Church of St John the Baptist

This white church on the ski road is passed by thousands every year, very few of whom realise that it is a masterpiece. It was designed by Sir Ninian Comper (1864-1960). He was a Scot who was arguably the greatest British 20th Church Architect and who described the building as his "little gem".

Sir Ninian Comper was much admired by Betjeman (and therefore ridiculed by Pevsner) and he is buried in Westminster Abbey, for which he designed 8 stained glass windows. He was much patronised by the Scottish Episcopal churches for which her created many fittings, windows, vestments and extensions but he was responsible for only three complete churches in Scotland, at Kirriemuir, Braemar and Rothiemurchus. This little building nestles amongst the Caledonian pines with the minimum of external or internal decoration. It was consecrated in 1931 in memory of John Peter Grant, the 13th Laird of Rothiemurchus.