Asking price for Inverness' Old High Church cut by £50,500
A potential sale fell through last November following 12 months of negotiations.The price cut was first reported in the Press and Journal newspaper.The Church of Scotland said it hoped dropping the price would lead to a successful outcome for the congregation, the A-listed building and wider Inverness and Highland community.The spokesperson said: "The decision to sell the Old High building was taken against the background of radical reforms under way across the Church of Scotland to provide well-equipped, accessible and sustainable spaces in the right places."The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our primary mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and serving our local communities."They added: "Having fewer congregational buildings reduces pressure on congregational finances, freeing up funds and general income for other Church missional activities and a more sustainable and realistic situation."
Jacobite prisoners
The mound on which the Old High was constructed is believed to be the site where Irish missionary St Columba converted King Brude to Christianity 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.The TV hit, based on the books of author Diana Gabaldon, follows the adventures of World War Two nurse Claire, played by Caitriona Balfe, and Sam Heughan's 18th Century Jacobite Highlander Jamie Fraser.
A bell believed to have been rung daily for more than 300 years forms part of the sale.The curfew bell dates back to 1703 when Queen Anne - the last Stuart monarch - was on the British throne.According to the Church of Scotland it was originally rung at 17:00 to signal a night-time curfew before a later tradition started for ringing it at 20:00.The bell is listed in the sales schedule for the Old High, and the new owner would take responsibility for it.
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Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion When I ask Warnock for the top three managers he has faced, he responds with just two names. 'I'd say Pep one and Arsène Wenger two because he changed the whole concept of football. Oh my God, his intelligence.' Warnock and Wenger also had an unlikely bromance. 'He liked me and he respected me. It was said that Wenger never had any managers in his office after a game but he always invited me. On one occasion I even took my kids in and we had a picture in his office.' He frowns when I suggest it's strange Ferguson has not been added to his top three. 'I'd have to put Fergie in,' he says grudgingly. 'But I'd have Pep and Arsène before him.' Warnock once spoke warmly of Ferguson and how the Scot would write to him encouragingly after every promotion and relegation. But his attitude has hardened now. 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He would be with [Clough's assistant at Nottingham Forest] Alan Hill and a black labrador. Cloughie would walk across my pitch. He never walked around it and nobody said 'owt. He looked round at what we were doing, shook his head and walked on. Brilliant!' Warnock laughs before becoming more serious again. 'We drew 1-1 at their place and at one of our lunches, he said: 'You don't realise, son, but it's a remarkable job for a club like Notts County to be competing with us in the top division. It'll never happen again, what you've done.' And of course Notts County went from the old First Division to non-league football. 'I've had eight promotions and if I went back to these clubs tomorrow, I'd get a great reception. I got Cardiff in the Premier League. Look where they are now. To get Notts County in the top flight? If I had a fashionable name or I were a fashionable manager, I think I'd have got more acknowledgment. But they gave me an award this year at the Football League, for my contribution to the EFL.' Warnock sinks back in his chair and smiles: 'I thought: 'Bloody hell. It's about time!'' Neil Warnock: Are You With Me? is at Opera House, Manchester on 29 August, London Palladium on 18 September and Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol on 28 September. Tickets at
