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Summary

Description

William Spense, 1851 with additions of nave by Honeyman and Keppie, 1891 and with 1938 additions at E side. Cruciform-plan, Gothic church with entrance tower and lantern. Ashlar fronted with cream harl and pink sandstone dressings and margins; base course; quoin strips; hoodmoulds; chamfered reveals.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: liturgical W end, ashlar symmetrical front of entrance tower at centre with flanking buttressed bays and harled transepts recessed to right and left. 2-stage, pinnacled tower with diagonal buttresses; 2-stage, pinnacled, octagonal lantern rising from tower. Moulded, pointed arch door at ground, hoodmould, blank shields above to right and left. Large, 3-light, pointed-arch window at 2nd stage; modillion cornice. Tall pinnacles with octagonal shafts at corners of tower. Full-height pilaster strips dividing each facet of lantern, louvred windows, bipartite and single window at 1st stage and

pointed Y-tracery alternating with lancets at upper stage; clock

dated 1881 between stages. Deeply-moulded consoles supporting parapet of pierced crosses with dies and ashlar pinnacles. Flanking, crenellated, buttressed bays, mullioned recticulated tracery. Harled transepts to right and left, pointed-arch window to left of bay.

NE ELEVATION: gabled transept to left and 2-bay nave to right; 1938 single storey, rectangular-plan, 5-bay harled, church hall extension against nave wall masking traceried windows and buttresses of nave at ground. Bipartite, pointed windows; paired at NW gable with 2-leaf door and date 1838 carved into lintel. Large, 3-light traceried window to transept gable; door to right, 2-leaf, half- glazed.

SW ELEVATION: gabled transept to outer right, 1938 flat-roofed addition built against transept in re-entrant angle. 2-bay nave, buttress; modern wood and glazed door to ground outer left.

NW ELEVATION: (E end) gable with large window at centre, flanking buttresses; modern, inserted windows, deep splay to ground outer right and left. 1938 block to outer left.

Pointed-arch, geometric traceried windows, leaded and stained glass. Grey slate roof, ashlar coping to skews and skewputts, bracketted skewputts.

INTERIOR: entrance hall with minto tiles, boarded ceiling with centre rosette; gothic war memorial; stone stair to upper rooms, decorative cast-iron balusters, wooden handrail. Main body of church with plasterwork ribbed ceiling springing from slender colonettes with floral capitals; centre embossed rosette; ash pews. Organ and altar set at centre of SE end; altar table dedicated 1911 to Rosina Douglas Drew of Ardincaple, carving of Last Supper on front; lectern of similar date. Marble and granite free-standing font at NE side of church. Stained glass windows dedicated to various local notaries; eg Robert Michael Donaldson of Blairvadoch, John McLeod Campbell, minister of

Rhu. Black marble memorial to Robert Napier of West Shandon.

1930s church hall, high polished wood dado, dividing doors; memorial plaques to the Keyden family and Albert Black of Largarie.

GRAVEYARD: monuments of interest include 1708 wall tomb at S end of graveyard; inscription faded but dedicated to memory of Rev John Allen and son. Red sandstone pedimented and finialled memorial, latin inscription, memento mori plaque.

1728 monument to the 3 McFarland sisters, curvilinear monument with raised, simple figures with hands on hips.

Later 18th century classical ashlar aedicular monument with swan-neck pediment, triangulated buttress with inscriped detail, skeletal bases to columns; faded inscription.

Greek-revival style tomb the property of John Wilson of Dundyvan, died 1851.

Tomb to Henry Bell, sculpted figure of the engineer and shipbuilder on tall plinth (faded inscription), erected by Robert Napier.

Portion of wall of 2nd church of Rhu built 1763 preserved as monument to James Buchanan of Craigend Castle who died in 1860.

Late 19th century Venetian Gothic memorial to Matthew Andrew Muir and his wife Agnes Bunton of Ardenvohr, died 1886.

Monument to Helen Newton Whitelaw (died 1912) wife of Sir James Guthrie died 1930. Classical, white ashlar monument with sculpted angels head.

Number of other monuments dating from 17th century to 19th century; symbolic gravestones with memento mori symbols, one to a blacksmith with the symbols of his trade, hammer, bellows and anvil; others with skeletons, angels.

BOUNDARY WALL AND GATEPIERS: W WALL & GATE: stugged, sandstone wall with semicircular coping. Octagonal, cast-iron piers with arrowhead railings.

E WALL AND GATE: rubble wall with semicircular coping; slender cast-iron piers, simple curved railings.

SUNDIAL: immediately to SE of church. Dated 1637, ashlar bulbous base with square head, copper gnomons; incised numbers and dates.

Statement of Special Interest

An ecclesiastical building in use as such. Rhu and Shandon Parish Church, the 3rd to be built on this site, was designed in 1851 by William Spense. The money for the building of the church came from Robert Napier of West Shandon and Sir James Colquhoun of Rossdhu. In 1891 Honeyman and Keppie lengthened the nave but preserved Spense's original front. The church was further added to in the 1930s with a

vestry to the W and additions to E. The interior was reorganised

from 1903-1912. The bell dates from 1851 and was gifted by

Robert Napier.

References

Bibliography

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