Description

1790. Single storey, 4-bay, rectangular-plan church hall (formerly parish church) with modern single storey extension to NE and NW elevations. Coursed, tooled stone with cherry-cocking to SE elevation, render to remaining elevations. Raised polished ashlar margins to openings with raised imposts and keystones. Long and short polished ashlar to quoins. Base course, eaves course, moulded eaves cornice. F W Deas World War 1and 2 Memorial to centre of principal elevation. Domed bellcote to SW gable.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: centred, slightly advanced, full height breaking eaves World War 1 and 2 memorial; raised plinth with bevelled, curved moulding to lower section, flanking pilasters, broken pediment with egg and dart moulding. Stone carved female figure grasping wreath set within niche. Central tablet with roll call of the dead and inscription 'Remember the men of Aberdour who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1919...they fought and died in the cause of freedom, pro patria' with World War 2 roll call of the dead below. Flanking large round-headed windows, further flanking near full height round-headed windows; doors to lower section. Modern granite plaque to Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes set between 1st and 2nd bay at head height.

SW ELEVATION: centred rectangular window at gallery level.

NW ELEVATION: late 20th century single storey extension to right, large rectangular window to left.

NE ELEVATION: single storey modern extension, blocked window to upper section.

Timber boarded doors, 24-pane timber sash and case windows with upper Y tracery section to 2nd and 3rd bay. 16-pane timber sash and case windows with upper Y tracery section to 1st and 4th bay, door to each below. Pitched, grey slate roof. Raised, coped ashlar skews. Coped, rendered wallhead stack to N gable, circular clay can. Slightly projecting open arched bellcote to SW; stone plinth, squared column to each corner, shallow stone dome, weathercock.

INTERIOR: modernised late 20th century, earlier features including tongue and groove timber wainscoting to main hall, stone spiral staircase to SW leading to modernised gallery.

GRAVEYARD: large graveyard running to rear NW slope. Predominance of early to mid 19th century grave stones.

BOUNDARY WALLS: random rubble wall enclosing site, Greek doorway to N; broad pillars, heavy entablature, shallow pediment.

Statement of Interest

NOTES: Formerly listed as Kirk Hall. The church was built under the orders of the Earl of Morton. It was built to replace the local parish church of St Filans which is adjacent to Aberdour Castle (see separate listings) because the Countess of Morton was annoyed that the populace of Aberdour gathered regularly in a place so near to the castle (D Rutherford). The church acted as the local parish church from 1790 to 1926 seating 579 people. Internally the church had galleries running to 3 sides, a central area with fixed timber pews and a large timber hooded pulpit with sounding board, all that remains today is 1 gallery in an altered state, (2002). In 1826 Thomas Hamilton was commissioned to design a steeple, the design however was never realised. In 1919 the Edinburgh based architect F W Deas was commissioned to design the war memorial which stands to the centre of the principal elevation. Deas was well known within Aberdour and its environs as in 1908 he built a house for himself to the NE of the village 'The Murrel' (see separate listing). Although St Filan's was abandoned and the roof taken off in 1796 it was renovated and reinstated in the earlier 20th century, whereupon C Scott Cullen converted the High Street church to a church hall. The church is still used as the local parish hall for St Filans, (2002).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17817269

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)