Churchyard, St Monance Parish Church, Braehead, St Monance

St Monance Parish Church, located at Braehead in St Monance, is a Gothic church primarily built around 1362 under the direction of Sir William Dishington, Master of Works. The church has undergone several alterations over the years, with a significant restoration carried out by William Burn between 1826 and 1828. A vestry was added around 1900 by architect Peter McGregor Chalmers, and the church was restored to its current condition from 1955 to 1960 by Ian G Lindsay and Partners.

The church features a T-plan layout with a square tower that was likely heightened in the 16th century, and a circular stair turret, also from the 16th century, which has crosslet loops near the northwest angle. The tower is topped with a corbelled parapet, from which a faceted spire with small lucarnes rises above the third storey. The exterior is constructed of ashlar stone, and it includes stepped angle buttresses on the aisles and chancel, which are adorned with gableted pinnacles that rise above the eaves. The south bays of the chancel have simpler buttresses, and there are four windows with curvilinear tracery on the south elevation, three of which were renewed by Burn. The north wall flanking the low lean-to vestry has two windows, while the east gable features two windows divided by buttresses, with the latter stopping below an altered, traceried, semi-circular light. The north transept includes an interesting gable window with tracery and a Tudor-arched door designed by Burn in the east wall of the south transept, along with two deeply recessed plate-traceried windows with splayed reveals on the south gable. A continuous string course runs at cill level, and there is an eaves cornice decorated with masks and block corbels. The roof is covered with slate.

Inside, the church features crossing arches on shafted jambs and vaulted ceilings with decorative bosses. The south wall of the chancel has sedilia with cusped decoration next to a credence, while a plain double aumbry is located on the opposite wall. Several consecration crosses can be found throughout the interior. The furnishings were designed by Lindsay, with a pulpit positioned centrally on the west wall. A suspended votive ship model, likely from the 18th century, is also present. The churchyard is enclosed by a rubble-built wall, with access provided at the north by a bridge, flanked by two square ashlar gatepiers topped with pyramidal caps and featuring cast-iron gates.