Kilarrow Parish Church
The Kilarrow Parish Church (also Bowmore Round Church , Scottish Gaelic Eaglais Cill an Rubha ) is a church building of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in Bowmore , the capital of the Scottish Hebridean island of Islay . It is in a prominent, raised position at the head of Main Street on which the A846 runs through Bowmore. On July 20, 1971, the Kilarrow Round Church was included in the British List of Monuments in the A category.
Services are still held regularly at Kilarrow Parish Church today. It is the main church of the Parish Kilarrow .
history
In 1747 Daniel Campbell obtained the introduction of a third parish on Islay, from which the three parishs Kildalton and Oa , Kilarrow and Kilmeny and Kilchoman and Kilchiaran emerged . As the most densely populated Parish, two church buildings were to be operated in Kilarrow and Kilmeny. Daniel Campbell died in 1753, which delayed the implementation of the resolution. His second eldest son Daniel Campbell, 2nd Laird of Shawfield and Islay inherited his possessions on the island at the age of 16 and was initially sent to mainland Europe for training. Probably in conversations with John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll , he got the idea to establish planned cities. There he probably also saw a design by the architect John Adam for a round church in Inveraray , which, however, was rejected due to the lack of the possibility of separating the interior into a Gaelic-speaking and an English-speaking part. From his visit to Italy he took with him the impression of churches prominently located above the village.
In 1763 Campbell finally initiated the division of Islays into three parishs initiated by his father. In addition, the eponymous village of the Parish, Kilarrow, which corresponds in part to today's Bridgend , should be given up in favor of the expansion of the lands of Islay House . Campbell planned the resettlement of the population of Kilarrow in a planned settlement, which he realized around 1770 with the establishment of Bowmore. The Kilarrow Parish Church was built as one of the first buildings in this new town in the years 1767–1769 in a prominent position above Loch Indaal .
description
The church building is of an unusual, round construction, which has an outer diameter of 18.3 m, with the masonry about 84 cm thick. It has two floors and is illuminated by simple lattice windows along the outer walls. A four-storey bell tower with a square base is located in front of it in a north-westerly direction and is connected to the rotunda. At the level of the second floor, square frames are attached to all four outer sides, which were probably intended to accommodate tower clocks, but which were not installed later. The top two floors of the gradually tapering tower have an octagonal floor plan. There is a small dome on top. The front of the tower consists of ashlar stones, with the edges being offset. On this side there is also the arched, double-leaf entrance door. There is also a commemorative plaque identifying Daniel Campbell as the donor of the building and dedicating it to Almighty God. Since the bottom slopes to the northwest, the church is based on a plinth and the entrance door can only be reached via several steps. With the exception of the front and the top two floors of the tower, the building is plastered and whitewashed using the traditional Harling technique.
The pulpit is at the south end of the building. Opposite it is a U-shaped gallery supported by eight simple pillars. This was not available in its original condition and was only added around 1830. The interior was probably completely renovated around 1890. An organ was also installed around this time. Most of the furnishings date from the 20th century. In the middle there is a massive, cast iron pillar with a diameter of 48 cm, which supports the conical roof.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c Internet presence of the Kilarrow Parish Church
- ↑ a b Entry on Kilarrow Parish Church in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
Web links
Coordinates: 55 ° 45 ′ 18.3 " N , 6 ° 17 ′ 11.3" W.