Ardentinny Church

Ardentinny Church is an 1838-9 church constructed as a rectangular building with a gabled front, featuring a gabled porch and a small bellcote. Its design is simple and largely devoid of ornamentation, reflecting the status of Ardentinny at the time, a small village reliant on fishing and ferry traffic. The church is valued for its role in the development of Ardentinny, its picturesque location, and contribution to the streetscape, especially in relation to the adjacent cottages, and for its unaltered condition.

The entrance on the north-western elevation is through a basket-arched door framed by chamfered sandstone ashlar. The two-leaf panelled timber door is topped by a plain fanlight. Both the main church and the porch have saddle-backed skews. The bellcote at the apex sits on a dentilled plinth and features stop-chamfered round-arched openings. The side elevations contain three large timber sash and case windows with 16 panes in each. A small projection houses the vestry at the rear of the building. A rubble boundary wall with semicircular copes runs along the front of the church.

The interior is largely undecorated, with timber boarding up to dado height and plain timber pews. Behind the altar is a dark timber sounding-board and canopy. The flat ceiling, at collar height, is decorated with a plain cornice and linear mouldings.

The church is built from white painted harled rubble with sandstone ashlar dressings, covered by a graded slate roof. Timber sash and case windows are present throughout.

The church was built in 1838-9 and financed by Archibald Douglas, the Laird of Glenfinart, following his purchase of the estate. Initially a Chapel of Ease, probationers of the church served as parochial missionaries. From 1874, Ardentinny Church had its own minister, although since 1932, it has shared a minister with Strone church.

The church forms part of a group listing which also includes Blinkbonny, Raglan, Fern Cottage and Glencairn immediately to the south. It remains an ecclesiastical building in use as such.