Churchyard, Legerwood Parish Church

Legerwood Parish Church and Churchyard

Legerwood Parish Church is one of the most complete Romanesque parish churches in the Scottish Borders. The church dates from the early 12th century, with documented repairs in 1717 and 1804. Significant alterations and additions were carried out in 1880 and 1898 by the architectural practice Hardy and Wright.

The church follows a rough T-plan and is constructed of coursed red sandstone blocks. It comprises a 4-bay nave with a lower chancel to the east and a later north aisle perpendicular to the north. 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 are found to the central bays. A gabled entrance porch with a segmental arched doorway and engaged round columns contains a bifold timber boarded door. The eaves are corbelled at the chancel, with stone skews and graded grey slates. The north aisle has a corniced stack with octagonal clay cans, and cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

The churchyard is large and walled, sited to the rear of the building and accessed through farm buildings. The church sits prominent over sloping ground to the south, with a rubble ha-ha wall to the south boundary. Two carved memorials are positioned on the east elevation. A 1689 gnomon sundial is set into quoins in the southwest corner wall. The north aisle windows feature coloured margined glazing.

The interior is a fine Romanesque space. The chancel has a Norman arch with half-round engaged shafts with engaged nook shafts, with abici decorated with chip carvings to the sides. The 12th century chancel retains single engaged columns to the rear corners, slit windows, and an aumbry with remnants of 12th century decoration. Cube block stonework is visible throughout. A pedimented wall memorial with ionic columns dating to 1691 commemorates members of the Ker family. The later decorative scheme of 1898 introduced plain plastered walls, decorative timber roof, and a glazed rose window to the west gable. The nave and north aisle feature a geometric tiled floor to the chancel, timber pews, and a timber polygonal pulpit positioned to the southeast corner of the nave. Stained glass windows are present, including the rose window to the west elevation entitled 'Light of the World' by Ballantine and Gardiner. A 1899 communion table in memory of Agnes Redpath is present. Cast-iron and brass bracketed light fittings illuminate the interior, and a cast-iron Art Nouveau fireplace is positioned in the vestry.

The boundary walls comprise boulder-topped rubble walls to the north, east and west, with a retaining wall boundary ha-ha to the south overlooking farmland. 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 churchyard contains mainly 18th and 19th century memorials, including a table tomb dated 1709 to Reverend William Calderwood.

Substantial original 12th century fabric survives throughout the church. The red sandstone cube blocks forming the walls date to the 12th century, though later alterations to masonry detailing such as raised quoins and window margins are evident. The first recorded church at this location dates to 1127, when John of Ledgaresude witnessed a charter. The chancel's survival in its original form was aided by the fact that it was blocked off and lowered after the Reformation to form the Moristoun burial vault for nearly three centuries. The corner pillars to the rear of the chancel suggest that vaulting may have been considered at some point. A wall tablet refers to the reopening of the chancel and is inscribed 'Chancel restored by W Van Vlack Lidgerwood'.

The major scheme of internal alterations and additions was undertaken in 1899 by Henry Hardy (1831–1908) and John R Wight (1829–1919), who were in practice together from 1872 to 1919. Their practice focused almost exclusively on alterations and additions to church buildings throughout Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders. This 1899 renovation included the rose window to the east gable and the new porch to the south entrance elevation. The north aisle, which houses a vestry to its north end, is thought to date to 1899, though it may contain earlier fabric from around 1800. The internal decoration scheme, including the pews, pulpit, plaster walls and boarded timber ceiling, dates to this phase of works.

The church remains in ecclesiastical use. It was upgraded from Grade B to Grade A in 2012 following a listing review.