Burial-Ground And Kirkyard Wall, Bressay Kirk

The Burial-Ground and Kirkyard Wall at Bressay Kirk, built between 1809 and 1814, is a near-symmetrical, three by two-bay hall church with a rectangular plan. The exterior features harled walls with droved ashlar margins around the openings.

The west gable, which serves as the entrance, is near-symmetrical and includes a two-leaf vertically-boarded timber entrance door with a plate glass fanlight set in a segmental-arched opening, offset to the right. Flanking the entrance are marble war memorials set in margined recesses, with windows on either side of the central gable. At the gablehead, there is an ashlar bellcote resting on a harled plinth.

The south elevation is symmetrical, featuring tall round-arched windows on either side of the center, along with additional windows in the outer bays. The north elevation is also symmetrical, with windows flanking a central vestry that has a timber sash and case window and a vertically-boarded timber door on its west wall. A coped chimney stack is located on the south gable. The east gable has an entrance door in the left bay, with windows flanking the center.

Inside, the church has stained glass memorial windows from 1896 and 1895 flanking the pulpit, along with some surviving leaded windows featuring colored glass. The roof is covered with purple-grey slate and has ashlar skew copes. The interior includes flagged floors in the entrance vestibules at both the east and west, with dog-leg timber stairs leading to a U-plan gallery that is panelled and grained, supported by timber columns and furnished with raked timber pews. The pulpit, located at the center of the south wall, is made of panelled timber and features a gothic panel at the rear with engaged ball finials. The pulpit is flanked by stained glass windows and marble memorials dedicated to the Mouat family. The hall is finished with vertically-boarded timber wainscoting, a timber floor, and pews, as well as timber lining with strapwork on the ceiling and gables.

The kirkyard wall consists of drystone walls that enclose the kirkyard to the south and east. The enclosure features ashlar and rubble construction, with cast-iron railings topped with urn and spear finials dedicated to the Henderson family, which are built into the west wall.