Parish Church And Graveyard, Main Street, Aberlady

Parish Church and Graveyard, Main Street, Aberlady

An imposing church of cruciform plan comprising a 15th century tower adjoining a nave rebuilt in 1773 and recast by William Young in 1886. Two burial aisles project to the north, incorporating 16th and 17th century masonry, mirrored by later transepts, with additions to the south and east by Young. The building is constructed of squared and snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings.

The 15th century tower is a random rubble structure of three stages projecting from the gabled west end. It features an ashlar string course above the ground stage and a corbelled ashlar coped parapet. Porches are set in re-entrant angles and project to north and south. A narrow window with iron bars opens to the west. Arrow slit openings occur at the first and second stages; the second stage was adapted as a dovecot with flight holes to the south arrow-slit. The third stage displays louvred round arched columnar-mullioned bipartite windows to each elevation. The tower is topped by a slated pyramidal roof with weathervane.

The porches date from 1773 and feature stone gabled forms with base courses and deeply chamfered pointed arch doorways with ribbed arches; quatrefoil windows are set on the returns.

The nave adjoins the tower to the east and was sensitively remodelled by Young in 1886. Two gabled burial aisles project at the centre, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, with eaves set lower than those of the nave and crowstepped skews with thistle and cross finials. The earlier left aisle displays 2-light windows of round arched lancets and vesica shapes, repeated with pointed arches and transoms to the right aisle. Single lancets flank the left aisle, two lancets flank the right.

The east elevation was remodelled in 1886 and incorporates a large window in a pointed arch with hood-moulded panel and simple plate tracery, probably of 18th century date, together with 3 lancets and 2 vesicas; gablet capped buttresses flank these windows. A session house projects below, dated 1886, with an ashlar coped rubble base course, two ashlar pilasters enclosing a recessed panel with 3 trefoil-headed windows, and a corbelled blocking course with cornice. A blank return faces north, with a doorway to the south; a lancet window flanks to the right at ground level. The coped skews culminate in a cross finial between buttresses, with crowstepped skews to the outer sides.

The south elevation features M-gabled aisles projecting at the centre, added by Young in 1886 to mirror the north burial aisles in form and detail with similar flanking lancets. Grey slates cover the roof, with decorative gutter fixtures and gutterheads dated 1886; square downpipes are retained.

The interior was remodelled by Young in 1886. An open timber roof is carried on a pointed arch arcade with crocketted capitals opening into aisles and transepts; a diminutive blind arcade encircles the chancel enclosing fine stained glass windows. The stained glass windows follow a progressive scheme begun in the 1880s, designed by Edward Frampton of London and James Ballantine of Edinburgh.

On the west wall stands a monument, possibly by Canova, to Maria Margaretta de Younge Lady Elibank, died 1762, featuring fine relief sculpture in marble with an angel and funerary urn within a pedimented panel and memorial plaque below. This monument was moved from the chancel in 1960. In the southeast aisle is a marble deathbed effigy by John Rhind, with an ornately carved base and contrasting marble column, to Louisa Billingham Countess of Wemyss, died 1882. The communion table was made by Scott Morton and Co in 1961. The font and pulpit are of Caen stone. A replica cast of an 8th century cross shaft fragment, found in the wall of an earlier manse garden, is displayed; the original is now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. An organ with Gothic case is located in the south transept.

The graveyard contains a number of good 18th century headstones and tabletops. An 18th century mounting block stands outside the churchyard to the west of the gates, listed separately.

Aberlady is the site of an early ecclesiastical settlement predating the present church. Remains of a Carmelite Friary are sited to the west of Luffness House (listed separately). A Culdee settlement was sited to the north at Kilspindie, possibly dating to the 7th century, with a fortalice built there in 1585. The Aberlady cross slab fragment displays carving of a quality parallelled in the Ruthwell and Bewcastle Crosses. The remodelling of the church in 1886 by William Young of London was commissioned by the Tenth Earl of Wemyss and March. Young had previously been employed by Lord Wemyss on the completion of Godford House to the southwest (listed separately).