Alloway Auld Kirk

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Alloway Auld Kirk

The Alloway Auld Kirk is a ruined church in the Scottish town of Alloway in the Council Area South Ayrshire . The church ruin is classified as a Scheduled Monument .

history

A church at this location was first mentioned in a charter of the Scottish King Alexander II from 1236. The origins of the current building probably go back to 1516 when a church was built. However, it is believed that the building was almost completely rebuilt in 1653. The formerly independent parish was affiliated to the Auld Kirk of Ayr in 1690 . In the 1740s, the Alloway Auld Kirk was also used as a school building. The birthplace of the poet Robert Burns ( Burns Cottage ) is not far from the church. Burn's father William (died 1784) is buried in the churchyard. In the 1790s, the building was already described as a ruin. The gruesome sight inspired Robert Burns to describe the church in his most famous poem Tam o 'Shanter as a haunted church ("There he sees shimmering through the gray; Kirk-Alloway, the old building; it shines in full gleam of lights; and the inside is noisy." of wild dancing ”).

description

The building is on an arterial road on the southern edge of Alloway. The elongated quarry stone building has an inner area of ​​12.2 m × 6.1 m. It ended with a gable roof that no longer exists today. The arched portal is on the right on the north-facing side. There is a square window opening in the middle. An opening further to the left was closed with masonry. Another entrance can be found on the south side. To the right of this is a narrow, elongated window. On the gable above the twin lancet window on the east side there is a roof turret with a bell. Inside there are iron tombstones and tombstones.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Information from Alloway Church ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .

Web links

Commons : Alloway Auld Kirk  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 25 '40.6 "  N , 4 ° 38' 14.3"  W.