Rosyth Parish Church, Queensferry Road, Rosyth

Rosyth Parish Church

A church designed by A H Mottram, built in 1930–31, with mid and later 20th-century additions. The building comprises a rectangular-plan nave with a projecting pentagonal-sided miniature chancel to the west and a short lower-height wing to the northwest. The wing was extended and a church hall was built in 1954 (forming an overall U-plan), and the hall was extended further to the west in 1968.

The church is eclectic in character. A Palladian window sits above the main entrance on the east elevation. A prominent slightly projecting square-plan corner tower at the southeast angle rises to an octagonal belfry with an ogee roof. The nave is buttressed. The external walls are harled with droved sandstone ashlar dressings. A moulded eaves course runs along the original building, with architraved openings throughout. Round-arched windows with keystones and impost blocks appear on either side of the nave (north and south elevations) and at the west end.

The east (entrance) elevation features a full-height projecting piended-roofed entrance bay with a cavetto eaves cornice at the centre. Steps lead up to a central round-arched entrance with a moulded architrave and keystone. Flanking pilaster strips with carved emblems as capitals flank the entrance; the left pilaster bears a Scottish shield inscribed 'FAITH' and the right bears a boat and star inscribed 'HOPE'. A two-leaf panelled timber door with a multi-pane fanlight is set back within. Above, a mullioned and transomed sexpartite Palladian window with a keystone rises. Flanking windows appear at ground and upper levels, set back from the entrance bay. The tower is set forward slightly to the outer left.

The tower is two-stage with a base course and moulded eaves course. A cill band runs at the upper level. Windows appear on each of the outer faces (south and east); the lower window on the south elevation is larger and bears a pediment inscribed '1930'. A foundation stone on the east face is inscribed 'To The Glory of God This Stone was Laid - 7th June 1930'. An octagonal cap supported on posts rises to the belfry and is surmounted by a cross finial.

The nave is seven bays long with ashlar-capped dividing buttresses. The easternmost bay of the south elevation is occupied by the tower; the westernmost bay features the entrance with a lean-to porch built between two buttresses and a two-leaf panelled timber door. The two westernmost bays of the north elevation are occupied by the short wing adjoining the later hall.

The west elevation displays the ogee-roofed pentagonal-sided miniature chancel at the centre, with windows to the central and immediately flanking faces. Windows are set back to either side of the main body of the nave. A cross finial tops the gable above. The short wing adjoins the later addition with the hall set back to the left.

The roofs are of grey slate with multi-pane metal casements throughout. A slightly projecting ventilator shaft rises to the west of the tower, and a short ashlar wallhead stack (without a can) stands to the west side of the north wing. An organ, brought from Kinross East Church in 1982, is installed within.

Gatepiers and boundary wall surround the site. The main pair of gatepiers to the east are square-plan in roughly coursed stugged sandstone with projecting band courses below rounded coping. The harled boundary wall has a harled coping. Two sets of minor gatepiers (one to the east, one to the south) are square-plan with ridged coping and harled. Wrought-iron gates close the openings.

The interior is open to the roof with timber collar-beam trusses incorporating a king and queen post arrangement. The floor is timber, with a boarded timber dado running around the walls. An entrance lobby at the west end is flanked by half-turn stone staircases rising to a small gallery with plain metal balustrades and timber handrails. A pair of part-glazed timber doors opens from the lobby into the nave. The central window to the miniature chancel has a moulded surround with a flame at the apex. A timber pulpit, communion table, and prayer desk incorporating Romanesque detailing by Peter McGregor Chalmers (not original to this church) are placed within. Plain timber pews furnish the interior.