Scottish Churches From £40,000, but Beware: Props Under the Balcony and Costly Insulation

• Kilmory Church on Arran was listed at £40,000
• Inverness’s Grade A-listed Old High Church sought offers over £150,000
• One listing warned balconies were held up by structural props
• Agents and architects warned of high conversion costs

Scotland’s churches are cheap to buy but can be expensive to own, Country Life warned in March 2025.

The Church of Scotland is selling dozens of properties as congregations fall and costs rise. Listings included Kilmory Church on the Isle of Arran at £40,000, Dryfesdale and Trinity Parish Church in Lockerbie at offers over £65,000, St Michael’s in Crieff at offers over £170,000, and the Grade A-listed Old High Church in Inverness at offers over £150,000. The church said the sales were necessary to deliver sustainable and realistic new expressions of ministry.

Agents see a particular kind of buyer. “Churches have a unique buyer type,” said Tom Stewart-Moore, “who see the conversion of a historical building such as this as a project of passion.” But others urged caution. “Acquiring a church can be risky and expensive. Most are in rural areas and gone are the days of the more commercial ventures,” said Annabel Blackett of Strutt & Parker.

Building standards add cost. “Scottish Building Regulations and planning requirements make better insulation and specific thermal properties a necessity — difficult to install in Victorian buildings,” said architect John Sanders. One listing warned that “the upper balcony areas are currently supported by structural props and there will be no access to the balcony areas.”

A low asking price can hide structural repairs, heritage restrictions and running costs that dwarf the purchase. Buyers need surveys, planning advice and realistic budgets before bidding.

The same caution applies in Jamaica, where old church buildings, manses and schools occasionally come up for sale or lease. Returning residents drawn to a historic building should budget for roofing, termite treatment, electrical upgrades and any heritage requirements, and churches selling should be open about a building’s condition to avoid disputes later.

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