History
The Chapel was built as a Wee Free Kirk in the mid 1800’s and was the main Wee Free for Tighnabruaich – people would walk the 5 miles over the hill each Sunday.
Puffer captain, John McLaughlin then converted it in about 1920 into a
dwelling and his daughter Mary
continued to live there until she died in the late 1980’s.
It then lay empty for nearly 15 years, so when we first saw the property, it was in a somewhat derelict state, with sections of the roof having collapsed and windows missing.
You can see from some of these pictures it was in quite a state!
This is the text from the newspaper advert that caught our interest:
Oban Times - ARGYLL KILFINAN Bayview
Dev opport for holiday home with stunning views. Former church occupied as home from 1920 to 1987.
Now in complete disrepair. Major expenditure & effort required.
Viewers enter at own risk.
Despite the warnings, the offer went in... and was accepted!
It took a total of 6 years of refurbishment to get it up to how you see it today, and thankfully, it is now very safe to enter
We hope you enjoy it very much indeed.