put the minister on the same level as the local Lairds, whose pews were upstairs In the gallery, Cluny Macphersons facing the pulpit and Glentruim on the left hand side. It is interesting to note the width of the seats, how they diminish towards the back, where it was standing room only for the coachmen. The stained glass window was also put in at this time.

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A minister of note was the Rev. Neil Ross who was the minister from 1923 until his death in 1943. Dr Ross was a famous Gaelic and Celtic scholar and was created a C.B.E. in 1938 The organ was donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1911, The church is very active today, its members taking part in all facets of community life.