Kilwinning Abbey

HUGH MC MILLAN
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Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey

Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.

The nave and transept were 100 ft across, broader than those of Paisley, Glasgow or St Andrews. The building wasn't especially long and was unique in Scotland in that it had two western towers, not arising from the building, but standing separately, either side, on massive supporting piers. One of these towers fell at a relatively early date, an inherent weakness being present, probably hastened by reformist action

The archaeology suggests that the abbey was built around an earlier church that may been built during the time of Hugh de Morville, circa 1157. A long stretch of walling is suggestive of being the south side of the nave of this earlier foundation. The remnants of the chapter house bordering the cloisters and a passageway may have been built during the 1180s. Richard de Morville may have been responsible in around 1190-1200 for the great processional arch between the gable and the wall, dying in 1189 this may also have been a bequest or gift. Uniquely this arch has a Norman style capital bearing two carved figures, said to be Adam & Eve.

A major development or reconstruction phase took place in the 1230s, possibly completed by one of the de Morville daughters as the male line had died out. Pont states that Dorethea de Morville, daughter of Richard de Morville and wife of Philip de Horssey, 'accomplished' the fabric of the monastery. De Morvilles mound at Dreghorn was supposed to have commemorated a daughter of the family, drowned at the Holm ford, any possible link to the abbey is unrecorded. The two towers and the west transept seem to have been added on in the 1250s

Abbey treasure
The Black Book of the abbey, gold candlesticks and crosses, silver cups and bells were never found and legend has it that they were secreted away in a vault beneath the abbey buildings where they lie to this day. A local tradition also asserts that were secreted away on one of the crannogs on the nearby Ashgrove or Stevenston Loch which conveniently lay just off the old Kings Road from the abbey to Portencross.

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Taken on: May 16, 2016
Sets appears in:   • Kilwinning, Scotland.   
Groups appears in:   • Scotland    • History is All Around Us    more » • Historical Buildings and Landmarks (No Limits)    • Old And Beautiful (buildings ,barns, shacks, and abandoned homes    • Historic City Centres (post 1....1)    • Scotland in Picture    « less
Camera: Canon EOS 40D, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, 18mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length: 18mm
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
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