Culross, Culross Abbey

Culross Abbey is a 13th-century abbey church with significant later additions and alterations. These include a tower built around 1500, the Bruce Vault added in 1642, modifications in 1824 by William Stirling, and extensive restoration in 1905–6 by R Rowand Anderson. The church has a cruciform plan with the later Bruce Vault attached to the northeast. A vault extends to the east, and walled remains survive to the west. A crenellated four-stage tower stands at the west end. The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar.

West Elevation and Tower

The former rood screen stands at the first stage of the tower. The central arched doorway has a roll-moulded surround with nook-shafts. Flanking this are blocked pointed-arch doorways, with a small foiled arch piscina to the right of the central door. Above the door to the left is a semi-circular niche with a moulded surround; to the right is a blocked door. A rectangular niche stands to the left, partially obscured by the remains of a wall projecting southwards, which includes the jamb of an arched window. A louvred opening appears at the second stage, with raggles of a pitched roof above. String courses run below the third and fourth stages on all faces. Each face of the third stage has a round-headed louvred opening with a moulded hoodmould. At the fourth stage, each face features a circular opening with a moulded surround containing a multifoil window. A crenellated parapet surmounts the tower on all faces, corbelled at its base, with a crenellated bartizan to the right and a crenellated tower to the left. A projecting round stairtower to the left of the tower extends its full height and is topped by a turret. Intermittent narrow windows punctuate the stairtower, with a string course at each stage.

A tall wall to the right of the west elevation extends westwards, representing the former interior elevation of the south nave wall. To the left of this wall are a narrow niche and reliquary, with various monuments inserted into the wall. A low arched recess and buttress stand to the right. The nave wall is incorporated into the adjacent Manse gable wall.

North Elevation

A curved stairtower advances at the far right. A small blocked window or niche appears at the second stage in the left return, with raggles of a former pitched roofline below. The remains of a projecting wall with the moulded jamb of an arched window to a former chapel stand to the left of the stairtower. A ground-floor door to the stair in the left return has moulded surrounds, with raggles of a lean-to above. At the ground floor of the tower, a Y-tracery arched window stands to the right, with a lancet window above to the left. A string course runs above. At the fourth stage, a circular window contains daggers. The parapet surmounts this, with the stairtower turret to the right and a bartizan to the left. The shadow of a former buttress or wall is visible at the left of the tower at the first stage.

To the left of the tower is a pointed-arch window with geometric tracery featuring quatrefoil and trefoil detail. It has a moulded hoodmould with stops. Base, cill, and eaves courses are present. The advanced north transept to the left has a base course. A central pointed-arch window contains intersecting tracery. The pitched gable has a stone-spiked pommel finial. The right return of the north transept has a base course and a cavetto eaves course. A round-headed door surround to the left has a moulded surround. Above is a tablet flanked by fluted pilasters with a corniced lintel inscribed "George Bruce of Carnok 1642." To the right is a window with a stone transom and mullion.

The Bruce Vault to the left of the north transept has a plain north elevation. The right return has a base course and a blocked round-headed door at the centre, with a small stained glass window within. A tablet above, flanked by fluted pilasters with a corniced lintel, is inscribed "George Bruce of Carnok Knight 1642." Above this is a pointed-arch window with Y-tracery and a moulded hoodmould with stops. A moulded eaves course runs to the pitched gable with crowsteps. The triangular gablehead is inscribed "Man goeth to his long home" and is surmounted by a star within a circle finial.

East Elevation

The east face of the tower features a small louvred vent at the second stage and daggers in a circular window at the fourth stage, with bartizans surmounting to left and right. Raggles of the former roofline appear above the present nave roof. The plain gable of the Bruce Vault has a base course, eaves course at the gable, crowsteps, a pointed-arch gablehead, and a stone pommel finial.

The flat-roofed north chapel to the left has base, string, and eaves courses. A section advanced to the right contains a pointed-arch window with cusp and Y-tracery and a moulded hoodmould with stops. A section set back to the left has a round-headed window with cusp tracery and a plain circular window above with a hoodmould.

The east gable of the church features a central round-headed window with cusp and trefoil detailing, hollow chamfer surrounds, a sloping base course, and a narrow louvred lancet at the apex with a hoodmould. A corniced gable with a decorative quadrate cross finial at the apex surmounts the gable. An angle buttress stands to the north. In the right return is a pointed-arch window with intersecting tracery, moulded surround, cill course, and eaves course.

Lady Baird's tomb is attached to the east of the church. Its north elevation has a central doorway with hollow chamfer surrounds, pilasters, hoodmould, and flanking buttresses. A moulded hoodmould with stops appears on the interior of the doorway. Advanced base and eaves courses run throughout. A pointed-arch door and doorway to the east has a roll-moulded surround, pilasters, and hoodmould. The south elevation features a central pointed-arch window with Y-tracery, moulded surrounds, and a cluster of nook-shafts to both exterior and interior. A hoodmould with decorative stops appears on the interior. The south elevation of the earlier structure has three pointed arches with tiered surrounds, nook-shafts, and chamfered corbels to the piers. Base, string, and eaves courses are present. The vault partially blocks the outer arches. The interior is empty, with a stone pointed barrel-vaulted ceiling and stone floor. A moulded, pointed-arch blocked recess to the west has flanking pilasters.

South Elevation

The tower stands to the left, with a buttress to the left featuring chamfered quoins with carved stops. Projecting stones below the string course indicate the roofline of a former projecting building. A narrow window at the first stage has a lancet hoodmould in the string course above. A ground-floor door to the right has a pointed-arch door and surround with replacement stones and hoodmould. A difference in stonework is clearly visible on the south elevation of the tower. A window at the second stage and daggers in a circular window at the fourth stage are present. Bartizans surmount the tower to right and left.

The advanced, low vestry (circa 1905) has a door and window in the left return, a bipartite window to the south, and a round-headed door to the right. To the right is a pointed arched window, partially blocked by the later vestry, with a hoodmould with stops and tracery. The advanced south transept to the right has a pointed arched window in the left return with a hoodmould with stops. The south transept gable wall features a hoodmould with stops to the central rose window. A moulded cornice runs to the gable.

The remains of the chapter house extend from the left with an offset buttress to the right, which has a pitched apex to the buttress. A lean-to chapel to the right has a central pointed-arch tracery window with a hoodmould with stops. The right return of the chapel has two pointed-arch tracery windows with an offset buttress to the left of each window. The east end of the church is set back to the right with an offset buttress to the left, a window to the right with stone transom and mullions, a narrow window to the right, and a wide buttress to the far right. A corbelled string course runs above with a plain eaves course.

A wall of blocked ashlar (the former nave) extends westwards from the tower to meet the Manse. Small recesses for former beams of the cloister punctuate the wall. The wall slopes slightly above, with a surmounting section of rubble wall set back slightly.

The roofs include a slate lean-to to the south chapel, flat lead roof to the tower, flat roof to the north chapel, piended slate roof to the vestry, flat roof to the tower, and pitched slate roofs elsewhere.

Interior

The vestibule has a stone floor and a stone rib-vaulted ceiling at the first stage of the tower, with a central circular aperture (now timber-clad) for the bellpull. A moulded west door surround is present. Carved stone above the door depicts two green men with birds and foliage, and an angel below carrying a shield initialled "A M" (Andrew Masoun, Abbot 1498–1513). A blocked door to the left provided access to a former gallery. A modern stained glass window with Y-tracery to the northwest (originally a passageway leading to a former chapel) is a memorial window to Reverend Gow (minister 1921–1950) by Sadie MacLellan, 1963. It has a highly moulded round-headed surround with hollow chamfer, roll-moulding, and nook-shafts. A lancet window stands above to the right.

A highly moulded round-headed doorway to the east leads into the church (the former pulpitum). It has hollow chamfer, roll-moulding, and nook-shafts (the moulding repeated to the east), two glazed and timber-panelled doors with cusped heads to the glazing, and a carved head hoodmould stop to the right. The former pulpitum steps to the left of the door now lead to the organ loft. A door to the left in the south elevation has a plain rectangular window above to the right.

The interior of the church has a timber parquet floor and a timber barrel-vaulted roof with metal lamp holders hanging from the ceiling. The organ on the west wall is by Norman and Beard, installed 1909. It has timber panelling below the exposed organ pipes, arched above the doorway and supported by paired, scrolled timber corbels with carved cherubs to left and right. Timber pews to right and left within the nave have brass plates naming former heritors. A plaque in the north wall is dedicated to Peter Geddes for his gift of a school to Culross.

A large pointed arch to the north transept has clustered columns, one keel-shaped, with a hoodmould, stops, hollow chamfer, and roll-moulding. The aisle has a trefoil barrel-vaulted timber ceiling. The stained glass window to the north depicts Biblical scenes and the burgh arms by Stephen Adam, 1906. A two-bay arcade between the north transept and east chapel has a central chamfered shaft. A moulded arch to the east of the north transept has a curvilinear surround above and is a memorial to John Stewart of Innermeath (died 1445) and his wife. The remains of recumbent statues lie within the arch, with flanking pinnacles to the north of the arch. A plaque to Sir George Preston is on the nave wall (south facing) above the memorial.

The interior of the north chapel has a flat timber roof and stone flags to the raised north section. Plaques commemorating members of the Cunninghame family appear to the north and east. Steps and a pointed arch lead into the Bruce Vault to the north.

The east end of the church is raised by two steps and features a carved oak communion table, chairs, and font. The stained glass window in the east gable wall is by A Ballantine & Son, 1905. The window, in memory of Christina Wilson Rennie, depicts St Mungo with Glasgow arms, St Serf and the arms of the Royal Burgh of Culross, and Biblical figures. Remains of painted decoration appear to the left of the window. A piscina stands in the south wall.

A timber pulpit box with steps has carved detail including fluted pilasters and a timber canopy. The 17th-century pulpit and canopy were restored in 1923. A moulded, pointed arch to the south transept east chapel formerly held an effigy. Two shields at the apex in the south elevation include the de Quincey arms to one shield. The arch has a hoodmould and stops. The east chapel has a lean-to roof and a stained glass window in the south wall by Emma Butler Cole Aiken, 1999, inspired by Sandy Dunn. A two-bay arcade between the south transept and east chapel has a central chamfered column. The ceiling is timber barrel-vaulted. A window to the left and a door to the right appear in the west wall.

A large pointed arch to the nave has hollow chamfer, roll-moulding, and clustered shafts, some keel-shaped, with leaf decoration to the east shaft capitals.

Bruce Vault

The Bruce Vault has a flagstone floor and a steeply pointed barrel-vaulted ceiling. A former doorway to the west is blocked up with ashlar, with a modern (circa 1960) stained glass window inset by Douglas Hogg. A flagpole extends above to left and right.

A large memorial in the north wall, circa 1832, is dedicated to Sir Robert Preston and his wife Elizabeth. It features pilasters, roll moulding, unicorn heads and flower bosses in hollow chamfer, tracery detailing below, a curvilinear head with a coat of arms, flanking lions, a surmounting unicorn, flanking full-height chamfered pillars, and corniced capitals.

A full-height freestone memorial to Sir George Bruce, his wife, and their eight children stands in the east wall. Advanced kneeling alabaster effigies of Sir Bruce's three sons and five daughters are present. Alabaster recumbent statues of Sir Bruce and his wife Margaret Primrose lie within a recess, flanked by fluted Doric piers. The aedicule is decorated with funereal motifs including skull and crossbones and hourglasses, with flanking Corinthian pilasters. The Bruce arms are above, surrounded by strapwork and flanking obelisks with ball finials, surmounted by a corniced pediment. "John Mercer Fecit" is carved to the left of the monument. To the right is the grave slab of Edward Bruce, dated 1565 (Sir George Bruce's father). A brass plaque to the right states that Edward, Lord Bruce of Kinloss' heart is deposited nearby.

Churchyard and Boundary Walls

Rubble sandstone walls bound the churchyard to the north, east, and west. A watchman's bothy or sexton's hut stands in the churchyard to the east. It has a door to the right, window to the left, fireplace in the north wall, blocked door to the right in the south wall, and a lean-to clay pantiled roof. Numerous interesting 18th-century gravestones fill the churchyard, many carved with emblems of the deceased's trade, including the royal warrant of the Hammermen of Culross showing a hammer below a crown.