St. Mahew's Chapel, Kilmahew, Cardross

St. Mahew's Chapel in Kilmahew, Cardross, is a 15th century chapel dedicated to St. Mahew. In the 17th century, the nave was converted into a parish school, while the chancel was kept as the family burial vault for the Napiers of Kilmahew. The chapel was restored by Ian Lindsay and Partners between 1953 and 1955 to serve as a Roman Catholic parish church.

The church has a rectangular plan and is aligned east to west, featuring a lean-to vestry against the north wall. The exterior is finished with painted harl and has red sandstone crowstepped gables. It includes carved masonry mouldings, which are roll-moulded at the east end and chamfered and painted elsewhere. A red sandstone ashlar birdcage bellcote is also present.

On the southeast elevation, the nave has four bays with a higher chancel at the east end, both featuring crowstepped gables. There is a door to the outer left and three windows symmetrically arranged to the right. The outer right has a two-bay nave with a boarded door to the left and a window to the right, both with roll-moulded surrounds.

The northeast elevation shows the nave with an off-centre window to the right and a lean-to outshot at the west end. The chancel at the east end has a roll-moulded window to the right. The east elevation features a gable with a thicker wall and a small roll-moulded window at ground level to the right, along with a small window in the gablehead. The west elevation displays a red sandstone apex birdcage bellcote, reconstructed in the 1950s based on an 18th century design, with an ashlar bell-cast roof and a ball and cross finial. There is also a window at ground level to the outer left.

The chapel has 12-pane sash and case timber windows, along with a multi-paned window at the east end. The roof is covered with grey slate and has red sandstone roof ridging.

Inside, there is an early Christian cross-inscribed stone slab at the entrance. The interior was updated in the 1950s and features a glazed screen that divides the main body of the nave from the entrance. A carved and painted statue of Saint Margaret is present, along with a painted flowing banner. Above the chancel, there is a sculpted crucifixion scene against a painted backdrop with a Latin inscription beneath, along with datestones from 1467 and 1955. The chancel area has a red sandstone chancel arch, rubble, and round-arched sedilia, with a now-glazed aumbry. A stained glass window is located in the gable.

The graveyard contains several plain grave slabs that likely date from the 17th century. Surrounding the chapel is a rubble boundary wall topped with boulder coping.