Neilston Parish Church

Off to East Renfrewshire today to do family stuff, where I blipped Neilston Parish church.

The beautiful parish church of Neilston was first recorded in 1163 in a charter of Paisley Abbey. It was built by Norman knight, Sir Robert de Croc, as part of a feudal requirement by the High Steward of Renfrew, Walter Fitzalan.

The only ancient part of the building is a Gothic window in a back wall and the burial vault of the Mure family.

Between 1796 and 1798 the roof was taken off and another storey added making room for a gallery to accommodate the growing population. The old graveyard is centuries old and has a stone dating back to the 15th century.

Neilston Church has passed through some turbulent times. In 1559 during the Reformation, an image of the Virgin was taken from Neilston Parish Church and thrown into a pool of the River Levern. The pool ever since has been known as the Midge Hole.

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday.