Riverside Parish Church, High Street, Dumbarton

Riverside Parish Church, located on High Street in Dumbarton, was designed by architect John Brash of Glasgow and is dated 1811. This simple, rectangular-plan church features pedimented gables and a two-stage square tower topped with a spire over the west gable. There are modern brick extensions to the southeast. The church is constructed of rubble, with the west front, tower, and dressings made of ashlar.

The west elevation of the church has a central two-leaf door with a rectangular fanlight set in a broad pilastered doorpiece, flanked by single windows. Above this, there are three windows at the gallery level. The first stage of the tower includes a round-headed window flanked by paired Ionic pilasters at the corners. The offset second stage features a clock on each face, with urns above at the angles and a faceted spire rising from an arcaded, octagonal base, topped with a weather-vane finial. The north and south elevations each have five bays, with a door in the west bay, and feature an eaves course and cornice. All door and window openings are square-headed, with a margined glazing pattern inserted in 1885. A continuous band course runs between the windows, and the roof is covered with slate. A sundial is located on the south wall at the west corner.

Inside, the church has a gallery on three walls, supported by simple cast-iron columns, and is accessed through an Ionic-columned screen at the upper level. The interior is panelled and painted, with a clock centrally located on the west side between the Burgh Arms and the Burning Bush. An octagonal oak pulpit and reredos with cusped panels are set on the east wall, though they are probably not original. Above this is a three-light ascension window, which replaced two windows from around 1880, created by C Stewart in 1946. The south wall features four windows, three of which depict themes from the Sermon on the Mount: two by W & J J Kier (one dated 1876), one by Stephen Adam & Thomson (1886), and a crucifixion window by William Morris & Co (after 1915). There is also an unsigned window on the north wall dated 1948.

The churchyard is enclosed by a low, droved ashlar cemetery wall that connects to the north wall of the church. The main gateway is flanked by polished ashlar lintelled, corniced, and urn-capped pedestrian ways, also designed by Brash, with modern wrought-iron gates and an original cast-iron side gate leading to Church Place.