St. Andrews Church
(Church of Tongue) |
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| This is an image of the Laird's Loft or Reay Loft in this case at Tongue Church. This image was taken in the 1950s before it was removed and given to the National Museum of Scotland. |
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Here is a close-up of the woodwork on the canopy. A considerable amount of detail in the carving.
B&W photos taken from a book by William J. Mackay, 'Notes on the Early Church of Tongue'. Photographer unknown. |
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This image shows the rear of the church as it is today. The loft has been rebuilt to resemble thw loft that was removed with the exception of the canopy. The loft is accessed from the front door of the church. If you look at the ceiling above the loft, you can still see the patchwork from where the canopy was located. The two enclosures on the left and right of the loft is still decorated with Mackay tartan.
Color photos, John Grogan |
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| Rebuilt by Donald Mackay, 3rd Lord Reay, in 1680 following the Reay family’s conversion to Protestantism (c.1600). The site was that of the ancient Celtic and latterly Roman Catholic Church (St Peter’s Chapel). During a renovation in 1729 a vault was built covering the graves of earlier members of the Mackay family. |
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