Dunscore Parish Church

James Thomson of Dumfries, architect. Built 1823-4. Simple, rectangular-plan, 3-bay simply buttressed, Gothic church,

3-stage square tower at west gable. Rubble-built, with

contrasting painted ashlar dressings, and long and short

worked dressings to doors, windows and tower quoins. All

openings hood-moulded and pointed, windows to body of church

have simple Y-traceried mullion with transom at gallery

level. Small panes, glazing bars also Y-traceried. Tower door

faces west, lintelled doorway, traceried fanlight; windows to

flanks. Tower stages off-set; blind window (continuous cill

course at eaves level) to each face of middle stage; louvred

belfry openings (with modern clock to 2 faces) above.

Pinnacles to buttresses linked by simple parapet. Door

between 2 windows in east gable; cill band, hood-moulds

linked by string course on side elevations. Cornice and

blocking course; slate roof.

Interior: horseshoe gallery, with panelled front, on plain

columns; curved pulpit below domed sounding board, latter

supported by pilastered and panelled back board on west wall;

flanking doors at middle stage of tower, with flight of steps

to each.

Quadrangular churchyard enclosure has rubble-built,

ashlar-coped perimeter wall. Mostly 19th century monuments,

but some earlier, notably 17th/18th century Grierson of

Dalgonar enclosure.