Longrow Church And Hall, Campbeltown

Longrow Church and Hall, Campbeltown

John Burnet, 1869. A symmetrical classical church comprising a three-bay pedimented principal northeast front, slightly advanced at first floor centre and extending into a tall tower with crown spire. Quadrants flank the principal front, curving back to a three by five-bay hall with pedimented ends oriented northwest-southeast at right angle to the entrance. A six-bay single storey church hall projects from the centre of the rear elevation of the hall with flanking square single storey wings in re-entrant angles. The building is constructed of stugged sandstone ashlar walls with polished ashlar arrises and details. Base course, band and string courses appear at ground and first floor window arch springer levels. A band course at eaves and corniced pediments finish the gables.

The principal northeast front features stone steps divided into three flights by square ashlar pedestals supporting ornate cast-iron lamp standards, with the flight at right of centre obscured by a modern access ramp. Three round-arched entrance doors comprise horizontally channelled pilasters with capitals and bases, continued around the arch-head as voussoirs with a panelled keystone at the apex; the central arch is larger, with a triple keystone at its apex topped by a cornice and carving. Round-arched windows at the first floor outer bays light the building, the centre bay being slightly advanced and extending through a pedimented gable above with a round-arched architraved niche at centre and flanking carved scrolled brackets.

A square tower above carries matching faces. A string course marks its base, above which sits an engaged round-arched window with moulded surround. Circular architraved clock faces appear above, and incised pilasters clasp the corners with bases and bracketed capitals. The upper stage features round-arched belfry openings with architraved arch-heads and sloping cills, containing paired louvered round-arched openings divided by colonnettes with circlets above; a string course at springer level is flanked by roundels. A band course above carries a heavy bracketed cornice. The crown spire at the tower apex comprises obelisks at each corner over panelled dies, a small round-arched window at the centre of each face, extending upwards into an octagonal base for the spire with spiked ball finials at each corner. Curved stone ribs form the spire with a fluted and corniced drum at its apex, surmounted by a lead finial.

The northwest side elevation features a broad single bay to the outer left with an arcaded bipartite window at ground floor and a single round-arched window centred above. A two-bay quadrant curves forward to the right, with round-arched windows at ground floor and an arcaded tripartite window at first floor, columns with bases and fluted capitals between. A three-bay pedimented gable end to the hall sits at the outer right. Round-arched windows appear at ground and first floors, with a bull's-eye window centring the tympanum. The southeast side elevation mirrors the northwest elevation.

The southwest rear elevation displays five round-arched windows, closely spaced at first floor level.

Windows throughout are six-pane timber with hoppers and translucent glass. Five nine-pane windows to the rear of the pulpit contain stained glass depicting religious figures. The main entrance door is a twelve-panel timber door with radial panelled infill to the arch-head above. Matching flanking four-panel doors have radial panelled infill at their arch-heads. A grey slate roof with bracketed timber eaves covers the building. A large piend-roofed timber ventilator over the hall has a curved northeast end, semicircular louvered vents below bracketed timber eaves, and ornate cast-iron cresting at the ridge. Profiled cast-iron gutters at eaves and cast-iron downpipes with hoppers complete the exterior. A single flue corniced wallhead stack with base and circular can sits at the outer right of the rear elevation. Wide ashlar skews finish the pedimented gables.

Interior

A fine original decorative scheme survives throughout. The entrance vestibule features two-leaf inner entrance doors with etched glass upper panels and fluted brass handles. Symmetrically disposed gallery stairs to left and right sit behind arcaded screens, supported at centre by paired square columns with decorative capitals on panelled plinths, ornate cast-iron lamps with etched glass globes within the arches. Cantilevered stone dog-leg stairs with decorative timber handrail of turned spindles and newels with carved columns and ball finials provide access. A panelled doorway to the hall contains a two-leaf door with etched glass oval panels and fluted brass handles, flanked by war memorials with oak frames.

A raked timber U-plan gallery supported on cast-iron columns with capitals and circular timber bases spans the interior. Twin clocks set in panelling with decorative surrounds are visible. The ground floor contains raked timber pews with panelled fronts and sides and vertically-boarded backs.

A substantial, classical, symmetrical timber organ case of 1895 by J J Burnet occupies and centres the northwest rear wall, with an integral pulpit at its centre. A perron staircase to the pulpit has a panelled base, strapwork balustrades, and newels surmounted by square capitals and obelisks. The corbelled and panelled pulpit base supports an aedicule above comprising columns with fluted lower shafts and decorative capitals supporting an entablature and segmental pediment, columns flanked by matching pilasters. The grand organ case comprises a panelled base flanking the pulpit, architraved panels to outer left and right surmounted by open segmental pediments, flanking carved dies with decorative turned columns above supporting octagonal bracketed and corniced frames containing the outer organ pipes. Vertically-boarded wainscoting at ground floor is matched by architraved and corniced doors flanking the organ. Horizontal plaster mouldings appear at ground floor window springer level and at first floor cill and springer levels. Architraved arch heads at first floor windows carry a dentilled cornice above, framing a cove to the plaster ceiling with a decorative dome at its centre set in elliptical mouldings.

Church Hall

The church hall projects to the southwest from the ground floor of the rear elevation. Square flanking wings in re-entrant angles each have bracketed timber canopies at entrance doors. The centre wing projects by two bays, with a modern four-bay extension to the southwest in matching style.

Windows are mostly four-pane timber sash and case. Six-panel timber entrance doors adjacent to the church are accompanied by slated timber canopies with barge boards and scrolled brackets. A grey slate roof, piended at flanking wings, carries cast-iron gutters and downpipes with hoppers. A square timber ventilator at the ridge has a slate-hung base, semicircular louvered vents below overhanging bracketed eaves to the piended slated roof, with a finial at the apex.

A passage connects the church to the hall, featuring vertically-boarded timber wainscoting and six-panel, architraved doors. Six-panel two-leaf entrance doors to the hall are topped by a circular frame for a clock above. The hall has a timber floor, vertically-boarded timber wainscoting, and an open timber roof at the southwest end.

Boundary Walls and Gates

Ashlar gatepiers to Longrow comprise square shafts over two-tier bases, each with incised pilasters at corners, pyramidal caps corniced and articulated around semicircular pediments to each face, and a moulded dome at the apex. A flanking ashlar dwarf wall, coped and surmounted by early twentieth century wrought-iron railings, matches the two-leaf entrance gates. Random rubble boundary walls to the southeast and northwest are coped to the southwest (Glebe Street), with an entrance gate at the centre comprising square ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps and two-leaf wrought-iron gates.