Wilton Church, Hawick

Wilton Church is an Early Decorated-style, T-plan parish church dating from 1860-1861, designed by John Thomas Emmett, with subsequent additions and enlargements carried out between 1908 and 1910 by James Pearson Alison. The church is oriented southeast to northwest and features a prominent, four-stage, pyramidal-roofed tower at the southwest corner. It incorporates a lean-to side aisle, transepts, a chancel, and a vestry located in the northwest corner.

The church is constructed from tooled yellow sandstone ashlar with polished margins. It includes a base course and cill courses, along with sawtooth-capped, battered buttresses that are gabletted where they meet the transepts. The main elevations feature tripartite designs with bar-traceried windows to the entrance gable, chancel, and transepts. Predominantly Y-traceried windows are found elsewhere, all framed by head-stopped hoodmoulds. Shouldered margins define the doors and windows of the vestry and associated offices.

The southeast (entrance) elevation has four stone steps leading up to a central, two-leaf, timber-panelled door with wrought-iron strap hinges. An elaborately traceried window sits above the door, alongside a colonnette mullioned window to the right. The tower is recessed to the left, with blind stages and windows at specific levels, culminating in a machicolated parapet. The southwest elevation, facing Dickson Street, displays the tower to the outer right, alongside a three-bay aisle, a gabled transept, and piend-roofed offices to the left. The northwest elevation presents a projecting, gabled chancel, featuring two small, bipartite, stop-chamfered basement windows and a large, traceried window above. Ridge-roofed bays flank the chancel, with a low, flat-roofed section to the right and a piended vestry and office accommodation to the outer left and right, having crenellated parapets. A similarly designed northeast elevation completes the exterior. Paired, diagonally aligned gablehead stacks rise from the vestry and office accommodation on the northwest side.

The church is fitted with fixed, leaded lights, incorporating stained glass on the southeast, southwest, and northwest elevations, and within the northeast transept. The roof is covered in grey slate with metal ridges, complemented by ashlar-coped, kneelered skews and ashlar stacks, some of which incorporate circular, buff clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

Inside, a timber-boarded screen with chamfered details defines the narthex. The nave and transepts are supported by four shafts with simple roll-moulded capitals. A timber gallery extends across the southeast end of the nave and the northwest aisle, featuring an arcaded panel front. Two steps ascend to the chancel and baptistery, displaying richly carved, arcaded stone detailing. Dark timber pews, also with chamfered detailing, are complemented by a richly carved, Gothic, timber communion table and lectern. An octagonal timber pulpit (dated 1862) stands on a stone base, alongside a square Caen stone font (dated 1910) supported by a thick central stone shaft and four Iona marble corner shafts. A wagon ceiling covers the nave, chancel, and transepts, while a stone floor is laid throughout. A cantilevered stone stair ascends to the gallery, with a simple iron balustrade and polished timber handrail.