Saint Fillan

Introduction

Saint Fillan's in Newport-on-Tay was built in 1886 and is a rare surviving example of a largely unaltered chapel built of corrugated iron and timber. The church is a Category B listed building, listed on 27/11/2013.

History

The Catholic hierarchy in Scotland was restored in 1878 and the parish of Newport-on-Tay was included in the Diocese of Dunkeld. Around the time of the restoration, a mission station was opened in a private dwelling house in nearby Tayport with a congregation of about 25 people. By 1886, the station now known as Saint Fillan's was built on a gap site at 20 King Street, Newport-on-Tay. This is an early and rare example of the tin tabernacle building type used as a Roman Catholic chapel.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is a single storey, L-plan, timber and corrugated iron church with triangular-headed windows, built in 1886. The interior has timber panelled walls, timber pews (from another church), an ambry recess and plinth with decorative timber surround. The church is one of the few corrugated iron churches in the country that remains in use for its intended purpose. The design of the window frames suggests that this is a Spiers building, a company in operation from the 1880s to the 1930s.

The roof ridge is topped by a tall pyramidal ventilator cap with a pierced timber base and cross-finial. A slightly lower transept outshot to the north gives the church an L-plan. The west gabled porch outshot features trefoil decoration, a west window, and a north timber door. The east gable contains a bipartite window.

Windows have timber-framed, 4-pane glazing, and rainwater goods are cast iron. Inside, a cross-braced timber ceiling frame rests on timber corbels. Doors feature trefoil headed glazed panels. Original details retained include the pyramidal-capped ventilator in the style of a bellcote, triangular-headed timber windows, and interior detailing.