Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Description

Wardrop and Reid, 1873-6. Near T-plan, First Pointed Gothic church with tall 3-stage spire tower to N, polygonal apse and single transept-aisle to W occupying elevated terraced location above Galawater. Coursed, bull-face red sandstone with pale sandstone ashlar dressings. Plinth; moulded cill courses; eaves course. Diagonal offset buttresses to angles; pointed-arched openings; chamfered cills; decorative sandstone cinquefoil-headed tracery; architraved hoodmoulds with moulded stops; red sandstone voussoirs.

TOWER: 3-stage, square-plan with 2-leaf, boarded timber door to ground, N elevation and single storey conical-capped stair tower to W elevation; clockfaces to N and W elevations; louvred openings to belfry with stone gargoyles to angles; quatrefoil mouldings to parapet above; pinnacled angle turrets; broached, octagonal spire with gabletted lucarnes; weathervane finial.

W (ROAD) ELEVATION: large traceried 3-light window to central gabled bay (W aisle); single-storey gabled porch with pointed-arched and trefoil-headed surround to doorway to left; canted porch at apse and W aisle re-entrant angle. E ELEVATION: large rose window to E central gable; porch following pattern of W elevation to E side of apse. All doors, boarded timber with decorative iron hinges.

INTERIOR: painted walls; cream sandstone ashlar dressings. Boarded timber dado panelling; panelled timber doors. Fine open timberwork ceiling with massive arched timber braces resting on carved sandstone corbels. Pair of moulded arches to W nave aisle (now blocked) with cylindrical pier and decorative capitals. Timber gallery to N. Octagonal timber pulpit with linenfold panels; large timber framed pipe organ above. Decorative timber communion table. Rich variety of 19th and 20th century stained glass throughout (see The Buildings of Scotland: Borders for details).

Stained glass windows (some by James Ballantine and Son - see Notes). Plain and coloured glass leaded glazing elsewhere. Grey slate. Sawtooth stone skews; gabletted skewputts. Cast-iron rainwater goods with hoppers and decorative brackets.

BOUNDARY WALLS, GATES AND GATEPIERS: coped sandstone ashlar walls. Pierced timber gates at main and pedestrian entrances.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. Stow St Mary's is an impressive example of a late 19th century Gothic Revival church by eminent practice, Wardrop and Reid, renowned for their contribution to Scottish ecclesiastical architecture. Its 140ft high spire tower is an iconic local landmark. Costing a substantial £8000, the church was partly funded by Captain Alexander Mitchell-Innes who also donated the land and paid for the nearby Town Hall of 1855 (see separate listing). The Ordnance Gazetteer of 1885 calls St Mary's 'one of the finest parish churches in the South of Scotland'.

The planform and detailing at Stow Church, begun by Wardrop and Brown and completed by Wardrop and Reid, follows that of Wardrop's earlier church at Ayton, utilising 13th Century stylistic elements and the single projecting aisle forming a T-plan. This is unusual in that it breaks from the standard ecclesiological arrangement by having the chancel ending in an apse and the pulpit located towards the middle of the nave opposite the single transept-aisle to W. The fine interior is particularly notable for its ceiling with massive arched timber braces. The timber pulpit and Communion table and chairs (1912 by John Taylor & Sons, Edinburgh) have been relocated to the centre of the nave toward the E gable. The impressive timber pipe organ by Ingram and Co incorporates a central doorway leading to the gabled entrance porch at the east (rear) elevation. Originally seating 700, a number of pews to the south and west axises were removed in 1996 to provide a more flexible meeting space.

James Maitland Wardrop (formerly of Wardrop and Brown) formed a practice with Charles Reid between 1874 and 1882. They both favoured a style closely based on that of David Bryce, and in the short period before Reid's death in 1882 were prolific. It was principally Wardrop who took the lead in rebuilding a large number of country parish churches using this distinctive 'First Pointed' Gothic treatment (also refered to as 'Early Decorated'), notably Cumnock in Ayrshire (1864), Methlick in Aberdeenshire (1865) and Ayton (1866) and Langton (1871) in Berwickshire (see separate listings).

The history of Stow is closely linked to the traditions of its church. In old English, 'Stow' means a 'holy or consecrated place'. When the Scots conquered Lothian in 1018, the church of St Mary of Wedale passed into the diocese of St Andrews. The remains of the now roofless former Stow Kirk, incorporating 16th, 17th and 18th century fabric, is stituated a short distance to the North.

List description updated at resurvey (2009).

References

Bibliography

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.