Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is a Grade A listed building comprising a First Pointed Gothic church with associated structures, built and extended across four periods. The original nave was designed by James Wallace and constructed in 1857. The chancel was added by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1876, also built by James Wallace. A hall and porch were added in 1895 by James Wallace as architect and builder. A flat-roofed extension was constructed to the rear in 1965 and 1966.

The church is built of snecked rubble with ashlar dressings, featuring canted drip-sills, hoodmoulds and a substantial base course throughout.

The principal north elevation presents a four-bay nave with an advanced tower base to the left adjoining the sanctuary. The tower base is a single stage with squared diagonal buttresses at the angles and contains an arched two-light window within a heavy moulded surround, with blind windows to the left and right returns. The nave to the right displays three lancet lights with stepped buttresses between them. An enclosed stone porch occupies the fourth bay, with stepped angle buttresses and a deep moulded arched door surround topped by a quatrefoil light to the gable. The inner porch contains stone side benches and a heavily moulded inner door surround. To the right stands a later lower gable with a heavily moulded arched door surround, single windows flanking it, and a cinquefoil window to the gable. The projecting hall to the extreme right features a gable with sloped base and sill course leading to a three-light arched window with a hoodmould and ornate label stops, a rounded moulded light to the gablehead, and three arched lights to the right return.

The east elevation displays a tall gable with stepped angle buttresses terminating in gablets, a heavy base course, and a sloped drip-moulded sill leading to a stepped sill course. The principal feature is a five-light arched window with columned moulded surround, topped by three trefoil lights within an upper round window and a quatrefoil light to the gable. A Celtic cross marks the apex of the gable. The recessed squared tower base rises to the right.

The south (rear) elevation includes a tall gable of the hall to the left with three regularly placed arched lights, the central light being taller. The rear gable of the entrance vestibule to the right features a later square window. A 20th century flat-roofed extension partially conceals the lower elevations of both gables, with a door and two windows to the right behind the hall entrance, a bipartite window, central door and further window to the rear of the hall entrance, and a pair of high lancet windows to the nave further right. Flanking the chancel are a pair of two-light windows with stepped hoodmoulds, a sill-course and a buttress between them.

The west elevation contains a three-light arched window to the gable of the nave, with a stone cross at the gablehead, and three regular arched bays to the hall.

The roof is of particular architectural note, featuring piended grey slate with three bands of decorative fish-scale slating to the chancel, nave and entrance porch. The later piended hall and vestibule have plain grey slates, while the tower stump is topped with a pyramidal slate roof. Lead ridging, flashing and valleys are present throughout. Cast-iron rainwater goods feature squared hoppers. Stone crosses mark the apex of the gables, with a large Celtic cross at the gable of the chancel.

Interior

The chancel and sanctuary, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, form the most elaborate interior space. The walls are decorated with Pre-Raphaelite oil-on-plaster murals executed by Burlison and Grylls of London, serving as a memorial to Thomas Houldsworth of Farnsworth; the designer is unknown. The ceiling features a wagon roof with coffered panels. The north ceiling depicts twelve prophets with text scrolls and palm and orange tree bands forming a canopy. The south ceiling depicts twelve apostles and creeds. The flooring is laid in mosaic by Powell and Sons of London, executed in a Pompeian pattern incorporating ripe wheat and grapes, symbolically representing the bread and wine of the Eucharist. A Gothic timber reredos and panelling, dating to 1932, constitutes a memorial to Reverend Canon Blood, Rector from 1889 to 1926.

The stained glass throughout the church is predominantly pictorial. The five-light east window to the sanctuary, a memorial to Patrick Boyle of Shewalton, Chairman of the Building Committee, depicts the Crucifixion, Resurrection leading to Glorification, with side lights representing the Nativity, Baptism, Last Supper and Pentecost. In the south wall of the nave, the middle window depicts Saint George, and an end window depicts life as a pilgrimage. The west wall contains a memorial window to members of the Vernan family of Auchans, with upper lights depicting Saint George and Saint Andrew either side of the Angelus Pacis (angel of Peace).

The nave contains an ornate brass eagle lectern and a marble and stone font. The pipe organ, constructed by Hill & Sons of London in 1876, features elaborately decorated pipes and fretwork screening, and was refurbished in 1939 by Hill, Norman & Beard.

The inner porch, built in 1923 as a war memorial, is a square timber structure with square quarried glazing. The nave floor is stone-flagged with thirteen paired Gothic timber bench pews. The ceiling consists of open timber roof trusses, with an ornate scissor-brace truss marking the west gable. Low hanging lights provide illumination. Later adornments to the nave include a fretwork panel of the Lord's Prayer and a crocheted Last Supper panel dating to 1995.

The functional hall features an open timber beamed roof supported on wall corbels.

Boundary Walls and Gatepiers

Coursed ashlar boundary walls with semi-circular coping define the site. A pair of squared ashlar gatepiers with stepped pyramid caps flank the entrance, with later plain wrought-iron gates hung between them.

Milestone

A tall squared sandstone milestone stands within the curtilage, carved with letters and numerals and topped with a later feather-edged cap stone. The south-east side carries an arrow pointing south-west with the inscriptions "Dundonald 5" and "Troon 9" (the latter uncertain), whilst the other three sides are heavily eroded.