An award-winning restaurateur has breathed new life into a landmark Tayside church.
The 130-year-old Riverside Methodist building in Rattray, on the edge of Blairgowrie, was abandoned by its congregation amid mounting maintenance costs three years ago.
Now, local chef Willie Little is getting ready to relaunch the property following an extensive “labour of love” renovation.
It will open its doors as the new Littles restaurant in January.
Many of the original features, including the pulpit and font, have been retained. A stained glass window, commemorating the World War One Labour Corps, is also being kept.
Mr Little said he was determined to safeguard the striking window feature, which is the only one of its kind in Britain.
“I am really pleased that the atmospheric grandeur of the church, with these amazing windows, has been preserved,” he said. “It is really breath-taking and it’s putting them in front of a new congregation to enjoy.
“I think diners will be blown away by this truly inspirational space which deserves to be retained in the community. I think we have created something Rattray and Blairgowrie can really be proud of.”
He said he was delighted the end of the “exciting and challenging” transformation project was in sight.
“This will be a fantastic start to the new year for myself and my team,” he said.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped make this dream a reality, my team of builders and tradesmen have all worked extremely hard. It has been a labour of love to create a new use for this historic building and I am very excited about showing off the results to Littles customers old and new.”
The church is just a stone’s throw from the original Littles Restaurant in Blairgowrie’s Wellmeadow.
As well as the restaurant, the revamped building now features a bar, seating area and car parking.
The church was built from sandstone from Pictfield Quarry in 1887 in a somewhat controversial project funded by Blairgowrie merchant David Borrie.
An elder of the South Free Church in the Reform Street, Mr Borrie caused a stir by stipulating in his will that the bulk of his fortune should go towards creating a Methodist Church for the people of Rattray.
