Linton Church And Churchyard

Linton Church And Churchyard

A Grade B listed church set on a knoll, primarily dating to the 12th century in Romanesque style, with substantial subsequent alterations and additions spanning five centuries.

The main body comprises a rectangular-plan nave of three bays with a projecting gabled porch to the south, a lower three-bay chancel to the east, and a lean-to vestry added in 1912 to the north. A 17th century birdcage bellcote with ogee cap and finial surmounts the west gable. The building is constructed predominantly of squared and tooled sandstone rubble with cream sandstone ashlar dressings. The roof is graded grey slate with raised stone skews and cast-iron rainwater goods.

The chancel was added in 1426. The church underwent alterations in 1616, 1774, and 1813, with a porch added in 1857. Extensive restoration was carried out in 1911-12 by Peter MacGregor Chalmers, including a rebuilding of the chancel and substantial restoration of the church, followed by repairs in 1927 by James Pearson Alison.

The south elevation, which forms the main entrance, features a projected gabled porch at the centre with paired colonnettes with cushion capitals flanking a square-headed opening. Above this is a round-arched Norman tympanum carved with a scene depicting a bearded knight on horseback thrusting a lance into the jaws of one of two animals. A ball-shaped and dogtooth banding forms a round-arched frieze above. To either side of the porch are inscribed tablets with pilastered frames and pediments. The bays to outer left and right contain paired round-arched windows with columnar mullions, cushion capitals, and dogtooth banding beneath roll-moulded surrounds. The recessed chancel to the right has a deep-set boarded timber door with engaged colonnettes and cushion capitals beneath a round-arched, architraved surround. A four-light glazed row with cusped detailing is positioned in the bay to the left, with a single window in the bay to the outer right.

The west elevation features a paired round-arched window centred in the gable, surmounting the birdcage bellcote. The bell is inscribed "For Lintoun Kirk John Meikle Me Fecit Edinburgh 1697". An engaged sundial is positioned on the corner with the south wall, inscribed with a tablet and retaining metal gnomons.

The north elevation comprises a weathered tablet with columnar frame, Corinthian capitals, ball-finials and round-arched pediment offset to the right of centre, with blind elevations to the remaining bays, chancel, and vestry.

The east elevation displays regularly disposed tablets at ground level with a three-light pointed-arched window centred above, featuring trefoil-headed tracery and a hoodmould. A cruciform finial surmounts the gable. The vestry has a single recessed window to the outer right.

Windows feature latticed leaded glazing to the paired nave lights. The chancel contains decorative stained glass from 1936, possibly by Douglas Strachan. Small skylights are present throughout.

The interior comprises a vestibule with a stone bench to the left and umbrella rack to the right, with a two-leaf boarded timber door offset to the right of centre with an embossed lintel beneath a round-arched tympanum. The nave has a stone-flagged floor, timber-panelled dado, and whitewashed walls with various inset tablets. An open timber ceiling supports timber pews and decorative light fittings. A carved timber pulpit features trefoil and quatrefoil detailing. A Freestone Norman font with scalloped carving to the circular bowl is mounted on a later square-plan base and retains a timber cover.

A large round-arched opening divides the nave and chancel, with regularly spaced carved motifs set between roll-moulded banding. Flanking this are engaged octagonal columns with carved capitals depicting vine and wheat, chalice and paten.

The chancel comprises a tiled floor and timber brackets beneath a boarded timber barrel-vaulted ceiling. The walls are of coursed cream sandstone ashlar. To the left is a stall with a 17th century four-bay timber screen featuring fluted pilasters to outer left and right, with regularly disposed coats-of-arms set between. A segmental-arched surround frames a boarded timber door to the right. To the left is a boarded timber vestry door with a 17th century carved tympanum above it. The vestry interior comprises squared and snecked, tooled sandstone walls. A decorative timber communion table is centred on a platform raised at the rear of the chancel.

The surrounding graveyard contains various stones. Near the northwest corner is a square-plan enclosure containing Elliot family gravestones, defined by low red sandstone quatrefoil-panelled walls with architraved coping and a wrought-iron gate.

Rubble-coped rubble walls enclose the site in part. The boundary features intersecting pointed-arched iron hoop-railed gates with tapering reeded gateposts.