St Michael and All Angels Church

Saint Michael and All Angels was built between 1888 and 1891 by David Clement Scott, a Church of Scotland missionary with no training in architecture or engineering, working with local labour, unseasoned brick made on site and no formal plans. The result is a substantial building with domes, arches and a tower that stayed up, which surprised those who watched it go up, and it is still in use as the mission church of the oldest settlement in Malawi.

What you actually see

• The brick construction - the building raised from brick made on the site.
• The domes and arches - the ambitious structure attempted without training.
• The 1891 completion - a building finished by an amateur that has stood since.
• The mission setting - the church at the centre of the founding settlement.

When to go

Year round; the church is open outside services. Sunday services fill it. Mornings are quietest.

Honest expectations

It is a working church and services take priority. Interpretation is limited to a few notices. The surrounding mission grounds are institutional rather than scenic.

Nearby

Mandala House is nearby, and Blantyre centre is around it.