The plan of the church is peculiar (Fig. 635). Its most conspicuous feature is the tower, which rises from the ground in the centre of the building, with four solid walls. To the west of this tower are a few relics of what appears to have been a separate church, while to the east of it is a complete church, consisting of the choir, north and south transepts, and a portion which may be called the nave, running westwards from the crossing to the tower. A few fragments of the old monastic structures also survive. Adjoining the south transept are parts of two early doorways, and running southwards from the west end of the west church are the manse (which comprises old walls) and a large groined hall, which may have formed the hall of the lay brothers of the convent. A vaulted passage adjoins it, leading into the manse garden, which evidently occupies the site of the original cloisters. The church formed the north side of the quadrangle, while along the south side stretched a series of buildings which, doubtless, contained the refectory. Owing to the slope of the ground these erections are supported on vaults, part of which still remains. The site of the church is level throughout its whole length on the north and east, and along the south side of the choir as far as the tower within the walls shown on Plan. The cloister garth and the buildings on the west side stand on ground about 10 feet lower, while along the south side of the cloister the ground suddenly descends about 20 feet. It was thus necessary, beneath the vaulted buildings shown on the south-west side, to bring up extensive vaulted cellars, which extended along the south and east sides of the cloister as far as the chapter house. All these under-buildings are clearly shown by Slezer, who represents this abbey with some minuteness as it existed in his time (1693). [Illustration: FIG. 635.--Culross Abbey. Plan.] Considerable remains of the church and abbey buildings are still standing, either in a ruinous or greatly altered condition. Extensive alterations were made on the fabric in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to adapt certain portions of the old buildings to modern purposes, and the eastern end of the edifice is now used as the parish church. There have been, as already stated, an east and a west church, separated from each other by a central tower rising solidly from the ground. The tower and the east church are still entire, but of the west church only the south wall and the start of the north wall at the tower now remain, as shown on Plan. Both churches have been of about the same dimensions--viz., 78 feet by about 21 feet 6 inches wide, and both are without aisles.