Description

George Haswell of Inveraray, 1779-81. 5-bay, 2-storey (3-storey to rear) symmetrical classical former church, of rectangular plan with wing projecting to rear, converted to residential use circa 1985. Rubble walls with ashlar dressings and details, all painted. Base course, cornice at eaves. Raised margins to windows and corners, projecting cills.

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-bay advance section to centre surmounted

by corniced pediment, blind bull?s-eye in tympanum. 2-tier square former belfry at apex with upper tier set at angle, pyramidal cap surmounted by urn. Flanking urns. Architraved entrance door at centre, approached by concrete steps with coped and rendered walls.

NW (SIDE) ELEVATION: 4-bay, 2-storey at 1st bay, with cill and lintel heights corresponding to principal front. 3-storey at 2nd to 4th bays, no window at 1st floor 4th bay.

SE (SIDE) ELEVATION: 4-bay, 3-storey 1st to 3rd bays, no window at 1st floor, outer left. 2-storey at 4th bay with cill heights corresponding to principal front.

SW ELEVATION: 6-bay, projecting wing at centre with 2 small windows at 1st floor. Single ground floor windows at flanking elevations, centring bays above. Single-storey additions to ground floor.

Timber sash and case windows to 2-storey section, 15-pane to ground floor, 12-pane to 1st floor. Modern glazing to 3-storey section and additions. Diagonally-boarded 2-leaf entrance door with modern hinges and handle, 8-pane rectangular fanlight above. Grey slate roof to main block, rear wing and addition. Lead platform and slight bell-cast to eaves of main block.

BOUNDARY WALLS: random rubble, rendered to road, ashlar coped with original urn and spear finial railing. Lined concrete gatepiers with caps.

Statement of Interest

This building replaced the Lowland Kirk in Kirk Street. It was built on the site of Kinloch (or Lochhead) Castle, stronghold of the Earls of Argyll as Lord of Kintyre, which was demolished by General Leslie?s army in 1647. George Haswell of Inveraray was the architect, and building operations were supervised by John Brown, mason and architect, also of Inveraray. As it was intended chiefly as a burghal church, the Town Council was classified as a heritor and paid two-fifths of its cost. A photograph of 1868 shows it with 24-pane timber sash and case windows at ground, 16-pane at 1st floor with 20-pane windows at centre. It also shows square gatepiers with ball finials and iron gates, as well as a weathercock surmounting the tower and a bell in the bellcote. It was altered to a T-plan arrangement from 1883 with a gallery on three sides of the main hall and a pulpit centring the SW side. It was closed in 1971 and converted to flats circa 1986. There is evidence on the side elevations that the windows adjacent to the rear elevation have been altered from their original sizes that corresponded to the principal front. This means that the side elevations would originally have been symmetrical. Although glazing to the 3-storey section is unfortunate, an effort has been made to retain the original appearance of the building from the street. The building is important for terminating the view up Main Street and Castlehill.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17772336

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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