Largo Parish Church And Churchyard, Upper Largo

Largo Parish Church, Upper Largo, dates primarily from 1817 and was designed by Alexander Leslie. The church incorporates fabric from a 17th-century chancel and a tower dated 1623, and in 1826, an aisle from the earlier church was added. The building was renovated in 1894 by Honeyman and Keppie and further restored in 1965 by L A Roland and Partners.

The church is cruciform in plan with various additions and exhibits Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic detailing. A central tower is topped with a spire. The exterior is largely constructed of ashlar, with a rendered chancel. Tall, traceried windows are found in the gables and some return walls, employing either a loop or Perpendicular design. Hoodmoulds cover the windows, and a stepped string is present above the window in the east gable, featuring a date stone. Low crenellated parapets have squat apexes and angle pinnacles. The tower has a shallow, corbelled parapet, and the facetted spire includes a low gabled, louvered opening and a weathervane.

The interior features galleries at the west end and within the transepts, with Gothic panelled fronts. The roof is low-pitched and braced, with collar beams and traceried decoration. A pulpit, originally installed in Newburn Kirk in 1815 and moved to Largo in 1965, is panelled with reeded pilasters supporting a sounding board. The church contains a series of interesting classical monuments, principally to the Durham family, dating from circa 1808 to 1849; the earlier examples are by J Dalziel, and later ones by David Ness. Stained glass is present in the chancel and the north east transept.

The churchyard is enclosed by walls constructed circa 1880 by J & W Guthrie. A tablet indicates that in 1657 John Wood Esq. had the walls built. The walls are rubble construction with coped tops and incorporate two small, square gatehouses, likely dating from the early 19th century, flanking the entrance on the north east side. The churchyard contains an interesting collection of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century table tombs and headstones. The church is an ecclesiastical building in continuous use. A Pictish cross slab is located within the churchyard and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (No. 820).