Kirkliston Church, Linlithgowshire .
Some portions of the old Church of Kirkliston, situated about seven miles west of Edinburgh, including the tower and two ancient doorways, stand in the churchyard, on the high north-west bank of the Almond Water, in the village of Kirkliston. The main body
of the church, so far as can now be ascertained, was an oblong structure (Fig. 329) about 60 feet in length by 26 feet in width externally, but part of the north wall has been removed, so as to allow the church to be extended. The old tower (Fig. 330) stands at the west end of the structure. It is about 21 feet square, and has the solid buttresses projecting on both sides of the angles, which indicate early work—transition
or first pointed. A square projection at the south-east angle of the tower contains a wheel staircase. The windows are mere slits. The roof of the tower is evidently comparatively new. It has a picturesque seventeenth century belfry on the east gable.
There is an old archway in the east wall of the tower, which connected it with the main building of the church.
In the south wall of the church there still exists, though partly restored, a splendid Norman doorway. (Fig. 331.) The doorway itself measures 4 feet 9 inches in width, and the whole door-piece measures 14 feet 7 inches over all. Besides the attached rolls on the jambs, which form shafts with caps, there are seven detached shafts on each side, arranged alternately large and small, with three large ones at each outer angle. These had all caps of transition form, but the carving is now almost completely destroyed. The arch, which is semicircular, has numerous mouldings, which are not arranged in the usual square orders, but have
received a freer treatment. The divisions may be regarded as composing four orders, of which the inner order and the third order are enriched with chevron ornaments. The hood moulding has also been carved with the chevron, but the ornament has now almost all disappeared.
The wall of the church in which the above doorway stands is undoubtedly of considerable antiquity, the cornice which carried the original parapet being still in situ. (See Fig. 330.)
At the north-east angle of the existing church another Norman doorway, removed from elsewhere in the building, has been re-erected. (Fig. 332.) The round arch consists of three plain square orders, which spring from the enriched caps of two nook shafts and the jamb moulding. Most of the caps have a transition character, and the carving is fairly preserved.
At the south-east angle of the church is erected the burial-house of John, Earl of Stair, born 1672, died 1747. Over the moulded doorway is the inscription, “Virtute decet non id sanguine niti. 1629.”
Kirkliston from an early period belonged to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, who held much land in the locality. The church, as altered, is still used as the parish church of Kirkliston.
ST. MARY’S CHURCH, RATHO, Mid-Lothian.
The village of Ratho lies about one and a quarter mile south from the railway station of the same name, and about eight miles west from Edinburgh.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary, and the “Lady’s Well,” in the vicinity, is still in use. Although greatly altered and mostly
rebuilt, the church still retains some indications of its Norman origin. The view (Fig. 333) shows the west end of the church, crowned with its belfry. The buttresses indicate considerable age, but it is scarcely possible to fix their date. The only Norman relic preserved is the doorway in the south-west wall (seen in the sketch). It is built against by the wall of a wing, so that only a portion of the doorway remains visible. This consists (Fig. 334) of one jamb, which had a nook shaft and a cushion cap, carrying a plain round arch with a hood mould, carved with a zigzag or saw-tooth ornament.
Ratho Church was connected with Holyrood Abbey, and was a rectory. In 1444 the tiends and patronage were, with the consent of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, made over to the College Kirk of Corstorphine, which was then established. By this means four prebendal stalls were endowed.
← Back to The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland, vol. 1