Tour Scotland video of the Apse in St Conan's Kirk by Loch Awe, Argyll, Scotland. The semicircular apse and ambulatory with their solid pillars, narrow arches and clear glass windows are perhaps the most distinctive features of St. Conan's. It seems probable that the shape was inspired by those of St. John's Chapel in the Tower of London, but whereas that chapel is dark, this receives the full blaze of daylight and has as its background the mountains of Glenorchy and Glenstrae. The result is most pleasing and almost unique. There is an interesting story current locally that when Mr. Campbell was designing this part of the kirk an engineer friend objected that, although the effect might be beautiful, the design was mechanically unsound. Mr. Campbell disagreed, but, to make quite sure, built a scale model of the apse and passed a steamroller over it. The model stood up to the pressure, and so has the structure itself. Within the curve of the apse is the communion table, made of solid oak. Once again the craftsmen were found locally and are still represented in the village. The wood from which this table was carved weighed over seven hundredweight
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