Drymen Parish Church And Churchyard, Main Street, Drymen

Drymen Parish Church is a building of group value, dating from 1771-72. It was altered and enlarged in the late 19th century and earlier-mid 20th century. Originally a rectangular-plan church, it was converted to a T-plan with the addition of transepts, stairtowers, and a west porch. The design is near-symmetrical, featuring round-arched openings throughout, generally with keystones and impost blocks, and prominent oculi. The exterior is harled with painted ashlar dressings, an eaves band (except over the porch), and architraved openings. Vertical margins or projecting quoins mark the arrises, with some exceptions. Overhanging eaves have moulded bargeboards, and the south stairtower has bracketed eaves.

The north and south elevations of the nave show how the gable end of the transept projects to the outer east end on both sides. Each elevation has a large, bipartite Y-traceried window at the centre, with an oculus above. Stairtowers are set back slightly, with windows and oculi above; the south stairtower is taller, likely later, and has a finialled pavilion roof. The west elevation features a gabled porch, projecting centrally, with a keystone above the entrance indicating '1771'. A large oculus is positioned above the entrance, flanked by buttresses. Tall windows are located on the outer returns to either side, with smaller windows at the upper level set back to the gable end of the nave. The east end has a gable end of the nave, with a large bipartite Y-traceried window at the centre and an oculus above. A small, later 20th century lean-to addition adjoins to the left, flanked by blank side walls of the transepts.

The church has mainly fixed diamond-pane leaded windows with opening vents. Stained glass is present on the east side only. Grey slate roofs cover the main sections, with piended roofs on the stairtowers and a finialled pavilion roof on the south stairtower. Ridge vents and a finialled ogee-roofed bellcote on the west gable end are also present. A 20th century projecting stack is situated on the east gable end.

Inside, a principal gallery extends from the west, supported by a pair of cast-iron columns with lotus leaf capitals, likely slightly later than the original structure. Later galleries, without supporting columns, are situated in each of the transepts. Plaster brackets with decorative heads flank the openings into the transepts. The interior also features matchboarded timber dados and plain Victorian bench pews. The east window depicts Saints Peter and Paul and Christ ('I am the Way'), dating from 1884, alongside a stained glass oculus. A late 19th century panelled octagonal pulpit is present, along with stone turnpike staircases within the stairtowers and a quarter-turn stone staircase with cast-iron balustrade leading to the porch. A marble tablet in the porch commemorates David McFarlane (1812-84).

The churchyard is enclosed by a rubble boundary wall with rounded coping. At the west of the church, a pair of square-plan gatepiers of coursed dressed sandstone (partly stugged/droved) are topped with cornices. The gatepiers support later cast-iron gates and a wrought-iron archway/lamp support.