BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 31st ANNUAL EDITION 35 wall which flanks it bears a chequerboard frieze. The seven-bay carved reredos are bordered by panels of Italian marble on either side. At the west end, a gallery looks over the internal three-bay narthex, or antechamber. The Kempe Studio windows according to Pevsner were added 1907–11. REGIMENTAL CHAPEL FORT GEORGE, INVERNESS This garrison church serves the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and is part of the 42-acre military base, originally built between 1748 and 1769 to the designs of Lieutenant-General William Skinner for the army of King George II. The chapel is at the far west of the fort, which is in use and open to the public. It was completed in 1767 and as it does not appear on the original plans drawn by Skinner, it is thought that it might have been designed by Robert Adam who worked on the project with his brothers after the death of their father William Adam in 1748. Built of red sandstone, the twostoreyed building has a grey slate roof. A square tower with crenelated battlements rises to the west with porthole-style, eight-pane windows on the upper level. The eastern end has a polygonal chancel three stained glass windows. Both the north and south walls have rounded stair towers halfway along them, and the arched windows are of timber. A pulpit with three decks stands beside the chancel arch which is flanked on either side by stained glass windows. The north, west and south sides of the chapel are formed by a two-tier arcade, the lower of which supports the round headed arcade of the gallery with Roman Doric columns. OUTLOOK Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early ,90s, the size of the MOD’s estate has declined substantially. Each year, the entire estate is reviewed and the decision to sell or not to sell is made with the aim of ensuring that the remaining estate works better and more efficiently. If the land is no longer to be used for training or accommodation, it is sold to reduce running costs and, where possible, for housing development and to reinvest in defence. This policy has led to the sale of many buildings. The redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in London, for example, released valuable land for housing, and its chapel, the Grade II-listed Garrison Chapel, is now a public exhibition space for The King’s Foundation, showcasing its work and the work of its students and graduates. The building also provides some insight into the ceremonial role of churches and chapels in the military, even though its original purpose has been lost. Regimental Chapel Fort George, Inverness (Photos: Jack Haw, DIO) AUTHORS This article was written by Joanna Collie of Cathedral Communications with the help of Kathryn Sayner, Jack Haw and Chris Daniell of the DIO, and of Peter Holden of Acanthus Holden.
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