St Maurs-Glencairn Church of Scotland, Kilmaurs, Ayrshire

In 1732/40 the church replaced an earlier one on the same site or at least nearby. This separated the aisle from the main church building. The second secession happened in 1735 when the Secession Church was formally set up. A new manse was built in 1778/81 by John Swan. The Glencairn aisle had become ruinous and in about 1800 repair work was carried out. By 1839 the church was not in good repair but it was not until 1887/89 that it was rebuilt. Additions to the manse were carried out in about 1882 and supervised by Gabriel Andrew and William Newlands of Andrew & Newlands.

The present church replaced an earlier one on the same site in 1887/89. The architect was Robert S Ingram of Kilmarnock and it is in Perpendicular Gothic style. It has a bell dated 1618 by Michael Burgerbuys from the previous church. The organ was installed under the supervision of Ingram. An addition to the manse was carried out in 1925/26 to the designs by Hay & Steel. A hall was built at Main Street in the centre of the village in 1939. The church status was reduced in 1953 and two years later it formed a link with Glencairn Church. This link became a union in 1963 and the church was renamed St Maur’s Glencairn Church. The hall was given up and taken over by the Scouts.

During repair works on the second church in 1773 a carved stone was found under plasterwork which might have been part of the older church or a stone from somewhere which had been reused. There were outside stairs to the Town Gallery for the Baillies.

The present church is essentially aligned north/south and is T-plan with large square tower at the north entrance and the Glencairn Burial Aisle at the south. These turn it into a Greek cruciform church. The tower projects from the north gable. The building is in random coursed picked blonde sandstone with fair-faced dressings and a slate roof. The tower is in four stages and has stepped corner buttresses finishing in pinnacles at battlement level. The central entrance doorway on the north face is a pointed arch with a ogival decorated hood moulding. The doorway is in a splayed recess and is two-leaf with vertical vee-lining and decorative hinges. The second stage has a large pointed arch window containing five lancets split by two transoms and at the top tracery. The third stage has a round white-backed clock within a diamond moulding. The fourth stage is a pointed arch containing three lancet louvre lights and glazed tracery. The top is crenelated with the corner pyramidal finials. The clock and louvre window stages are on all four faces. The north gable is narrow and therefore has no windows on its north face. It does have shorter stepped buttresses. The east wall of the north wing has on its north a small lancet window at ground level and above a circular window and a blank plaque stone between the two. To the south there are two taller lancet windows. The north wall of the east wing has two similar tall lancet windows and above a small triangular vent window in the roof. The east gable of the east wing has a doorway within a pointed arch and two lancet windows at ground level and above a large rose window with a central round-lobed quatrefoil and twelve tapered round trefoil lights. The south wall of the east wing has two tall lancet windows. The east wall if the chancel has a single tall lancet window. The south “wing” is the burial aisle of the Glencairn family. Its east and west walls are blank. The south wall is gabled with crow-steps. There is an arcade of four blind rectangular windows and above four that are open but have been blanked with timber. Near the apex is filled in window with a large tee slot at the top. The aisle abuts the church south gable with crow-steps. Above the apex of the aisle is a smaller version of the rose window in the east gable. The west wall of the chancel has a pointed arch doorway, which gives access to the Glencairn Aisle, and above a lancet window. The west wing mirrors the east wing. The west wall of the nave has two tall lancet windows to the south followed by a smaller lancet at the high level and the same sized lancet at the lower level.

Thesecond church had three galleries.

The present church is bright and airy with plastered and painted walls and an exposed timber ceiling. The walls have vee-lined timber along the lower section of the walls. Each of the three wings have galleries with panelled fronts. The chancel area contains the organ chamber which has a timber organ case full height behind the pulpit. The organ console is below the pulpit. The pulpit, communion table, chairs and choir chairs are all on a raised platform. The communion table and font were memorial gifts about 1938 and the brass table lectern about 1983. To the west of the pulpit is the 1914-19 marble War Memorial at to the west again the window depicts the reaper and the sower (Full of Good Works) by Guthrie & Wells (1932). It is dedicated to David Smith and his wife Marion Barr. Most of the windows have flower/geometrical patters in cathedral glass. The north wall of the west arm has a window designed by Roland Mitton (1984). It depicts “St Luke” and commemorates Dr Hugh Strathern. The west wall of the north arm has a window designed by Norman M Macdougall of Glasgow (1905). It depicts the Good Shepherd and commemorates the Rev Alexander Inglis. Also on the west wall is a gravestone of about 1731 to the Rev Hugh Thomson. In the south wall of the east arm is a window by Stanley M Scott for the City Glass Co (1971). It depicts “Walking in the Light” and commemorates Margaret Linton Bahn. To the east of this window are two memorials. The first in marble is to members of the Findlay family of Tour and the second brass plaque commemorates World War 1 (This was relocated from Glencairn Church in 1963).

I Holland 2019