An Anglican in Inverness

August 12, 2025 by Matthew Allen

St. Andrews Cathedral

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Back in 2022, when I was last in Scotland, I wrote a piece called “An Anglican in Edinburgh”, which was great fun to produce. It was a ‘mystery worshipper’ type of article, if I were to draw parallels with other media, but without ranking anyone’s preaching from 1-10!

I reflected on what it was like to receive Holy Communion in three different Episcopal parishes in Scotland’s capital, a small sample of what is on offer in Edinburgh’s Anglican scene. The Diocese of Edinburgh kindly reposted it on Facebook, to my pleasant surprise!

Today’s article focuses on Anglicanism in Inverness, the central hub of the Scottish Highlands. Inverness, where I spent a few days in early July, is the UK’s most northerly city; and while smaller than Edinburgh, there are still a range of options in Inverness for the visiting Anglican…

St Andrew’s Cathedral, Ardross Street

Impressive, though not as grand as Edinburgh Cathedral, St Andrew’s was located on the far side of the River Ness from where my lodgings were (about a 45-minute walk through the city).

Every time I visit a cathedral, I come away with new respect for Christian art and symbolism. Take the statues of saints inlaid in the cathedral buttresses (a buttress is a kind of support for an exterior wall). Denis McNamara, whose book How to Read Churches I bought in the cathedral bookshop, writes that statues of saints inlaid in cathedral buttresses are a common architectural feature. They represent how the church leans upon great figures from the past.

I loved the baptistry, located around the corner to the right when you walk in. It was in the form of an angel statue holding a scallop shell. This angel was crafted with soft, flowing textures in its marble wings, hair and robes – making it a reassuring and approachable sight for the child to be christened.

On the subject of younger visitors (I must’ve been the target audience, then), someone had scattered knitted mouse characters around the cathedral – you had to see whether you could find them all during your visit. It was like an episode of BBC1’s The Clangers, but only the mice were dressed in ecclesiastical garb. Anglicans do have a sense of humour, you know!

After I had roamed around the cathedral’s interior, I stayed for the service of evening prayer. I was all alone in the pews! It was being live-streamed, to be fair; so there could’ve been dozens watching online in their pyjamas, for all I knew.

St John the Evangelist, Southside Road

Situated in a well-heeled part of Inverness, this church was a humble wee parish. It had more of a Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) vibe than the other two churches I visited. I was inordinately delighted to see visible masonry, both inside and outside. If I could make an eleventh commandment, it would be: ‘Thou shalt not smother high-quality brick- and stonework in plaster!’

There were three stained-glass panels in the west window: (1) St John the Evangelist (d. 100 AD); (2) St Columba (d. 597 AD); and (3) St Margaret, Queen of Scotland (d. 1093 AD). You love to see people from such different eras rubbing shoulders. They’d make a formidable quiz team.

Behind the plainly dressed altar, there was a simple reredos carved in wood, with a circle design that evoked the communion elements. It seemed like a church which takes its Anglicanism seriously but in an unpretentious way, which is admirable.

Why was I here, then? It wasn’t for a church service, per se, but for an afternoon concert. It was an eclectic programme: a piano and cello duet; a recorder quartet; a solo pianist; a solo piper; and a solo vocalist (who was also the priest-in-charge, the Rev’d Grace Sironomy).

There was a chance to grab a cup of tea before proceedings began, which I didn’t refuse! Taking a seat with my refreshments, I noticed a good Anglican several pews in front, sipping contentedly from an Oliver Cromwell mug. Scottish Calvinism does cast a long shadow….

First up was the piano/cello double-act. It was nice to hear the instrument I’ve dedicated so much of my life to being played alongside the instrument I’ve always wanted to learn. The quartet, who went next, made up for my previous experience of recorder: learning it with classmates in primary school – a musical apocalypse.

The other acts were fabulous as well. It’s just a shame I wasn’t in Inverness long enough to go to the Sunday service at St John’s. I will, if I’m ever back!

St Michael and All Angels, Abban Street

Located on the same side of the River Ness as the cathedral, St Michael’s is justifiably proud of its links with Sir Ninian Comper, the Scottish architect; an info card in the pews calls the parish church the ‘Comper Jewel in the Highlands of Scotland’ – quite an accolade!

St Michael stands, in statue form, in an alcove above where the votive candles are. I wouldn’t like to try blowing out anyone’s prayers because he’s got a sword in his right hand! Other angelic figures were depicted in the church’s east window; the place is like an army barracks for the heavenly host.

Undoubtedly, the ceiling is the most visually striking feature in the church; it was made up of light-blue square panels outlined in white like a beautiful, Minecrafty sky. Doubtless, this was a reference to the winged angels being airborne creatures, as in the Book of Revelation.

From the celestial ceiling hung a two-tier chandelier, descending to the middle of the nave like something Cersei Lannister would eat her dinner under. It made things interesting for the crucifer during the procession. Carrying a tall object in a room with a chandelier would be quite a navigational challenge for even the most experienced crucifer!

This was very much an Anglo-Catholic parish: ‘After tea/coffee’, read a footnote on the printed order of service, ‘the Angelus and the Rosary will be said in the Lady Chapel, contemplating the Glorious Mysteries’. I decided that I was a little too Protestant for these items!

It was at St Michael’s that I received the Eucharist for the one and only time that I was in Inverness. Anglicans, back home and in Scotland, are good at sensing house rules when it comes to the turn-taking aspect of Holy Communion. It would be nice if it were the perennial board-game rule of ‘youngest player first’ because that would usually be me! Nevertheless, they seemed to have a ‘north aisle first; south aisle second’ etiquette in St Michael’s, which I duly followed.

I’m happy that I was able to squeeze in some fellowship around the Lord’s Table before I left Inverness.

It wouldn’t have been a complete visit, and I wouldn’t have felt qualified to talk about Anglicanism in the city, had I not!

8/12/2025 7:39:32 PM

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About Matthew Allen

Matthew Allen is a writer and musician based in Northern Ireland. He is a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, where he studied Theology and Liberal Arts.

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