Church Overview

Until the 1990s, there were three separate Church of Scotland congregations in the north-west mainland of Orkney – Birsay, Harray and Sandwick – each with its own church building. The congregation has created an entirely new building in the central location of Dounby. The modern multi-functional building was designed by local architects Pentarq and opened in 2012. The walls are of local stone and white render, topped by an asymmetric roof. The larger roof covers the main hall, lit by floor-to-ceiling and clerestory windows, and the lesser roof covers the anciliary accommodation. The design of the building has the community at its heart. The worship space is flexible with loose seating, enabling it to be used for a variety of functions throughout the week. It seats up to 150 with the option (by opening a sliding partition) of adding the adjacent hall (capacity 50). There is also be a smaller meeting room, a social area and adjoining kitchen facilities.

Services

Sunday 11.00am

Opening Arrangements

Open by arrangement

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.