The Brisbane Aisle (NS 220247, 659447) is a small 17th century free-standing burial vault, built for the Shaws of Kelsoland (aka Brisbane) and situated in the grounds of the 'Largs Old Kirk',

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.British Listed Buildings.
Retrieved : 2011-02-04

History

Built for the Shaws of Kelsoland, this

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

became the burial vault of the Brisbane family sometime after 1695. The date 1634 as inscribed on a heraldic datestone at the east side of the structure, above a sealed portal. A heraldic panel is inscribed with "P.S" and "I.S", indicating the Shaws of Kelsoland. An armorial device with mullets (stars) for the Shaw and annulets (rings) for the Montgomeries of Braidstone is present. A carved armorial device on the west side carries the initials "P.S./I.M./I.S". Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet GCH, GCB, FRS, FRSE (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860) a British soldier, colonial governor and astronomer, is interred within the aisle.

Description

The aisle is small and rectangular in plan, gabled, with finely squared ashlar masonry,

bolection A bolection is a decorative moulding which projects beyond the face of a panel or frame in raised panel walls, doors, and fireplaces. It is commonly used when the meeting surfaces are at different levels, especially to hold floating panels in pl ...

moulding at the wallhead, and cavetto moulded skewputts and apex stones. The east-facing gable carries 19th-century exterior wall-mounted marble memorial panels with block pediments. The striking slab roof is at a lower pitch than the steeply-pitched gable ends, probably as a result of repairs.

The Skelmorlie Aisle

The

Skelmorlie Aisle The Skelmorlie Aisle of Largs Old Kirk is the remains of a church in the town of Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland. History The majority of the kirk (church) was demolished in 1802 when the new parish church came into use, but the aisle, a division of ...

stands to the east of the Brisbane Aisle, also a category A listed building and containing a notable

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

built by a local landowner, Sir Robert Montgomerie of

Skelmorlie Castle Skelmorlie Castle stands on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, at the north-western corner of the county of Ayrshire. The structure dates from 1502, and was formerly the seat and stronghold of the Montgomery Clan.Boyd, Page 9 T ...

, seventh laird of

Skelmorlie Skelmorlie is a village in North Ayrshire in the south-west of Scotland. Although it is the northernmost settlement in the council area of North Ayrshire, it is contiguous with Wemyss Bay, which is in Inverclyde. The dividing line is the Kell ...

as a burial site for himself and his wife, Dame Margaret Douglas.Clan Montgomery Society, Page 7 The aisle was added to the old

kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

(church) of Largs in 1636.

Access

The nearby Skelmorlie Aisle is in the care of

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

. Admission to the Brisbane Aisle is free; both the kirkyard and museum are open from late May to early September from 2.00pm to 5.00pm.

References

;Notes ;Sources # Archaeological Collections of Ayrshire and Wigton, 1989, vol 6.

External links

RCAHMS Site
* {{coord, 55.7948, N, 4.8689, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century Category A listed buildings in North Ayrshire