Larger versions of these images are located at the foot of the page. Basic Site Details Name: | St Benedict's Abbey | Town, district or village: | Fort Augustus | City or county: | Inverness-shire | Country: | Scotland | Parish: | | Status: | | Grid ref: | | Notes: | The complete buildings of St. Benedict's Monastery, College, and Hospital, at Fort Augustus, N.B., illustrated in our pages by a perspective view, February 22nd, 1878, were opened on Tuesday week. 13th-century Gothic is adopted throughout as the style. The site is that of the Old Fort, and has, together with large contributions to the endowments, been given by Lord Lovat. Messrs J. A. Hansom and Son, of Kensington, were the architects, and Mr. Stokes has acted as clerk of the works. [Building News 3 September 1880 p285]
FORT AUGUSTUS - On the 21th ult. the completed Monastery of St. Benedict, Fort Augustus, was opened. The foundation-stone of the College was laid by the Marquis of Ripon in September 1876. The buildings were proceeded with great rapidity, and in 1878 the College was opened. The buildings now completed consist of the monastery, which has accommodation for forty or fifty monks; the hospice, which is divided into twenty-four rooms; and the college, with dormitories, halls, and class-rooms, calculated to accommodate about 100 pupils. These buildings occupy the three sides of a quadrangle, the remaining side being only closed in by the cloisters, and from the centre of it an arch opens into a fine scriptorium, supported by central arches. This is the south side of the quadrangle, and the intention is to erect here at some future date a branch to the cloisters, with an octagonal chapter house and a church. The north side of the quadrangle is taken up by the college, the west side of the hospice, and the east side by the monastery. Inside the quadrangle are the cloisters, designed by Messrs Pugin, of Westminster. These are Early Decorated Gothic. A spacious open ambulatory, accessible from the first floor of the monastery, occupies the roof of the cloisters. The passage floors are of tiles, while the wood works inside are chiefly of pitch pine and oak. The whole buildings, as already completed, represent an expenditure of about £55,000, and the entire buildings contemplated are estimated to cost about £100,000. The cloisters alone have cost £7,000, and the scriptorium cost about £1,000. The works have been conducted under the direction of the Benedictine Fathers, by tradesmen under the immediate charge of a clerk of works, the present clerk of works being Mr Andrew Cruickshank, a Banffshire man. [Building News 10 September 1880 p312]
| Alternative NamesThe following alternative names are associated with this building/design: | | Name | Current name? | Notes |  | St. Benedict's Monastery, College, and Hospital | | |
Building Type ClassificationThe building is classified under the following categories: | | Classification | Original classification? | Notes |  | Abbey | | |  | Church | | |
EventsThe following date-based events are associated with this building: | | From | To | Event type | Notes |  | 1729 | 1742 | | Original barracks building built |  | 1876 | 1879 | | Converted from barracks |  | 1880 | 1896 | | Abbey Church, tower in east block, great staircase, chapter house etc added |  | 1880 | | Design exhibited | |  | 8 January 1892 | | Journal reference | Additions |  | 1913 | 1914 | | Restoration |  | c. 1966 | | | West narthex, baptistery and porch |  | 1980 | | Alterations and additions | Church completed with addition of E apse to choir, plastering of nave walls and reordering in accordance with Vatican II. Work included tester of matel lampshades over high altar. |
PeopleDesign and ConstructionThe following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column. | | Name | Role | Partnership Group | From | To | Notes |  | Joseph Aloysius Hansom | Architect | A | 1876 | 1879 | Converted from barracks. Also gatelodge |  | Joseph Aloysius Hansom & Joseph Stanislaus Hansom | Architectural practice | A | 1876 | 1879 | Converted from barracks. Also gatelodge |  | Joseph Stanislaus Hansom | Architect | A | 1876 | 1879 | Converted from barracks |  | Cuthbert Welby Pugin | Architect | B | 1878 | | Completed conversion by Hansom including Abbey Church - also tower in east block, great staircase, chapter house etc added |  | Peter Paul Pugin | Architect | B | 1878 | 1896 | Completed conversion by Hansom including Abbey Church - also tower in east block, great staircase, chapter house etc added |  | Pugin & Pugin | Architectural practice | B | 1878 | 1896 | Completed conversion by Hansom including Abbey Church - also tower in east block, great staircase, chapter house etc added |  | Duncan Cameron | Architect | | 1892 | | Additions |  | Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie | Architect | C | 1913 | 1914 | Restoration, nave |  | Alexander Ritchie Conlon | Architect | D | 1952 | | Took over work from Fairlie |  | Charles William Gray | Architect | | c. 1966 | | West narthex, baptistery and porch |  | William Watt Allan | Architect | J | 1980 | | Church completed with addition of E apse to choir, plastering of nave walls and reordering in accordance with Vatican II. Work included tester of matel lampshades over high altar. |
Related Buildings, Structures and DesignsChild StructuresThis structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details): | | Building Name | Notes |  | St Benedict's Abbey School | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this building: | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes |  | Gifford, John | 1992 | Highland and Islands (The Buildings of Scotland) | | Penguin Books | p169-171 and 169n |  | Graves, Algernon | 1905 | The Royal Academy of Arts: a complete dictionary of exhibitors and their works… | 1905-6 | London: Graves and Bell | 1880, no 1182 |  | Nuttgens, Patrick | 1959 | Reginald Fairlie 1883-1952: A Scottish Architect | | Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd | pp19-21 & 48 |  | Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts | 1925 | | | | 200 |  | RSA | 1919 | | | | 747 |  | Sanders, John | 1997 | Pugin & Pugin and the Diocese of Glasgow | | Architectural Heritage VIII, pp89-107 | p91 |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this building: | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes |  | Builder | 4 October 1890 | | | p4 |  | Building News | 22 February 1878 | | | perspective |  | Building News | 3 September 1880 | | | p285 |  | Building News | 10 September 1880 | | | p312 - opening |  | Illustrated London News | 28 August 1880 | | | Cloisters, scriptorum |  | Inverness Courier | 8 January 1892 | | | Cameron work |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this building: | | Source | Archive name | Source catalogue no. | Notes |  | Historic Environment Scotland | Listed Buildings Register | 1861 | Monastery and school |  | Historic Environment Scotland | Listed Buildings Register | 1863 | Gate lodge |  | Historic Environment Scotland | Listed Buildings Register | 1862 | Abbey Church |  | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie: F no2574 (box 8) |
Images © All rights reserved. Builder LIX, 4 October 1890, page 4 |