Description

Robert Samson Ingram, 1887. Cruciform, crow-stepped, Scottish Baronial former church with 4-stage clock tower to SE corner, situated on small rise at NW entrance to village of Barrhill. Coursed whinstone with contrasting sandstone ashlar margins. Base course. Mostly bi-partite, round-arched window openings. Gabled single-storey vestry to rear (NE).

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: entrance elevation to SW. Asymmetrical. Central gabled entrance porch with moulded round-arched doorpiece and 2-leaf slatted timber entrance door. Tower to right with asymmetrical castellated parapet; band course, chevroned moulding to cornice; louvred opening to 3rd stage. Incised crosses to canted 4th stage corners.

Recessed gabled entrance hall to rear lying perpendicular to entrance porch and taller, gabled section behind with decorative rose window.

INTERIOR: (seen 2010). Most interior furnishings removed. Open-timber ceiling. Decorative timber pulpit and organ case. Some panelled timber round-arched doors. Turnpike stair to tower.

Predominantly small, leaded coloured glass panes to windows. Purple graded slates with red ridge tiles. Cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

Statement of Interest

Arnsheen is a good example of a church in the Scottish Baronial style with distinctive crow-stepped gables and a striking tower with asymmetric parapet. The variety of gables and heights to the entrance elevation add together to form an interesting and unusual composition.

The church replaced a previous chapel of ease of 1845 which lay slightly to the North.

Robert Samson Ingram (circa 1841-1915) was an Ayrshire architect, based in Kilmarnock and most of his work is within the Ayrshire area. He had a prolific practice, covering all types of buildings, including a number of churches and other public buildings. He designed in a number of style including Scottish Baronial. His work included the Burns Memorial in Kilmarnock (now demolished) which had a similar tower to Arnsheen church.

The church was in use as a Church of Scotland church until 2002.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77781814

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.

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