Description

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

Aberfoyle Parish Church is a cruciform-plan, Gothic church built in two phases, the first 1869-70 and the second 1883-84, to the designs of John Honeyman. Built of whin and sandstone, the church is situated on a rise of ground on the N side of the Lochard Road, approximately ½ mile W of Aberfoyle village centre. The church is a good example of Early English Gothic revival architecture by a well-known architect of the later 19th century.

The 1869-70 church was a simple 6-bay, rectangular-plan building orientated W-E, with a gabled bellcote over the E nave gable, and a slightly lower chancel at the E with 2 head-moulded lancet windows and a blind trefoil on the gable; the W nave gable has a triple lancet window. In 1883-4, Honeyman added S and N transepts to the E end of the nave, and added an octagonal vestry with cusped lancets to the right of the E elevation, linked to the chancel by a small lean-to section with a shouldered door. A gabled entrance porch was also added to the far left of the S elevation.

Honeyman detailed the triple lancets and entrance porch doorway of the S and W elevations with moulded arches, shafted jambs and hoodmoulds, with foliate capitals and label stops; the S transept gable also has a cusped round window. The smaller lancets on the S elevation are hoodmoulded. Diagonal and angle buttresses are used on the gable ends, and pier buttresses divide the bays to the side elevations.

Later alterations included the addition of a gabled bay to the W side of the N transept, and a rendered lean-to projecting from it.

Interior:

The nave roof has arch-braced trusses and diagonal boarding; the chancel arch is moulded with clustered shafts and floriate capitals. The sanctuary is floored with coloured Minton tiles and has a stone piscina on the S wall. The stone and alabaster pulpit has Gothic and foliate detailing. The organ is built by Bryceson Bros of London, 1887. There are several good stained glass windows of late 19th century date.

Materials:

Random whin rubble with cream dressed sandstone chamfered margins and quoins. Pitched, graded slate roof; stone skews and moulded skewputts. 2-leaf timber-boarded main door with ornamental hinges. Mostly cast iron rainwater goods.

Bell:

Just to the E of the S transcept, hung from a low stone frame with a slated roof, is a bell dated 1725, which was presented to the Old Parish Church (see separate listing) by the Duke of Montrose.

War Memorial:

Situated to the S of the church, the 1921 war memorial is a sandstone cross and tapered octagonal shaft, on a pedestal with inscribed polished pink granite panels.

Boundary Walls And Gatepiers:

To the S boundary, running E-W, low random rubble walls with rough rounded copes; to the W end, round rubble gatepiers with conical caps.

Statement of Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such.

Aberfoyle Parish Church was erected in memory of Richard Hampson by his brother Robert, who also funded the construction of the adjacent Parish School (see separate listing), which is very similar in style, and was also designed by Honeyman. The positioning of the church reflects the number of new villas being built to the W of Aberfoyle in the later 19th century; Hampson proposed 'a small simple church in this Parish in lieu of the present one which is in a dilapidated condition, and out of the way of the great majority of people'(NAS, GD220/6/573/17-18).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17853812

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

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  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
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  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
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  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)