Fig. 677.—St. Kentigern’s. South Doorway.
The south wall ([Fig. 676]) contains the relics of a fine first pointed doorway, and five narrow lancet windows with wide splayed reveals inside. The doorway has had two nook shafts on each side, with markedly first pointed foliage in the caps ([Fig. 677]), and the pointed arch has bold and characteristic mouldings ([Fig. 678]). The west wall (see [Fig. 673]) has been much ruined, and is now restored. At the east end there is a chancel arch fully 8 feet in width. The responds which support it are half octagons, and the arch has a double splay on each side. There are traces of small nail-head ornaments on the caps. All the details point to the work being of the first pointed period. The chancel is entirely gone, but the marks on the wall show that it has been about twelve feet in width. There is a small lancet window, with wide internal splay, in the east wall to the south of the chancel arch, and the latter is placed close to the central row of pillars. This arrangement seems to have been adopted so as to bring the chancel as near the centre of the church as possible, perhaps with the view of enabling it to serve as the chancel for the whole church, as there may have been no chancel to the east of the northern division. But this point could only be ascertained by excavation. To the east of the northern division, where a chancel might have been, there has been erected (probably in the seventeenth century) a mausoleum or tombhouse for the family of the Lockharts of Lee. This rather seems to support the idea that there was no chancel in that position.
Fig. 678.—St. Kentigern’s.
Arch Mouldings of South Doorway.
BURNTISLAND CHURCH, Fifeshire.
At Kirkton, a village lying a short way north of Burntisland, there stand, in an old churchyard, the remains of an ancient church, believed to have been dedicated to St. Adamnan or St. Serf. The church ([Fig. 679]) consists of a nave and chancel and remains of a south aisle. The nave measures 41 feet 9 inches in length by 20 feet 6 inches in width externally, and the chancel is 27 feet 6 inches long by 17 feet 9 inches wide externally. The chancel is architecturally distinguished from the nave being diminished by 14 inches in width on each side, and the chancel arch is pointed, with an opening 7 feet 8 inches wide, and consists of a single plain order springing from imposts having a simple splay ([Fig. 680]). The jambs of the opening are plain, and have a splayed base. The opening has been built up so as to enclose the chancel for a private burial-place. The chancel contains the usual priests’ door in the south wall, and two narrow pointed windows on the same side, greatly splayed to the interior. It is remarkable that there is no window in the east end, and the north wall is also blank.
Fig. 679.—Burntisland Church. Plan.