Description

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

1771-72; altered and enlarged late 19th century and earlier-mid 20th century. Former rectangular-plan church, converted to T-plan when transepts, stairtowers and W porch added (N transept and W porch late 19th century; S transept earlier-mid 20th century). Near symmetrical design; round-arched openings throughout, mostly with keystones and impost blocks; prominent oculi. Harled with painted ashlar dressings. Eaves band, apart from to porch. Architraved openings. Vertical margins/projecting quoins at arrises (margins except to transepts and SW angles of nave and porch). Overhanging eaves with moulded bargeboards; bracketed eaves to S stairtower.

N AND S ELEVATIONS OF NAVE: gable end of transept projects to outer E end to both elevations; large bipartite Y-traceried window to centre; oculus above. Stairtower set back slightly to W re-entrant (that to S is taller and probably later with finialled pavilion roof); window with oculus above to each stairtower; entrance with blank tympanum to E return; slightly off-centre oculus above. 2 tall windows set back to nave to S elevation; one to N.

W END: gabled porch projects to centre of gable end; central entrance (keystone painted with date '1771'); large oculus above; flanking butresses at arrises. Tall window to outer return to either side. Flanking small windows at upper level set back to gable end of nave.

E END: gable end of nave to centre; large tipartite Y-traceried window to centre; oculus above. Small later 20th century lean-to addition adjoins to left. Flanking adjoining blank side walls of transepts.

Mainly fixed diamond-pane leaded windows (with opening vents); stained glass to E side only. Grey slate roofs (those to stairtowers piended; that to S finialled pavilion roof). Ridge vents to main sections of roof; finialled ogee-roofed bellcote to W gable end. 20th century projecting stack to E gable end.

INTERIOR: principal gallery to W supported on pair of cast-iron columns with lotus leaf capitals (probably slightly later than original building); later galleries (without supporting columns) to each of transepts. Flanking plaster brackets with decorative heads to either side of openings into transepts. Matchboarded timber dados and plain Victorian bench pews. Stained glass E window of Saints Peter and Paul and Christ ('I am the Way') of 1884; stained glass oculus above. Late 19th century panelled octagonal pulpit. Stone turnpike staircases (leading to transept galleries) to stairtowers. Quarter-turn stone staircase with winders and cast-iron balustrade to porch. Marble tablet to porch in memory of David McFarlane (1812-84).

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALL: pair of square-plan; coursed dressed sandstone (partly stugged/droved); corniced gatepiers to W of church. Later cast-iron gates and wrought-iron archway/lamp support above. Rubble boundary wall with rounded coping adjoins enclosing churchyard.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. An attractive later 18th century parish church, sympathetically altered and extended in the late 19th century and earlier-mid 20th century. It is shown on the 1865 OS map as a plain rectangular-plan building with a small extension to the centre of the N elevation. This may have been an entrance porch or possibly the N stairtower in an earlier form, prior to the construction of the transepts. It would appear from what remains of the original fenestration that the original building comprised 4 symmetrical bays to the S and 3 (including the central porch or stairtower) to the N. According to Guthrie Smith it was similar in plan to a new church being constructed at that time in the Port of Monteith (although no such building appears to remain there). Also according to Guthrie Smith, the bellcote was constructed in about 1840 (following the removal of the bell from a tree in the churchyard deemed to be unsafe) and the church was improved and reseated in 1879. References to the parish of Drymen date back to about the end of the 12th century. 'The Kirk of Drymyne' is referred to in a deed referring to the property of the then Archbishopric of Glasgow in 1561. The site of the present building appears to be fairly ancient with gravestones having been discovered in the churchyard dating from the earlier 17th century onwards.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17836836

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
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)