Confirmed · Outer Hebrides · Church
St Clement's Church, Rodel
St Faelan's Church (2019 special) in Call the Midwife. Open to visitors; allow 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- On screen as
- St Faelan's Church (2019 special)
- Series and episodes
- Christmas special 2019 · Christmas special 2019
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Where
- Rodel, Isle of Harris
On screen
How St Clement's Church, Rodel appears
In the 2019 Christmas special, St Clement's Church plays St Faelan's, the island church that hosts a Christmas party and, in the story, an overnight stay. Visit Outer Hebrides confirms the church was used. The fictional name is invented for the series; the real church has stood here for five centuries. The story's overnight stay is fiction: the church is a historic monument, not a place to sleep. Its dark stone tower and sea views make it one of the special's most distinctive settings.
The real place
What you can visit
St Clement's was built in the early 1500s by the MacLeods of Harris and is the finest medieval church in the Western Isles. Inside are carved wall tombs, including that of Alasdair Crotach MacLeod, with detailed scenes of a castle, a galley and the hunt, and the tower bears some unusual carved figures. It is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland and is normally free to enter, but HES has closed some sites for inspection or repair in recent years, so check its website before travelling. The churchyard has old and new graves; visit quietly.
The churchyard is still used for burials: be respectful, keep to paths and avoid visiting during a funeral.
Visit Outer Hebrides: Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special locations ↗Reaching the Outer Hebrides means a CalMac ferry (Ullapool to Stornoway for Lewis, Uig on Skye to Tarbert for Harris) or a flight to Stornoway, then a car for the single-track roads. Lewis and Harris are one island, but the drive from Calanais to Rodel takes well over an hour each way. Book ferries early in summer, carry food and fuel, and plan around the weather and the short winter daylight.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Where is St Faelan's Church from Call the Midwife?
St Faelan's is St Clement's Church at Rodel on the Isle of Harris, used in the 2019 Christmas special.
Can you go inside St Clement's?
Usually, yes, free of charge, but Historic Environment Scotland occasionally closes sites for inspection. Check its website first.
Is there anywhere to eat nearby?
Rodel itself is tiny. Leverburgh, a few miles away, and Tarbert have cafés and hotels.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
Luskentyre Beach on the drive south, and the harbour at Rodel.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Outer Hebrides
Calanais Standing Stones
Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special)
See the location →
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special)
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Luskentyre Beach
Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special)
See the location →
Eilean Glas Lighthouse
An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special)
See the location →