Castlehill Church (Former), High Street, Forres

Decorated Gothic; cruciform plan. Coursed, stugged rubble, tooled ashlar dressings, slated roof. N gable to High street with large decorated and Gothic window flanked by square porches with pointed arched doors, moulded reveals and nook shafts; Y-tracery windows on return elevation. Decorated parapet and angle pinnacles. 5-bay nave with paired lancets in aisles and geometric traceried clerestory windows with gabled and finialled heads. Tall transepts with decorated windows, single bay chancel. N gable with decorated head and flanking moulded octagonal buttresses rising through the parapet to form shafted and gabletted pinnacles. Slate roof.

Originally United Presbyterian Church. Now converted internally to serve as St Laurence Church Halls. Corner site with Castlehill Road. (Historic Scotland)

28 August 2012: External inspection finds the prominent former church vacant and in poor condition, largely due to subsidence. Gutters are clogged and leaking in places, downpipes are rusted. Walls are generally sound but an area of subsidence is evident to the middle of the West wall. Where windows haven't been boarded over, leaded lights have been extensively vandalised. Timber preservation works may be underway. Full Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for conversion of the church to two dwellings was approved Nov 2007 ref: 07/01463/FUL & 07/01464/LBC

6 February 2013: Local planners advise the property has suffered a serious outbreak of dry rot.

10 October 2013: The owner of the property advises that the sag in the West elevation has been investigated and confirmed as not being the result of subsidence. The outbreak of dry-rot previous noted has now been treated. The owner had hoped to bring the building back into use as a community facility but has been unable to secure grant-aid to assist with this. The property is to be marketed for sale via www.property.org.uk.

13 July 2015: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously. The building remains under marketing for sale.

29 June 2018: The property is being marketed for sale by auction through Auction House Scotland at a guide price of £165,000 + fees.

22 August 2018: The property remains under marketing for sale though auction. Auction House Scotland is seeking £99,000 + (+ fees) for the site.

15 October 2021: The Northern Scot reports (13/10/2021) that planning application has been submitted to Moray Council to convert the Church into a house.

Listed building consent (21/01599/LBC) and planning permission (21/01598/APP) being sought for change of use of church to dwellinghouse

17 June 2022: A member of the public advises the previously noted consents for conversion of the former church into a dwelling have been conditionally approved.