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Fig. 1354.—Preston Church. Plan of Piscina.
in the end walls and the shallow buttresses at the west end have an early appearance, but the same cannot be said of the details shown in Fig. 1353. Mr. Muir[1] is doubtful as to its "just claim to antiquity." This church, with that of Bunkle, about two miles distant, belonged to the Bishopric of Dunkeld.
ST. MARY'S ABBEY, Rothesay, Buteshire.
About half a mile westwards from the town of Rothesay, and
approached by an avenue of fine old trees, there stands in the ancient
burial-ground the choir of the Abbey Church of St. Mary. The west end
has been built up with a wall containing a wide gateway, but otherwise
the chancel remains in fair preservation, although roofless. A modern
church has been erected beside it, but with an interval of a few inches
between the new and old structures.
The ancient chancel (Fig. 1355) now measures 27 feet in length by 18 feet in width internally. The east wall, with its gable (Fig. 1356), still survives, and contains a large three-light window, of which the tracery has been of the simple intersecting kind. The east ends of the side walls had each a single pointed light with pointed rear arches. Near the west end of the north wall is a plain pointed doorway, and a small window with square lintel. The west end of the south wall contained a doorway, now built up.
Opposite one another, in the centre of the north and south walls, are erected two more than usually interesting monuments. Both are recessed in the wall, and are covered with an arched canopy, and in each the effigy of the person commemorated is preserved. The monument in the south wall (Fig. 1357) is the larger and finer of the two. It measures nearly 11 feet over the side buttresses. The ogee arch in which it is enclosed contains bold, but late, mouldings. The arch has been ornamented with large crockets, but they are now much wasted away. The monument has doubtless been erected in memory of one of the Stewarts of Bute, who buried here, but its heraldry is peculiar. At the apex there is a shield, which appears to contain the royal arms, but has two lions for supporters,
- ↑ Characteristics of Old Church Architecture, p. 57.
