Durisdeer Parish Church, Durisdeer, Dumfries and Galloway

Description

All probably by James Smith. 1718-20 church and west wing

with vestry (latter built as Ducal Withdrawing Rooms and

session house) with square tower above, adjoining circa 1708

Queensberry mausoleum; latter houses "Queensberry marbles".

Church and mausoleum arranged in Greek-cross plan, wing and

tower to west. Mausoleum built of polished ashlar; remainder rubble-built with pink ashlar dressings, channelled quoins

and continuous moulded cornice. Re-roofed in simplified form

by Andrew Watson, joiner 1784-5 and again re-roofed 1957.

Mausoleum: adjoins north wall of church; square-plan;

polished ashlar with bell-cast leaded roof; altered circa

1711 - shallow outshot on north wall (replacing flamboyant

traceried window) to accomodate marble sepulchral mural

monument by John Van Nost, and square-headed window slapped

in east and west walls (former now a door); Queensberry vault

below elaborate white marble baldacchino (also by Smith) on 4 barley-sugar columns. Church: (1699 sundial on jam is re-set)

windows mostly round-headed, in bolection-moulded

architraves; small-paned glazing (not original); rusticated square-headed doorway to east and to south, each linked with

gallery window cill; interior: (renovated 1784-5 and

re-arranged circa 1870) separated from mausoleum by wide

segmental arch with elaborate wrought-iron gates; pulpit

with back board now placed against these; boxed communion

pews; 3 galleries, each with panelled front and 2 supporting

columns; west gallery also by Andrew Watson. West wing: (at

present, part disused, part used as vestry, part as Sunday

School - possibly never completed. 2 storeys;

rectangular-plan; long west wall 3 bays with central door;

4-bay flanks with close-spaced windows. Door in

bolection-moulded and lugged architrave, with dentilled

cornice and round-headed window above; other windows all

square-headed, and linked between floors by shallow aprons.

Each face of tower has blind oculus (originally with

small-paned glazing) to lower stage; louvered, Y-traceried

and round-headed belfry opening to upper stage, cornice, and

low parapet (spire removed 1825).

Interior: stone scale and platt stair, with curved nosings,

on west wall beside main door; vaulted passage at foot of

tower (now housing boiler) with original entry to church now

blocked; wheel stair to tower entered in base of north west

angle; some bolection-moulded fireplaces (flues in steeple).

Churchyard: some fine 17th-19th century stone monuments,

many with classical ornament; martyr's monuments (to Daniel

MacMichael) and 1685 monument to children of William Lukup,

Master of Works at Drumlanrig.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Roof of south jam of

church originally identical to that of mausoleum, ie

bell-cast and leaded; body of church originally had "a

pavilion roof (with) plates of lead alongst the peens" (ie

angles); steeple which was "about 90' high beside the rod

that carries the weather-cock" was leaded and windowed; it

was removed 1825 following storm damage. No direct reference

in presbytery minutes to building of church, but there is a

gap in the minutes 2.1.1717-2.12.1719.

Pulpit originally on east corner of junction between body of

church and jam; area before mausoleum originally open. NRA(S)

1275 includes accounts ".... charge and discharge 1717-8

including building church at Durisdeer," etc.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.