Kirk Of Mochrum, Mochrum

Kirk Of Mochrum

A T-plan church completed in 1794, with a rectangular-plan body as the principal structure. The building underwent substantial alterations and additions between 1876 and 1878, when a jamb was adjoined to the north and a vestry to the west.

The church is built of washed rubble with squared granite and some sandstone quoins and rybated margins. Red sandstone forms the cornice and blocking course to the porches. The windows are predominantly round-arched, though some are square-headed, with small-pane glazing in sash and case windows; most windows have clear glazing except for two windows at the centre of the south elevation which feature coloured textured glazing. The doors are boarded. The roof is covered in slightly graded grey slates variegated with purple slate repairs, and is topped with granite coped skews and small granite ball finials to the apices of the gableheads to the north and east. Several small rooflights pierce the roof.

The north (entrance) elevation features round-arched windows to the outer left and right, with a gabled jamb advanced at the centre. A square porch at the centre contains a round-arched window above and tall round-arched windows flanking left and right. The porch has a door to the east and a window to the north. A forestair leads to a full-height square porch on the east return, which is rubble at ground floor and washed brick at first floor. This porch contains a door to the north and a window to the east at gallery level, with a plain iron handrail and red sandstone steps to the forestair. A small window sits to the right of the west return. Wide flights of red sandstone steps with plain iron handrails lead up to the entrance of the north porch and to the forestair.

The east elevation features a detached forestair with a full-height square porch at its centre. The forestair has granite steps, a granite coped solid stone balustrade to the east and a plain iron handrail to the west. The porch contains a door to the east, a small diamond-paned window to the south at gallery level, and a door to the north with a small window to the south at ground floor. Windows to the left and right at gallery level each have a blocked area below.

The south elevation displays four regularly spaced round-arched windows. A massive square crenellated buttress sits at the centre, built of rubble with red sandstone gabletted merlons and coping. A small rendered and slate-roofed lean-to boiler house is adjoined to the east return, with a tall rendered stack in the re-entrant angle. A door to the south is fronted by a low concrete-coped rubble wall concealing steps down to the entrance.

The west elevation has a piend-roofed vestry adjoined at the centre and right. A fanlit door stands to the left at the north, with a window at the centre to the west. A forestair leads to a square porch to the right, partly incorporated in the vestry at ground floor. This quarter-turn forestair features granite steps and a granite coped solid stone balustrade to the south, with a rendered porch and fanlit door to the south. A window sits at the centre at gallery level, and a tall opening stands blocked to the left at gallery level. A decoratively coped granite birdcage bellcote crowns the apex of the gablehead, with a red sandstone base supported on granite corbels, a bell, and a ball finial at the summit.

Interior

The walls are of painted plaster with timber dadoes. The main body of the church has a coombed ceiling, as does the north gallery, which features a basket-arch over to the east. Panelled galleries to the north, east and west are each supported on two cast-iron columns, with fluted pilaster detailing to the panelling. An organ sits in the west gallery. A hexagonal-plan pulpit with a sounding-board occupies the centre to the east, flanked by Ionic columns with a fluted frieze to the rear board. A brass war memorial plaque (1914–1919) is mounted to the front panel of the pulpit. A stone font is present, with timber communion table, lectern and pews. Stone corbels sit below the east and west galleries, though they do not provide structural support. Timber vestibule screens stand at the centre to the east and west.

Graveyard and Surroundings

A large graveyard contains 18th, 19th and 20th century monuments, including fine 18th century gravestones and some tablestones. The graveyard was extended in 1866 and 1900. Graveyard walls were built in 1867 of rubble with rubble coping. The wall to the west is mutual with the Greenmantle Hotel (former Manse), with an outbuilding of the hotel incorporated in the wall.

A pair of dressed granite square gatepiers with stepped capping and ball finials stands to the south-east, with cast-iron two-leaf gates. Similarly detailed two-leaf gates stand to the north-east. Modern gates occupy the gateway to the north. Two cast-iron lamp standards flank the north gateway within the graveyard.