Description

H and D Barclay, 1886. T-plan, aisleless, Gothic-style church with massive campanile-like tower. Snecked, bull-faced red rubble sandstone, ashlar dressings, green slate roof, terracotta ridge tiles. Deep base course, eaves course, buttresses to eash gable, sawtooth skews with pedimented kneelers, stepped lancet detail and finials (some missing) at gable api. Single pointed windows with nook shafts and hoodmoulds, 3-light stepped window at front gable in similar style, 3-light stepped lancets to east gable with chamfered arrises, chainlink pattern leaded lights. Rectangular cast-iron downpipes with decorative fixings and hoppers.

N ELEVATION: tower advanced to centre, window at ground floor, 2-leaf boarded door at left return, multiple-moulded, pointed-arch doorcase with squat nook shafts and foliate capitals, set in gable doorpiece; corniced upper stage with architraved, 3-light pointed-arch belfry openings to each elevation, row of flight-holes set-back above as eaves course, finialled pyramidal spirelet. 2 windows to nave at left; shallow transept to right with 3 windows, 1 window to right return; 4 lucarnes to nave roof.

E GABLE: 3-light window.

S ELEVATION: 4 windows to right, transept advanced to left with shouldered-arch doorpiece to centre, 3 windows, window to right return; 4 lucarnes to nave roof.

W GABLE: low, gabled transverse vertry at centre with pedimented dormerhead, window to left and right returns, door to left and right return linking section; 3-light window, 2 squat octagonal stacks to either side of gablehead.

INTERIOR: boarded vestibule; 3 pointed ashlar arches to transepts with polished granite columns and foliate capitals; boarded dado; original pews with bookrests, angled towards communion table at crossing; tripartite Gothic sedilia at centre of W end behind communion table and pulpit, open work gallery above, doors to left and right with pedimented overdoors, organ cases to far left and right; various memorial stained glass windows, patterned stained glass elsewhere, hoodmoulds; early light fittings; corniced wallhead, gallery above, boarded barrel-vaulted ceiling with arched braces extending down to ashlar-corbelled wall posts; 9 bell carillon in tower (J Wilson, bellfounders, Glasgow).

CROSS AND BAPTISMAL FONT: situated to front of E end, grey stone cross on base depicting the spirit of Christ rising from a chalice, small round baptismal font. Both items unearthed in the graveyard of the old Kilbride Church in 1892, and thought to be of 14th century origin. FORMER CLOSET: small round structure of bull-faced red sandstone and facetted conical green slate roof, built as closet now housing organ blowing mechanism; ashlar doorcase.

BOUNDARY WALL, PIERS AND RAILINGS: ashlar-coped red sandstone rubble boundary wall to rear, chamfered ashlar gateway; 2 pyramidal-capped ashlar gatepiers to front, 1 at NE angle, simpler pier at NW; decorative cast-iron railings to N and E.

Statement of Interest

An ecclesiastical building in use as such, prominently situated on the Shore Road and listed category A in consideration of the prominent tower. This building replaced an earlier plain building of 1773 (illustrated in the centenary booklet), itself replacing the earlier Kilbride church, the remains of which survive at the present Lamlash graveyard. It is not known why Pilkington and Bells' 1871 designs were not executed (nor do they appear to have survived), but it is possible that the Barclay design was influenced by it. The church was financed to the tune of approximately $4,000 by the Duke of Hamilton. The extensive account of the opening of the church in the AYR ADVERTISER AND GALLOWAY CHRONICLE includes a list of tradesmen (principally from Glasgow).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata IDs Q15118061 Q17574292

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)