The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3MacGibbon, David
History
The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3
MacGibbon, David
Church architecture -- Scotland
The collegiate foundation consisted of a provost, six prebendaries, one
clerk, and two singing boys. The edifice has undoubtedly been rebuilt or
restored at the date of its being made collegiate. It corresponds in
style with the numerous collegiate foundations established in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The eastern apsidal termination, the
stone roof supported on a pointed barrel vault, and other details point
to its date and associate it with the other collegiate churches of
Scotland erected in the fifteenth century.
In 1544 the structure suffered much at the hands of the English
invaders, who carried off the organ and bells, and burnt the timber
work.
[Illustration: FIG. 1144.--Seton Collegiate Church. Plan.]
The stone roof of the choir was removed at some period. The masonry,
however, survived, and the edifice has now been roofed in and properly
defended from the weather by the late Lord Wemyss, who, along with his
Countess, is buried in the choir. The broken tracery of the windows has
been renewed by the present Lord Wemyss. The church was designed
[Illustration: FIG. 1145.--Seton Collegiate Church. View from
South-East.]
as a complete cross without aisles, and with a central tower and spire
over the intersection, but the nave has never been built. The portions
erected (Fig. 1144) consist of the choir (with its three-sided apsidal
east end), a north sacristy, a north and south transept, and a central
tower and spire over the crossing. The choir is 53 feet in length by 22
feet in width internally. The exterior (Fig. 1145) is divided into three
bays, separated by buttresses. There is a round-headed doorway in the
central bay of the south wall, with a panel containing a coat of arms in
the upper part of the wall, and mullioned windows in the other bays
(including the apse), except that in the north wall at the part where
the sacristy is built. The arched heads are all filled with tracery of a
simple character and of
[Illustration: FIG. 1146.--Seton Collegiate Church. Corbels on
Buttresses.]
a pattern common in third pointed work. The buttresses are of good
substantial form, and each is crowned with a square, but rather stunted,
pinnacle, the enriched pyramidal tops of nearly all of them being
wanting. A carved corbel and canopy are placed on the face of each
buttress to receive a statue, but they are now all empty. Fig. 1146
shows two of these corbels, one containing the Seton arms. The cornice
of the choir is enriched with flower ornaments.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account