St Conan’s Kirk is an enigma. Many readers will pass by on a regular basis and never imagine the glory that lies within. But a visit to St Conan’s is surprising and enchanti ng.
The Kirk is a testament to the brilliance of its designer, Walter Douglas Campbell. Arriving in the area in the late 1870s, Walter bought the nearby island of Innischonan and built a stately mansion house where he lived with his sister Helen and his mother. The elderly Mrs Douglas Campbell found the long drive by carriage to the parish church in Taynuilt, some seven miles away, to be too much for her, so her son thoughtf ully decided to build her a church close by.
Campbell’s first design, completed in 1886, was relati vely simple but he started work on a grander design in 1907 and devoted the rest of his life to it unti l he died in 1914. The roof was raised and the additi ons included a beauti ful light-filled apse, a south aisle with three chapels, a cloister garth and a crypt.