Details |
Church in the Gothic revival style built by A and W Reid and Wittet, with the foundation stone laid on 12 May, 1898. It is a cruciform plan church, constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings. There is a square tower at the South-West corner with a slender lead spire, rising slightly above the roof height with a plain corbelled parapet and angle spout gargoyles, capped with an octagonal fleche and weather-cock. There is a recessed and hoodmoulded round-headed entrance in the base of the tower, which has triple lancets to the West elevation, and 2 single lancets to each elevation at the 1st stage. There is a large 3-light curvilinear traceried and hoodmoulded window in the West gable, with similar treatment to the 2-light windows in the North and South transept gables. There are simple buttresses and a slate roof with a tiled ridge cresting. There is also a simple rectangular rubble parish room at the North gable end, also with a slate roof. The original pine interior is still in place, with modern stained glass to the small East gable wheel window. The church was formerly the Free Church, The congregation had worshipped in part of the Abbey (NJ15NW0006) until 1898, as had the Church of Scotland before them - all but one family in the parish 'came out' in 1843. The congregation were obliged to build a church when the Abbey was purchased by the Marquis of Bute, who gave them the site, known as the Drinking Hill. The present fleche (spirelet) was erected in 1960.
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