Offers Over £55,000 for a 1739 Church on the North Coast 500: The Church of Scotland Lists Reay Church

• Reay Church, believed to date from 1739, is for sale at offers over £55,000
• The A-listed building is on the North Coast 500 route, about 12 miles west of Thurso
• It closed under the local presbytery mission plan
• The congregation joined a new united parish, North Coast and the Flows

A church believed to be 286 years old on Scotland’s far north coast has been put up for sale by the Church of Scotland, the Scotsman reported in November 2025. Reay Church, in the village of Reay about 12 miles west of Thurso and on the North Coast 500 tourist route, is believed to date from 1739.

The A-listed building has white walls, a traditional T-plan layout and a square bell tower. Inside are a main hall, gallery seating, a kitchen and a vestry, and the sale includes surrounding land. The asking price is offers over £55,000.

The church closed as part of the local presbytery mission plan, which aims to make better use of church buildings, and its congregation joined a newly united parish called North Coast and the Flows. A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We recognise that the closure of a building is a source of sadness for many people and we sympathise with those individuals and communities.”

Community Land Scotland has argued that local communities should get priority when churches are sold, pointing to the role local people played in supporting these buildings over generations.

For Jamaicans and diaspora investors, a £55,000 church on one of Europe’s best-known road trips can look like a bargain. But A-listing brings strict controls on alterations, and remote buildings are costly to heat and maintain. Community groups, which often have first claim in spirit if not in law, may also be interested. As with church property in Jamaica, the purchase price is only the start; the real questions are what the building can legally become and who will pay to keep it standing.

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