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Summary

Description

1883, rebuilt 1923-26 Fryers and Penman (see Notes). Simple gabled and buttressed Gothic church on triangular site at head of Wilson Street with slender octagonal 4-stage weathervaned spire to SW, transept to SE; adjoining gabled hall at right angles to SE. Foliate-carved stops to hoodmoulds over entrances and principal gable windows. Buff squared and snecked stugged sandstone with dressed margins; base course; eaves course; straight skews.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3 bays plus transept to outer R. Central entrance bay with 2-leaf timber boarded door and flanking short lancets, all within continuous hoodmould; Y-traceried window to 1st floor, oculus above; flanking bays with blind oculi to ground, lancets above; spire to R extending above roofline with pointed-arched openings.

NW ELEVATION: 6 bays, 4 with single tall lancets flanked by buttresses; gabled bay to outer R with quatrefoil blind oculus above lancet; blocked gabled entrance with timber boarded door to L, quatrefoil blind oculus above; chancel bay to outer L with short lancet.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: partially obscured; chancel bay with Y-traceried window.

HALL: buttressed gabled bay with central timber boarded door in chamfered pointed arch; stone mullioned windows; flanking short lancets; tripartite window above; 5 bipartite bays to R to single storey hall; further entrance bay to outer R on street.

Plain, rectagular-pane leaded glazing; some stained glass (see below). Greenish-grey slates; terracotta ridge tiles. Cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

INTERIOR: entrance vestibule with plain timber panelling and timber carved, panelled doors; nave with plain timber pews; timber queen-strut ceiling on plain corbels; gallery to SW. Grey marble baptismal font on square plinth. Chancel through pointed arch to NE with coved, ribbed ceiling and cherub corbels; organ pipes to L and R, organ to R; 3-light war memorial window by John C Hall & Co, Glasgow; oak pulpit at crossing. Transept to SE with war memorial window; 3 transept windows depicting St Stephen, Mary and St Paul Guthrie & Wells Ltd, Glasgow. Vestry: Tudor-arched timber chimneypiece with outer Gothic pilasters and carved quatrefoils. Hall: plain, with timber boarding to dado

BOUNDARY WALLS, RAILINGS AND GATEPIERS: coped sandstone wall to front and side, plain railings over low sections; Gothic-style cast-iron gatepiers with gates to main entrance.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. The church is prominently sited at the head of Wilson Street and contributes to the townscape. Built as Hamilfield Free Church in 1883 on land given by the Hamilfield estate, the building was destroyed in a fire in 1916. By this date the church had become the Hamilfield United Free Church and in 1917 became Beith United Free Church, the result of three congregations merging. The cost of re-building was £11 000 and the new church opened on 20th January 1926. In 1929 the church reverted to the Church of Scotland and became Beith Trinity. The interior of the church is relatively plain but of interest is the chancel and its furniture. Beith's notable furniture making industry provided the cabinetmakers and carvers to create the carved oak communion furniture in the chancel and the war memorial panels. A work party of 44 local craftsmen was set up for the task.

References

Bibliography

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