St Blane's Church, High Street, Dunblane

St Blane's Church, High Street, Dunblane

St Blane's Church is a Gothic Revival cruciform church designed by W H, J W and J Hay and built in 1853–54. The building has a four-bay nave plan with a two-stage square-plan tower topped by a broached spire positioned at the south-east corner. A basement occupies the western end.

The church is constructed in coursed, lightly stugged and snecked sandstone rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings. A base course runs at ground floor level, and a moulded eaves cornice crowns the exterior. The design features pointed-arched traceried windows to the nave and transepts, with chamfered surrounds and long and short surrounds to openings. Quoins mark the arrises. Coped gables terminate in fleur-de-lis finials.

The south elevation presents a rectangular-plan gabled porch projecting to the right of the entrance. The entrance itself is a pointed arch with a hoodmould terminating in foliate ball-stops, set back from the outer face. A two-leaf boarded timber door with strapwork hinges provides entry. Windows to each of the two bays of the nave sit to the left, separated by a buttress. The gable of the transept projects to the outer left with a large central window. The tower rises at the re-entrant to the right of the entrance porch.

The tower features lancet windows on its east and south faces at the lower stages. The upper stage recesses slightly, with a pair of pointed-headed cusped louvered vents (the north is not visible). A decorative eaves cornice with carved motifs at intervals and carved heads projecting at the arrises ornaments this stage. Stone gabled lucarnes rise to the spire.

The east elevation displays a large window in the gable end, with a horizontal band of five trefoils below, flanked by buttresses. The tower sets back to the outer left.

The north elevation features a tall gabled window breaking the eaves to the outer left. Windows to each of the two bays of the nave appear to the right, separated by a buttress, with a pointed-headed entrance adjoining to the right. This entrance comprises a two-leaf boarded timber door with strap hinges. The gable of the transept projects to the outer right with a large central window.

The west elevation centres on a pentagonal apse projecting from the gable end. Shoulder-arched windows, bipartite with some tracery, light the angled intermediate faces. A pointed-headed entrance with a boarded timber door and strap hinges opens on the outer left face. An angular trefoil window sets back at the apex of the gable. Plainer openings at corresponding positions serve the basement, with mullioned bipartite windows. A basement entrance accesses the left transept.

The windows throughout include fixed leaded lights, with several panels of stained glass. The roof is grey slate with horizontal bands of fishscale slates; the spire roof is ashlar.

Interior

The interior features a fine arch-braced roof with tie beam and diagonal struts, with diagonally boarded sarking. Roof timbers are decorated with geometric stencilling. A tiered gallery occupies the east side over the entrance vestibule, created circa 1980. Boarded timber dado and timber pews line the interior.

Two early twentieth-century stained glass windows depicting St Margaret and St Andrew occupy the south of the nave; these were formerly in Leighton Church, Hailing. A 1996 Memorial window commemorating the Dunblane massacre sits in the south transept, created by Roland Mitton. Two further windows representing the four seasons occupy the apse, also by Mitton (1995). An octagonal pulpit and octagonal font, both bearing some carved Gothic Revival ornament, stand in the church. An organ by Peter Conacher, dated 1860 and formerly in Dennyloanhead Church, is installed. A communion table and chairs date to circa 1934. The tower contains a bell by John Wilson of the Gorbals Brass Foundry, Glasgow, dated 1854 and inscribed 'JOHN C WILSON, FOUNDER, GLASGOW, 1854'. The apse and chancel, which formerly served as a vestry, were opened up in the late twentieth century.

A rubble boundary wall with ridged coping, partially surmounted by replacement railings, encloses the site. Replacement gates with wrought-iron panels mark the principal entrance.