Community group bid for 'Outlander church' fails

The Old High Church was closed last year and later put up for sale

A community group says it has been unsuccessful in its bid to buy a historic Inverness church.

Old High, a landmark on the banks of the River Ness, was closed last year and put up for sale by the Church of Scotland.

Fans of the Outlander TV series, which is largely set in 18th Century Scotland, have an interest in the church due to a connection to the 1746 Battle of Culloden.

Friends of The Old High made an offer after raising money through a crowdfunding appeal, but a bid from another buyer has been approved.

The community group said it was "extremely disappointed".

The Church of Scotland said a number of bids were received and after consideration by the kirk session a sale was approved.

A spokesman added: “Matters are progressing and given the sale has not yet been concluded and it is a commercially sensitive matter, we are unable to give further details.”

The church was on the market for offers over £150,000.

Medieval kirk

Old High Church was built using parts of a medieval kirk that had stood on the site.

The mound on which the church was constructed is believed to be the site where Irish missionary St Columba converted King Brude in 565.

The saint is also linked to the mythology of the Loch Ness Monster.

An account of the missionary's life thought to have been written in the 7th Century tells of him encountering a strange beast in the River Ness.

The oldest part of the Old High was used as a prison after Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden, and captured Jacobites were executed in the church grounds.

This connection with Culloden has led to the church featuring as a stop on local walking tours, and made it of interest to Outlander fans.

Outlander follows the adventures of a World War Two nurse Claire, played by Caitriona Balfe, and Sam Heughan's 18th Century Jacobite Highlander Jamie Fraser.

It is based on the books of author Diana Gabaldon.