Prestonkirk Parish Church, Preston Road, East Linton

Prestonkirk Parish Church, dedicated to St Baldred, is a multi-period church comprising a 1770 nave, a 13th century chancel at the east end, and a 17th century two-stage bell tower at the west end. The building underwent alterations in 1824 and significant rebuilding in 1891–92 by architect James Jerdan. It is constructed of squared and coursed sandstone with ashlar dressings and has an eaves course. The roofs are covered in grey slates with straight stone skews. Openings feature round arches, with keystones to those in the nave.

The 13th century chancel has three tall lancet windows separated by narrow chamfered buttresses at the east wall, with shorter single lancets in the south wall. The north wall was built in 1818 and contains a doorway and memorial plaques. A single polygonal corniced wallhead chimney stack stands to the north. A redundant gateway adjoins the east side.

The 17th century tower is built in roughly squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, a rubble base course, string course, and eaves course. Single round-headed windows appear on three sides. The roof is ogee domed with an ashlar chimneystack intruding to the north.

The 1770 nave has a south elevation of six bays containing two doorways flanked by tall windows; the window to the far right has a door in its lower half. The north elevation contains three windows replacing an earlier arrangement. To the outer left is an 1891–92 ashlar gabled stair tower with a pend. The roof features a finial at the east end and three ventilation cans to the ridge. A single storey vestry with gables of 1891–92 is attached to the west gable.

The interior was refurbished to James Jerdan's designs in 1891–92. The galleries were removed except that to the east, which links with the Smeaton-Hepburn loft. The church's focal point was reoriented to the west end with an arcaded Renaissance screen housing the organ. Stained glass in the south wall by William Wilson dates to 1959.

Surrounding the church is an 18th century graveyard with a retaining wall and two sets of entrance gates at the west side. The southern part of the graveyard contains approximately 300 gravestones with largely random layout, typical of late 17th or early 18th century development. The oldest recorded stone commemorates Margaret Millie, who died in 1685. Many early stones display fine symbolic carving of high quality. Notable graves include an 1812 stone for Andrew Meikle recording his invention and perfection of a machine for separating corn from straw; an 1829 plain round-arched headstone for George Rennie set within an enclosure at the east boundary; an 1839 squared obelisk with carved stone wreath in wheat form for Robert Brown; and an 1851 large tall square section stone with a two-handled urn and wheat crop carving for James Kirk. Two cast iron inscribed memorials in standard headstone form with decorative heads date to 1796 and 1837. The boundary wall to the south roadside is a rubble-built retaining wall with squared and stepped copes. The east wall is plain rubble; the west wall is partly retaining with integral memorials. Both sets of gate piers are squared ashlar; the pair at the south corner features decorative iron former lampstands.

Adjacent to the gatepiers at the northwest of the graveyard is a small, single storey flat-roofed former watch house built of random rubble with chamfered corners and a crenulated parapet. It has a central door and two round-arched windows with margined diamond leaded glazing, with a single window facing the graveyard. The timber boarded door is agricultural in style, mounted on a metal side sliding system.

The church hall to the northwest and the northern half of the graveyard are excluded from the listing.