War Memorial, Hutton Church And Churchyard

Hutton Church and Churchyard

This Church of Scotland building stands as the principal structure in Hutton, occupying a site with continuous ecclesiastical use. The current church was built in 1834 on the location of an earlier church dating from 1765, which itself replaced a medieval structure. The 1765 church had deteriorated significantly by 1834, described as "almost in a state of ruin...so damp that persons of delicate health are prevented from attending it". The present building has undergone internal modernisation in 1934 and re-roofing in 1961, with a false ceiling added in 1970.

The church is a well-detailed example of Romanesque architecture, comprising a rectangular plan of 2 by 6 bays with a 3-stage, engaged, square-plan tower rising at the north-east corner. Single storey projections extend to the rear. The exterior is constructed from coursed and tooled cream sandstone to the east and south elevations, with sandstone rubble to the north and west, throughout complemented by sandstone ashlar dressings.

Architectural detailing is consistent across the principal elevations. A stepped base in part, cill courses, and continuous string courses linking windows at spring level appear to the east, south and west. Corbel-tables at eaves to the south and north feature round-arched decorative friezes above, with plain parapets and zig-zag moulding to the east gable end. Shallow angle buttresses occur throughout, with shallow buttresses dividing bays to the east and south.

The east (entrance) elevation features the 3-stage square-plan tower projecting to the right, with angle buttresses at the first and second stages and engaged angle colonnettes at the upper stage. The round-arched entrance is centred at ground level, fitted with a round-arched boarded timber door with decorative hinges and paired flanking colonnettes with scalloped capitals. A bipartite window with flanking colonnettes and columnar mullions (cushion capitals) is aligned at the first floor, with a louvred bipartite window above. The gable end recessed to the left features single windows flanking a central buttress, with narrow louvred openings flanking the centre above and a surmounting finial.

The south elevation shows the principal 6-bay block with regularly-spaced single windows in all bays between buttresses. The 3-stage tower recesses to the outer right with a narrow opening at ground, a bipartite window centred at first floor, and a louvred bipartite window above. A slightly recessed single storey porch to the outer left contains a round-arched entrance with a 2-leaf boarded timber door and decorative hinges, flanked by colonnettes with scalloped capitals. A single storey vestry is set behind.

The west (rear) elevation displays a principal gable with various single storey additions at ground comprising a lean-to and a 3-bay projection at centre with a shouldered surround to a boarded timber door and flanking narrow windows. A gabled vestry projecting to the outer left has a single window centred in its gable, whilst a gabled porch projecting to the outer right contains a narrow centred window. The principal gable end centred behind features large windows flanking the centre.

The north elevation shows buttresses flanking the centre with large windows offset to left and right. The 3-stage tower recesses to the outer left with a bipartite window centred at first floor and a louvred bipartite window above. A single window in the single storey vestry recesses to the outer right.

Round-arched windows appear to the east and south with flanking colonnettes (cushion capitals to the south, scalloped capitals to the east), and roll-moulded arches with billet-frieze detail. Plain round-arched windows occur to the west and north. Predominantly diamond-pane leaded glazing is fitted throughout, with decorative stained glass windows to the east dating from 1903. The roof is grey slate with gablet-coped sandstone skews, and a sandstone apex stack rises to the west.

The interior features a timber floor with plain plastered walls above timber dado panelling. Long and short surrounds frame the chamfered window openings. Timber pews furnish the space. A raised chancel to the east contains a timber pulpit and communion table with a decorative balustrade to its front. The organ, installed in 1908, occupies the choir area to the west. Various wall tablets are mounted throughout. A bell inscribed "Soli Deo Gloria Iohannes Burgerhvs me fecit 1661" remains in the bell tower and was in use as recently as 1999.

The graveyard is laid out as a near square-plan enclosure surrounding the church, containing various 17th, 18th and 19th century stones including table-top monuments, classically-detailed stones and examples with memento mori imagery. A stone stair to the north-east features sandstone pedestals derived from 18th and early 19th century table-top monuments, which form balustrades.

A separate mid 17th century single storey, rectangular-plan burial vault stands in the graveyard to the north-west. This is a rare survival and is thought to date from approximately 1650s. Constructed from squared sandstone rubble, its south (entrance) elevation is arranged in 2 bays with a boarded timber door offset to the left of centre and a small blocked window to the right. The east (side) elevation has a blocked window centred in the gablehead. The north (rear) elevation is blank and obscured by gravestones. The west (side) elevation contains a barred window centred in the gable end. The vault has a stone-slab roof with sawtooth-coped sandstone skews. The interior, now used as a store and not observed in 1999, is reportedly fitted with arched vaulting and contains an arched recess in the north wall bearing a memorial to the last burial, dated 1823.

An early to mid 20th century war memorial stands to the east of the church, constructed from pink sandstone ashlar. It comprises a Celtic cross with decorative carving, accompanied by embossed memorial plaques to the front. This war memorial is very similar in design to that at Paxton.

The boundary treatments comprise a low coped sandstone wall enclosing the site to the south, fitted with iron railings. Rubble walls enclose the site to the north. Square-plan gatepiers flank entrances to the east and south-west, fitted with 2-leaf iron gates. Coped circular-plan tooled sandstone gatepiers to the north have gates off their hinges.

The tower is particularly notable as a surviving example of Romanesque church architecture. The burial vault and early gravestones represent rare survivals of their type. The former manse, Antrim House, is located to the north and is listed separately. The church remains in ecclesiastical use.