United Free Church, Allanton

The property comprises a former United Free Church, a manse, and associated outbuildings, constructed in 1844, with subsequent additions and alterations. The church is a plain, T-shaped building, originally with galleries which have since been removed. A two-storey, three-bay classical house is situated to the northeast of the church, linked to former stables and a hearse house by a single-storey outbuilding to the west.

The church is constructed of roughly squared and snecked sandstone with stugged ashlar dressings, while the east gable is rendered. The north elevation has three bays, with a gabled projecting bay at the centre featuring a modern sliding door at ground level, a round window to the gablehead, and a fleur-de-lys finial. A window is also present on the east return of the projection. Windows are positioned in each flanking bay. The east elevation is gabled, with a pointed-arch window at ground level and a round window above the gable, topped with an ashlar fleur-de-lys finial. The south elevation has four bays, with windows in the inner bay, the outer right bay, and the outer left bay. A small single-storey projection, a former vestry, is located in the inner left bay. The west elevation is similar to the east, but with blinded windows at ground level, along with a modern timber-boarded shed addition that is not internally linked. The church has four-pane windows and a leaded round window to the gablehead. The roof is slate, with ashlar coped skews and skew corbels. Internally, the church features a king-post open-trussed roof, ashlar spring corbels, and timber boarding. Galleries and furniture were removed in 1996.

The manse’s south elevation has regularly disposed bays, with a consoled and corniced doorway at the centre. The doorway contains a deep-set two-leaf panelled door, formerly a nine-panelled door with later glazed panels, and a four-pane rectangular fanlight above. Windows are positioned at each floor of the flanking bays. The north elevation is irregularly disposed. A single-storey projection is located at the centre with a window facing north; a boarded door is on the outer right of the west return. A stair window sits above, to the left of the centre. A lean-to addition extends from the re-entrant angle to the east, in the bay to the left. Windows are positioned on each floor of the bay to the right. The manse has twelve-pane timber sash and case windows and a piended slate roof with brick wallhead stacks. The interior retains shutters and a cast-iron banister, installed in 1996.

The single-storey linking outbuilding to the west of the house has a monopitch slate roof and a modern monopitch addition to the south. Its north elevation has three bays, a split boarded door in the centre bay, a two-leaf boarded door in the outer right bay, and a boarded door in the outer left bay (aligned with the house rather than the outbuilding projection). Adjacent to the linking outbuilding, the hearse house/stables have a north elevation advanced from the line of the linking outbuilding. It is gabled, with a sliding double-boarded door in the left bay and a glazed and vented window in the right bay. The south elevation features a modern timber lean-to conservatory. The roof is slate with coped ashlar skews, topped by a weather vane. A boundary wall constructed of whinstone and sandstone rubble with rubble coping runs along the south edge of the property.