BATHGATE CHURCH, Linlithgowshire.
About one mile east from the town of Bathgate stands the old ruined church, surrounded by an ancient burial-ground. It is a long, narrow,
Fig. 437.—Bathgate Church. Plan.
ivy-covered building ([Fig. 437]), measuring internally about 91 feet 2 inches from east to west by 19 feet 5 inches from north to south, with walls from 3 to 4 feet in thickness. The doorway, which was probably round arched, is almost the only feature of its architecture left. The opening is unusually wide, showing 7 feet of daylight (see [Fig. 437.]), and, judging from its details, the church belonged to the transitional period. The doorway was decorated with shafts placed in square nooks or recesses, with carved capitals having the square abacus, a certain feature of early work. ([Fig. 438.]) Both inside and outside the walls are so entirely covered either with ivy or tombstones that almost no part of the masonry can be seen; only one small window on the north side, about six inches wide, being partly visible.
Fig. 438.—Bathgate Church. Caps.