Description

1818; church offices, James Pearson Alison, 1899. 2-storey 5-bay square symmetrical Italianate palazzo church. Cream sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and coursed stugged ashlar facade. Round-headed windows with cills.

SE (FRONT) ELEVATION: 2-storey 5-bay, regular fenestration; outer bays advanced as pavilians. At ground, central 3-bays of polished ashlar, door with rectangular fanlight at centre; 3-bay Tuscan screen with entablature between pavilions; outer engaged half-columns. Inner return walls of pavilions with doors to vestibule. Cill course at 1st floor. Moulded cornice with rectangular panels above central (inscribed 1818) and outer bays. Base course To left a small single storey polished ashlar polygonal link with a door giving access to hall and church offices. NE AND SW (SIDE) ELEVATIONS: 3 bays grouped towards rear, lighting main hall of church. NE side with blocked door at ground to front. NW (REAR) ELEVATION: 2 taller windows grouped to centre; door at ground to left. Timber corrugate-iron roofed hut attached at centre (perhaps heating chamber).

Stained glass leaded windows by Kemp Benson & Co, Glasgow 1902. Steep piended roof with grey slates.

INTERIOR: single storey vestibule with stairs at either end; pair of handsome marble memorial tablets above end doors to Alexander Shanks and Peter Young, and William Nicol, all past ministers. Brass plaque bydoor in memory of Richard Cameron brought from Free Church (now demolished). Plain flat-ceilinged main hall of church with banked gallery running round 3 sides, supported on square moulded timber columns. Deal tongue and groove dado and seating by J P Alison, 1896. Clock at centre of gallery facing organ. 2 stage pulpit and communion table on raised dais in front of organ, with barley-twist balustrade; all probably by Alison. Carved timber octagonal font with marble basin from Boston Church opposi te.

CHURCH OFFICES: J P Alison 1899. Tall single storey symmetrical 3-bay stugged cream ashlar former lodgings for Church Officer, to SW of forecourt. 4 steps to door at centre with semicircular fanlight; matching flanking round-headed windows with cills. Adjoining polygonal link to right (see above).

Timber sash and case windows. Coped ashlar gablehead stack with original octagonal cans to right; ashlar skews; grey slates.

WALL, GATEPIERS, GATES AND RAILINGS: 2 pairs of ashlar gatepiers with flat pyramidal caps with low coped wall and simple iron railings to High Street. 2 pairs of iron gates.

Statement of Interest

Blank rendered wall of single storey outbuilding projects from E wall of forecourt. W side of forecourt largely formed by church rooms and manse - see separate listing. The church is a rebuild of a late 18th century one which was nearer the road. In 1900 it united with the Free Church formerly at Oxnam road, and subsequently with the Boston Church (see separate listing) opposite. This congregation worshipped at the Boston Church until about 1930 when it moved back to Blackfriars, now Trinity (the 3 churches) Church. In 1931 Alison and Hobkirk, Hawick, built the plain hall immediately to the S of the Church. The church forecourt is partly bounded by the manse (see separate listing).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17837530

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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