A historic church in Argyll has been bought by a local charity, which will preserve the building and the site for future generations. St Munn’s Church in Kilmun has been bought by Historic Kilmun, which aims to increase community involvement, improve access arrangements and generate funds towards preservation of the buildings.

The Grade A listed church features a rare water powered organ, stained glass created by renowned artist Stephen Adams, the Argyll Mausoleum that serves as the burial place for Dukes and Earls of Argyll dating back 500 years, and the burial place of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the UK to be on the General Medical Register.

While the church has not been an active place of worship for a number of years, Historic Kilmun was founded in 2009 and is based there, along with projects such as the Faith in Cowal pilgrim network and the ECHO (East Cowal Heritage Outdoors) project.

The ceremonial handover took place in front of an invited audience in late August when the Rev Janet MacKellar, Moderator of the Presbytery of Argyll, handed over the church key to Dinah McDonald, a founding member of Historic Kilmun.

Dinah McDonald said: “There has been a church on this site since the 7th century and we’re delighted that Historic Kilmun now has control of this remarkable historic and cultural asset from the Church of Scotland with a view to preserving it for generations to come.”