Historic church rescue

Recent severe storms took their toll on the ancient chapel perched on the sandy shore at Aiginish in Lewis.

Unless immediate rescue efforts are completed St Columba’s Church - a significant legacy of Celtic Christianity - risks being washed away.

The chapel - known locally as Eaglais Na H-Aoidhe, was dedicated to Celtic saint St Columba who brought Christianity to Scotland.

A relentless run of wild weather saw pounding waves whipped by 100mph winds smashing the vital sea wall protecting the church.

Historic Scotland is providing funding for a sheet piling project to try and protect the area from further erosion.

Western Isles Council has already awarded a £25,000 grant towards repair work - cash from its allocation of landfill tax collected from rubbish dump site operators.

Additional funding is being sought to complete the long term rescue plans for the church.

Work is due to start on Monday and, for a few days, access will be restricted on the public coastal path alongside the church.

Krystyna Pytasz of Addison Conservation and Design will manage the project on behalf of Historic Scotland.

Ms Pytasz said: “It has been a race against accountants and tides."

“By the end of March, sheet piling will be in place to further protect the church from further storm damage.

“This has been a very difficult project because of the very short timescales - the funding from Historic Scotland has to be spent by the end of March - and the continuing very bad weather causing further erosion of the coastline.”

Colin Scott MacKenzie, chairman of Urras Eaglais Na H-Aoidhe, said, "The trust is delighted that Historic Scotland have agreed to provide funding to help with the storm damage project to protect the area from further erosion and protect the church in the long term.”

Breedon Hebrides will be the lead contractor in the project working jointly with a specialist mainland firm.

Stornoway Trust and Aignish Grazings Committee is also supporting the project.

Eaglais Na h-Aoidhe is one of the best preserved pre-Reformation churches in Lewis, being of prime historical, archaeological and cultural significance.

Race is on to save historic church from sea

17 March 2015

Urgent repair work to try and save a historic Western Isles church from collapsing into the sea is being undertaken.