Gate Piers, Gillespie Memorial Church, Chapel Street, Dunfermline

The Gillespie Memorial Church, built in 1848-49 and subsequently altered, stands on Chapel Street, Dunfermline. Originally constructed as a United Presbyterian chapel, it was designed in a Gothic style by Andrew Balfour, with a subsequent hall added in 1882 and later additions. The church is a symmetrical, rectangular building with five bays.

The principal west elevation is in polished ashlar, while the rest of the exterior is in coursed, stugged ashlar. Steps lead to a centrally placed Tudor-arched entrance, featuring a two-leaf panelled timber door. Above the entrance is an ogee-headed hood-mould with a foliate finial over a traceried window. A raised parapet sits between the octagonal piers flanking the central bay, topped with an elaborate clover-leaf cross finial. Taller, narrower traceried windows are situated in the flanking bays. Stepped diagonal buttresses are on either side of the elevation, each topped with a gablet surmounted by a truncated pinnacle. Cill courses are visible to the outer bays and octagonal piers, along with band courses above the entrance, at cill level, adjoining the hood-mould, and at gable level to the central bay and flanking octagonal piers.

North and South elevations feature a lancet window in each bay. A minor entranceway is located between the fourth and fifth bays on the north side, with steps leading down to a basement area between the first and second bays. An entrance into a vestibule—a lower-height extension added in 1882—adjoins the south side, featuring a droved surround and a panelled timber door with a rectangular fanlight, alongside another window.

The east elevation has single-storey, harled extensions projecting from the church. A taller, lean-to roof of 1882, forming the choir range, is set back in the centre.

The church has fixed multi-pane windows, some with leaded stained glass. It is roofed with grey slate, and a small coped gablehead stack is visible on the east side.

The interior features a U-plan gallery supported on cast-iron columns. Contemporary Gothic panelling is present in the lower part of the east end, alongside flanking doorways and a central, fixed pulpit with steps on either side. The pews are plain with book rests. A moulded Caernarvon-arched opening, flanked by foliate columns, leads to the 1882 choir range. A pair of stone staircases to the gallery are located on either side of the vestibule at the west entrance. Tudor-arched four-panel doors are used throughout. A stained glass window on the west side commemorates Reverend Miller (died 1924), depicting goodness, meekness and gentleness. Later windows, dating to around 1947 and by R Douglas McLundie, are located in the 1882 choir range.

The boundary wall and gatepiers, dating to the late 19th century, are made of sandstone ashlar. The gatepiers are square-plan with chamfered sides on the base, a moulded Gothic band course, a gablet enclosing a trefoil on each side of the coping, and ball finials. Low flanking walls are built of coursed, stugged sandstone with chamfered coping.