Legerwood Parish Church

Legerwood Parish Church is one of the most complete Romanesque parish churches in the Scottish Borders. The building originated in the early 12th century (known from 1127 when John of 'Ledgaresude' witnessed a charter), with the majority of the original 12th century fabric surviving. The church underwent repairs in 1717 and 1804, and significant alterations and additions in 1899 by the architectural practice Hardy and Wright (who worked together from 1872 to 1919 primarily on church alterations and additions across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders).

The church is constructed of coursed red sandstone blocks in a roughly T-plan form with a single storey. It comprises a 4-bay nave with a lower chancel to the east and a later north aisle perpendicular to the north. The red sandstone cube blocks to the walls date to the 12th century, though later alterations have been made to masonry detailing such as raised quoins and window margins.

The west gable features an open belfry with 4 squared columns and a pyramidal cap topped with a weathervane, positioned above a rose window. Round arched windows with bipartite round arched divisions light the central bays. A gabled entrance porch with a segmental arched doorway, engaged round columns and a bifold timber boarded door provides access from the south.

The roof is covered with graded grey slates and features corbelled eaves to the chancel, stone skews, and a corniced stack to the north aisle with octagonal clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

The interior is notable for its fine Romanesque character. The chancel arch is particularly significant, featuring half round engaged shafts with engaged nook shafts and abici decorated with chip carvings to the sides. This arch's survival was aided by the fact that the chancel was blocked off and lowered after the Reformation for almost three centuries to form the Moristoun burial vault. The 12th century chancel retains exposed stonework, narrow arched windows, single engaged columns to the rear corners, and an aumbry with remnants of 12th century decoration. A pedimented wall memorial with ionic columns dated 1691 (to John Ker of Moristoun and his wife Grissell) stands within the chancel. The corner pillars to the rear suggest that vaulting may once have been considered for the chancel.

A wall tablet inscribed 'Chancel restored by W Van Vlack Lidgerwood' refers to the reopening of the chancel. The 1899 renovation scheme remodelled the nave and north aisle with plain plastered walls and a decorative timber boarded ceiling. The rose window to the west gable, titled 'Light of the World', was created by Ballantine and Gardiner. A new porch was also added to the south entrance elevation at this time. The north aisle, which houses a vestry to the north end, is thought to date to 1899 although it may incorporate earlier fabric from around 1800.

Interior fittings include a geometric tiled floor to the chancel, timber pews, a timber polygonal pulpit positioned in the southeast corner of the nave, and a 1699 communion table in memory of Agnes Redpath. Stained glass windows are present throughout. Cast-iron and brass bracketed light fittings illuminate the interior, and a cast-iron Art Nouveau fireplace is located in the vestry. A 1689 gnomon sundial is set into the quoins in the southwest corner wall of the exterior.

The church is sited to the rear and accessed through farm buildings, standing prominent over sloping ground to the south. It occupies a large walled graveyard with a rubble ha-ha wall to the south boundary overlooking farmland. Boulder topped rubble boundary walls enclose the north, east and west sides, with a retaining wall boundary ha-ha to the south. Broad flag steps are built into the north wall adjacent to the entrance gate. A gateway to the former manse to the west retains remnants of cast-iron railings.

The graveyard contains mainly 18th and 19th century memorials, including a table tomb dated 1709 to Reverend William Calderwood, and 2 carved memorials on the east elevation. Coloured margined glazing is present in the north aisle windows.

The church continues in use as an ecclesiastical building. The listing grade was changed from B to A in 2012 following a listing review.