St Mary’s, Bornish, St Peter’s, Daliburgh and St Mary’s, Fort William
Here is a picture of St Mary’s, Bornish taken from within the walls of the older church to the east of the present one. The picture appears to have been taken some time between the building of the present Chapel House in 1934 and the renovations being carried out in the 1950s. The building looks in a sorry state. The original intention had been to build a new church near the present Chapel House but that plan never came to fruition due to the war.
The interior of St Mary’s, Bornish, shortly after the completion of the renovations in the mid 1950s, Notice the altar rail, the lectern at the other side from the present site and the statue of Our Lady on the sanctuary. Only some of the oak benches are there. The story of the renovation of the church needs to be recorded before everyone who remembers it dies out!
The interior of St Peter’s, Daliburgh. Part of the paintings of angels on either sideof the windows can just be seen. Statues on the sanctuary, the altar rail, the pulpit, have changed. The windows have been covered over.The motto, though, remains the same – ‘Ecce Panis Angelorum factus cibus viatorum’ ‘Behold the bread of angels made into the food of travellers’ . This church was built over a pre-existing church on the site and was opened in 1868. The priest celebrating Mass would have faced north while the priest in Bornish, celebrating Mass, would have faced south!
St Mary’s, Fort William, sited at the top of Gordon Square. The church is on the right, the chapel house on the left and the primary school was behind the house.
