John Knox Church, High Street, Stewarton

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 14/04/1971 Supplementary Information Updated 28/10/2019 Local Authority East Ayrshire Planning Authority East Ayrshire Burgh Stewarton NGR NS 42045 45964 Coordinates 242045, 645964 — Dated 1841. Symmetrical, 2-storey, 3-bay rectangular-plan church with 3-stage steeple over entrance bay to S. Tooled, squared and coursed sandstone to S, rubble to other elevations. Base course, band course, cornice and blocking course. Some raised cills. Later single storey extensions to rear. SOUTH (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: slightly advanced central pedimented entrance bay with 2-leaf, 6-panel timber entrance doors with rectangular fanlight above and consoled cornice above. Steeple with clasping Doric pilasters and round-arched louvred openings to 1st stage. Clock stage above. Finialled stone spire. INTERIOR: cohesive interior scheme with panelled timber gallery on 3 sides supported by slender cast iron columns. Timber pews. Pair of symmetrical, decoratively carved flanking curved staircases lead to carved timber pulpit with organ case behind. Shallow piended roof with grey slates. Predominantly diamond leaded-pane windows with coloured glass decorative borders and images. — Place of worship in use as such. An important part of the streetscape in the main thoroughfare of Stewarton, the church is built in a simple Classical style and is little altered externally. The interior remains substantially intact with a dominant, finely carved pulpit. The church has an interesting ecclesiastical history which is of significance both for the town and wider church history in Scotland in the mid 19th century. The church opened as a Church of Scotland church in 1842. In 1843, it became a Free Church when the Minister, Rev David Arthur, walked out of the General Assembly of the Church

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.