Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Isle of Canna

Canna Rhu Church

The Presbyterian church of 1911 by Canna harbour, built to an Irish design with a round tower, known as the Rocket Church.

Welcome

The Rhu Church stands a short way along the road from the pier, the first building of note on Canna: a small church of rough red-brown stone with a steep roof and, at one end, a tall round tower with a pointed cap.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It was built in 1911 for the Thom family, who owned the island then, as a Presbyterian place of worship on what had long been a mainly Catholic island, and its design is Irish, after the round towers of the early Irish church.

The shape has given it its local name, the Rocket Church. It sits in a walled graveyard with a carved Celtic cross by the wall, above the harbour and the shore, with Sanday across the water. It is one of three churches on Canna and Sanday, all within an easy walk of the pier: St Columba's Chapel along the harbour road, and St Edward's across the bridge on Sanday.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 6 November, from Scotland with love. An avenue of tall beech trees frames a leaf-strewn path in autumn light.
Before you go

From the pier, take the road round the harbour; the church is a short distance along on the right.

St Columba's Chapel is about fifteen minutes further on, and St Edward's is across the bridge on Sanday.

Getting there
CalMac ferry from Mallaig; day trips on Wednesdays and Saturdays, April to October. No visitor vehicles.
From the pier
A short walk along the harbour road.
Also
St Columba's and St Edward's.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review

Did you know

A pointed stone bell tower rises between trees on the Isle of Canna, its small bell visible through an archway.
Did you know

The Rocket Church.

Islanders know the Rhu Church more affectionately as the Rocket Church, for its tall round tower with its pointed cap.

Long shadows stretch across the grass before a stone chapel and round bell tower on the Isle of Canna.
Did you know

An Irish design.

The church was built to an Irish design, its round tower after those of the early Irish monasteries.

A wrought-iron gate decorated with a Celtic cross and birds opens onto a chapel garden on the Isle of Canna, water beyond.
Did you know

Built for the owners.

It went up in 1911 for the Thom family, who then owned Canna, on an island that had long been mainly Catholic.

Lit windows glow in the gable end of a stone church at dusk on the Isle of Canna.
Did you know

Three churches.

For a place of a few families, Canna and Sanday hold three churches: the Rhu Church, St Columba's Chapel and St Edward's on Sanday.

A crescent moon hangs above the round stone bell tower of a chapel on the Isle of Canna.
What is on

What is new across Canna, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on on Canna
01 / 05
Where it is

By the harbour road, a short walk from Canna pier.

Close byBy Canna harbour.
  1. St Columba’s ChurchSt Columba’s ChurchA small stone chapel on Canna's harbour road, with a white cross on its gable, that served as the shop and post office until 1965.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Coroghon CastleCoroghon CastleA ruined fort on a rock stack above Canna harbour, where Marion MacLeod is said to have been imprisoned.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Canna Community ShopCanna Community ShopAn honesty shop a short walk from Canna pier, with island crafts, gifts and groceries.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Café CannaCafé CannaAn award-winning little restaurant and bar by Canna harbour, cooking almost entirely from the island and its waters.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Coroghon BeachCoroghon BeachA quiet beach of black volcanic sand below the old barn at Coroghon on Canna harbour, with a snorkel trail in the bay.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. St Edward’s ChurchSt Edward’s ChurchThe towered church of the 1890s on Sanday, built as a landmark and place of worship for visiting fishermen.Under a mile 1 min by road
Directions
AttractionsThe Sculptured Cross of A’ChillA step away
AttractionsThe Punishment StoneA step away
Grassy headlands enclose a calm harbour on the Isle of Canna, tiny figures visible on the rocks below.AttractionsCompass HillA step away
A white lighthouse tower with a stairway stands on a grassy headland on the Isle of Canna, mountains rising behind.AttractionsSandayA step away
A souterrain opening in the turf, edged and roofed with pale stones.AttractionsSouterrainsA step away
Grassy headland with a stony path leading towards rocky sea cliffsAttractionsKing of Norway’s GraveA step away
Gravel path curves through green fields towards mist-covered mountain peaksGlenbrittleGlenbrittle CampsitePlace to stay · 0.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the church, and when each is next free.

Gravel path curves through green fields towards mist-covered mountain peaksGlenbrittle Campsite
  • To stay
  • In Glenbrittle
  • 13 miles from the Rhu Church
Check datesCoruisk House's white harled exterior shows dormer windows and clustered chimneys against a grey sky.Coruisk House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Elgol
  • 17 miles from the Rhu Church
Check datesLong timber-clad building with a dark metal roof and red-framed windowsSkyewalker Hostel
  • Sleeps 27
  • In Portnalong
  • 19 miles from the Rhu Church
Check datesWood-burning stove alight beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a hillside pathSligachan Blackhouses
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Sligachan
  • 20 miles from the Rhu Church
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on CannaAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .