Burial Vault, Hutton Church And Churchyard

Hutton Church And Churchyard

A Romanesque church built in 1834 on the site of an earlier church dating from 1765, which itself replaced a medieval structure. The earlier 18th-century church had fallen into severe disrepair by 1834, described as "almost in a state of ruin" and so damp that people of delicate health were prevented from attending. The new building has undergone internal modernisation in 1934 and re-roofing in 1961.

The church is a rectangular-plan building of 2 by 6 bays with a 3-stage square-plan tower engaged to the northeast corner and single-storey projections at the rear. The walls are constructed in coursed and tooled cream sandstone to the east and south, with sandstone rubble to the north and west, and sandstone ashlar dressings throughout. The base is stepped in part, with cill courses and continuous string courses linking windows at spring level to the east, south and west. A corbel-table at the eaves to south and north supports a round-arched decorative frieze, plain parapets, and zig-zag moulding to the east gable end. Shallow angle buttresses are distributed throughout the building, with additional shallow buttresses dividing the bays to east and south.

The windows are round-arched with flanking colonnettes: those to the south have cushion capitals while those to the east have scalloped capitals. The arches are roll-moulded with billet-frieze detail. The windows to the west and north are plain and round-arched. The roof is covered in grey slate with gablet-coped sandstone skews and a sandstone apex stack to the west. The glazing is predominantly diamond-pane leaded work, with decorative stained glass windows of 1903 to the east.

The east (entrance) elevation features the 3-stage 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 bipartite windows to the tower have flanking colonnettes and columnar mullions with cushion capitals. A round-arched entrance is centred at ground level, flanked by colonnettes with scalloped capitals and fitted with a round-arched boarded timber door with decorative hinges. A bipartite window is aligned at first floor with a louvred bipartite window above. The gable end to the left is recessed with single windows flanking a central buttress, narrow louvred openings above, and a surmounting finial.

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

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

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

The interior features a timber floor with plain plastered walls above timber dado panelling. A false ceiling was inserted in 1970. Windows have long and short surrounds to chamfered openings. Timber pews are present throughout. A raised chancel to the east contains a timber pulpit and communion table with a decorative balustrade to the front. An organ of 1908 and choir area occupy the west end. Various wall tablets are displayed. The bell tower contains a bell inscribed "Soli Deo Gloria Iohannes Burgerhvs me fecit 1661" which was in use in 1999.

The graveyard is roughly square-plan and contains a notable collection of 17th, 18th and 19th-century gravestones, including table-top monuments, classically-detailed stones and examples with memento mori carving. A stone stair to the northeast features sandstone pedestals, originally from 18th and early 19th-century table-top monuments, now forming balustrades.

A separate mid 17th-century burial vault stands in the graveyard to the northwest. This is a single-storey rectangular-plan structure built in squared sandstone rubble. The south (entrance) elevation has 2 bays with a boarded timber door offset to the left of centre and a small blocked window to the right. The east elevation has a blocked window centred in the gablehead. The north (rear) elevation is blank and obscured by gravestones. The west elevation has a barred window centred in the gable end. The roof is covered in stone slabs with sawtooth-coped sandstone skews. The interior, which was not accessible in 1999, is now used as a store. It is reputedly fitted with arched vaulting and contains an arched recess in the north wall with a memorial to the last burial, dated 1823. The burial vault is a rare survival from the mid 17th century.

A war memorial of the early to earlier 20th century stands to the east of the church. It comprises a pink sandstone ashlar Celtic cross with decorative carving and embossed memorial plaques to the front. It is similar in design to the war memorial at Paxton.

The site is enclosed by a low coped sandstone wall to the south with iron railings, and rubble walls to the north. Square-plan gatepiers flank entrances to the east and southwest with 2-leaf iron gates. Coped circular-plan tooled sandstone gatepiers stand to the north, though the gates are now off their hinges.

The church remains in ecclesiastical use. The tower is particularly notable as a well-detailed example of the Romanesque revival and remains the most significant structure in Hutton. The former manse stands to the north, listed separately as Hutton, Antrim House.