St John’s Church (Dunoon)

St John’s Church stands in the centre of Dunoon, where Hanover Street meets Victoria Road. It is a Category A listed building, still used every day by the local congregation. The church began as Dunoon Free Church in 1843 on the site of an older place of worship. Robert Alexander Bryden designed the present building, completed in 1877, and is buried nearby in Dunoon Cemetery. The Very Reverend Mackintosh MacKay’s 1840 address to parishioners helped inspire its creation. The church is worth the journey for its striking Normandy Gothic architecture and finely carved details. Its dry-stone walls rise on a steep slope, making the tower and spire appear taller than they are. Inside, a horseshoe gallery surrounds the central pulpit, with a raised choir gallery behind it. Stained-glass windows fill the space with coloured light, and the organ, installed in 1895, was enlarged in 1921. A £200,000 refurbishment in 2012 restored the building to its former condition. Visitors find a spacious interior arranged around the pulpit, with seating arranged in a sweeping curve. The choir gallery sits above the main floor, framed by decorative woodwork. Tall windows cast shifting patterns of light across the walls and floor. The organ’s pipes stand at the rear, their ranks expanded over the years. Outside, the church’s stone tower rises above the town, marking the spot where Hanover Street and Victoria Road meet.