The church is surrounded by a burial-ground, which was used for interments within recent years, but is now abandoned.
Some portions of the old Church of Kirkliston, situated about seven miles west of Edinburgh, including the tower and two ancient doorways, stand in the churchyard, on the high north-west bank of the Almond Water, in the village of Kirkliston. The main body
[Illustration: FIG. 329.--Kirkliston Church. Plan.]
of the church, so far as can now be ascertained, was an oblong structure (Fig. 329) about 60 feet in length by 26 feet in width externally, but part of the north wall has been removed, so as to allow the church to be extended. The old tower (Fig. 330) stands at the west end of the structure. It is about 21 feet square, and has the solid buttresses projecting on both sides of the angles, which indicate early work--transition
[Illustration: FIG. 330.--Kirkliston Church. View from South-West.]
or first pointed. A square projection at the south-east angle of the tower contains a wheel staircase. The windows are mere slits. The roof of the tower is evidently comparatively new. It has a picturesque seventeenth century belfry on the east gable.
There is an old archway in the east wall of the tower, which connected it with the main building of the church.
[Illustration: FIG. 331.--Kirkliston Church. South Doorway.]
In the south wall of the church there still exists, though partly restored, a splendid Norman doorway. (Fig. 331.) The doorway itself measures 4 feet 9 inches in width, and the whole door-piece measures 14 feet 7 inches over all. Besides the attached rolls on the jambs, which form shafts with caps, there are seven detached shafts on each side, arranged alternately large and small, with three large ones at each outer angle. These had all caps of transition form, but the carving is now almost completely destroyed. The arch, which is semicircular, has numerous mouldings, which are not arranged in the usual square orders, but have
[Illustration: FIG. 332.--Kirkliston Church. North-East Doorway.]
received a freer treatment. The divisions may be regarded as composing four orders, of which the inner order and the third order are enriched with chevron ornaments. The hood moulding has also been carved with the chevron, but the ornament has now almost all disappeared.