In the 1800s in Northwest Scotland, Walter Campbell's elderly mother had difficulty traveling the long distances from home to existing churches, so he decided to build one in a more convenient location. He picked a site on the steep north shore of Loch Awe near Innis Chonain. The original St Conan's Kirk was built between 1881 and 1886, and included the nave and part of the choir of the church that exists today. But, Walter Campbell had grander plans, and in 1907 he began work on a much more ambitious church.