Former Castlehill Church, Forres

This large town church is located on High Street in Forres and is close to the town centre. It was originally built as a United Presbyterian Church in 1870-1 but closed as a place of worship at some point in the later 20th century. It was converted into a church hall in the late 1970s or early 1980s but has since closed and when visited in 2012 was boarded up and in a poor state of repair. 

Castlehill Church is a large, cruciform-plan structure, aligned roughly north-south and on a prominent corner site. It was built in tooled ashlar sandstone, the best quality saved for the north gable facing High Street. The roofs of the church are all slated and the tall nave has metal vents close to the ridgeline. When visited all of the vents were missing, allowing water and pigeons into the building. 

The impressive north gable fronts High Street. There is a very large pointed-arch window to the centre, which has intricate stone tracery, diamond-pane glazing and a wide hoodmould. A thick stringcourse below steps up to form the sill of the window. Flanking the window are semi-octagonal buttresses, topped by detailed stone spires which feature lucarnes, arcading and a finial. The apex of the gable has carved stone decoration and a large celtic cross finial. Attached to the east and west sides of the north gable is a square porch with slender corner buttresses and a prominent parapet. Each porch has a recessed pointed-arch doorway with moulded margins (reveals), attached columns and hoodmould. The east and west-facing porch sides have a single pointed-arch window (now boarded up). The stone parapet is corbelled out slightly and has gabled pinnacles on the corners. 

The sides of the church have shallow aisles and there are gabled clerestorey windows above. The aisles have four pointed-arch windows, although when visited these were all boarded up. The tall clerestorey of the nave has five pointed-arch windows which are gabled and extend above the wallhead into the roof line. They have simple tracery and diamond-pane glazing. The tops of the window gables have fairly large finials. 

Towards the southern end of the church are tall transept aisles, fairly plain in appearance apart from a single pointed-arch, traceried window in their gables. A basement room, under the east transept, was provided with small windows and a side door, all of which are currently boarded up. At the south end was the single-bay chancel, which has a south-facing gable to the centre. This has a pointed-arch window. 

The former church is large, cruciform-plan structure, aligned roughly north-south and on a prominent corner site. It was built in tooled ashlar sandstone, the best quality saved for the north gable facing High Street. The roofs of the church are all slated and the tall nave has metal vents close to the ridgeline. When visited all of the vents were missing, allowing water and pigeons into the building. 

The impressive north gable fronts High Street. There is a very large pointed-arch window to the centre, which has intricate stone tracery, diamond-pane glazing and a wide hoodmould. A thick stringcourse below steps up to form the sill of the window. Flanking the window are semi-octagonal buttresses, topped by detailed stone spires which feature lucarnes, arcading and a finial. The apex of the gable has carved stone decoration and a large celtic cross finial. Attached to the east and west sides of the north gable is a square porch with slender corner buttresses and a prominent parapet. Each porch has a recessed pointed-arch doorway with moulded margins (reveals), attached columns and hoodmould. The east and west-facing porch sides have a single pointed-arch window (now boarded up). The stone parapet is corbelled out slightly and has gabled pinnacles on the corners. 

The sides of the church have shallow aisles and there are gabled clerestorey windows above. The aisles have four pointed-arch windows, although when visited these were all boarded up. The tall clerestorey of the nave has five pointed-arch windows which are gabled and extend above the wallhead into the roof line. They have simple tracery and diamond-pane glazing. The tops of the window gables have fairly large finials. 

Towards the southern end of the church are tall transept aisles, fairly plain in appearance apart from a single pointed-arch, traceried window in their gables. A basement room, under the east transept, was provided with small windows and a side door, all of which are currently boarded up. At the south end was the single-bay chancel, which has a south-facing gable to the centre. This has a pointed-arch window.