Chapel and Old Kirk Kirkapol, Tiree, Scotland
			'Dangerous building - keep clear!'			Replacing core stones to support the south wall head
						The chapel before conservation - August 2001
			Opening reduced by building new masonry piers and strengthened with stainless steel supports
			The ruined Chapel and Old Parish Church at Kirkapol are situated at the head of Gott Bay. They are the oldest and the best preserved of only four chapels whose remains stand above ground level on the island and are both scheduled monuments. The Church is thought to date from the 15th century and was possibly last used in 1776 when another parish church was built at Scarinish. The kirkyard around the church contains several decorated grave slabs of the Iona school from the 14th to early 16th century. The Chapel predates the Church, possibly dating from the 13th century or earlier. Carruthers Conservation first visited the site in 1998 at the request of Co Chomann Dualchas Thiriodh (the Tiree Heritage Society) and prepared a conservation report for them detailing the condition of the ruins and a proposed conservation scheme. The Tiree Heritage Society used this report to obtain Scheduled Monument Consent and grant aid from, among others, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland and the Fieldfare Trust. Carruthers Conservation carried out the conservation work in three phases between August 2001 and June 2003. The work included pointing the open joints, turf capping the wallheads, building core work to support fragile areas of masonry and installing some stainless steel ties in the Church. The aim was to repair the ruins through a policy of minimum intervention, using local and traditional materials where possible. Carruthers Conservation analysed the original mortar on site and developed a repair mortar to closely match the appearance and properties of the original. We used a non-hydraulic lime mortar, mixed with locally sourced sand, for pointing, consolidating harling and plaster, and some areas of new masonry required where the ruin was becoming structurally unstable. The wallheads were pointed with a moderately hydraulic lime mortar, waterproofed with a layer of tamped clay and covered once more with turf. Structural cracks were pinned using stone pinnings and lime mortar. Areas of missing face work were stabilised by building extra core work to support the stones above, retaining the appearance of the original. Both these repairs were designed to reduce the introduction of alien materials into the structure and retain the appearance of an undisturbed ruin.