Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum
The church and medieval tower, with the northern end of the Holy Loch in the background
55°59′47″N 4°56′33″W / 55.9964°N 4.9424°W / 55.9964; -4.9424
OS grid reference	NS166821
Location	Midge Lane, Kilmun, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute
Country	Scotland, United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of Scotland
History
Status	open
Architecture
Functional status	used
Years built	1841

Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum is a special historical site in Kilmun, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It includes St Munn's Church, which is a very important old building. Next to it is the mausoleum where the Dukes of Argyll and their families are buried. There is also an old churchyard. This whole area is on a small hill, about 10 meters from the Holy Loch. The current church building was built in 1841. It stands where an even older, medieval church used to be. You can still see a partly ruined tower from the medieval period west of the church.

St Munn's Church: A Look Back in Time

The Church's Long History

Most of St Munn's Parish Church you see today was built in the 1800s. But the old, ruined tower next to it is much older. It's now a protected historical site.

Around the 600s, an Irish monk named St Munn started a religious community here. Parts of a church from the 1100s are still visible. Records show a church building existed on this spot in the 1200s. By the 1400s, Kilmun was so important for Christianity that the nearby loch became known as the Holy Loch. The powerful Clan Campbell chose it as their spiritual home.

The Campbell family owned Dunoon Castle nearby from the 1300s. In the 1440s, Sir Duncan Campbell, the clan chief, lived close to Kilmun. When his oldest son, Archibald, sadly died in 1442, he was buried at Kilmun. This started the tradition of the Campbells being buried here.

Soon after, Sir Duncan Campbell made Kilmun parish church a collegiate church. This meant priests would live there and pray for him and his family forever. Kilmun was connected to Paisley Abbey at that time. St Munn became the special saint for Clan Campbell.

A provost and five chaplains (priests) were appointed to the collegiate church. The partly ruined tower was their home. It also offered safety for local people during dangerous times. These priests lived as a community but were not monks. They could help the local community in addition to their religious duties. Duncan Campbell died in 1453 and was buried near the church's altar. This continued the tradition of burying Campbell chiefs at Kilmun.

In 1688, the choir part of the collegiate church was rebuilt. It then served as the main parish church.

In 1841, most of the old collegiate church was taken down. A new church, designed by Thomas Burns, was built. A bigger church was needed because more summer visitors came to the Holy Loch. The church and Argyll Mausoleum were fully restored in the 1890s. This work was led by the Marquess of Lorne, who later became the 9th Duke of Argyll. Between 1898 and 1899, architect Peter McGregor Chalmers changed the church's inside. He also designed much of the carved wooden furniture.

Kilmun Parish Church became a Category-A-listed building on July 20, 1971. This means it's a very important historical building.

Over time, water started damaging the Argyll Mausoleum, which then affected the church. In the 2000s, a group of local people created a charity called Argyll Mausoleum Ltd. Their goal was to fix the mausoleum and the church. They also wanted to create a visitor center. They raised almost £600,000 for the work. The restoration started in 2013. The fixed site opened to the public in April 2015. Now, volunteers offer tours of the church and mausoleum. You can visit on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from April to October. The Church of Scotland is currently looking to transfer ownership of Kilmun Parish Church. It is no longer used for regular worship by the local community.

Church Design and Features

The church's front with the modern bell tower.

Outside the Church

St Munn's is built from squared sandstone blocks with smooth stone details. The roof is made of grey slate. The main part of the church is shaped like a "T". The nave, which is the main part where people sit, extends to the north.

At the top of the T-shaped building is a small, modern square bell tower. It has decorative tops on its corners. The old tower to the west of the church is made of smooth sandstone. It was likely part of the medieval church. This was the church that Sir Duncan Campbell supported in 1442.

The church has single, narrow windows on the main southern wall. Wider, decorative windows are on the eastern and western ends. Many of the stained glass windows were made by Stephen Adam. They show scenes from the life of Christ. Some later windows, including a war memorial window, were designed by Alfred Webster. The church halls, in the northwest corner, were built in 1909–10. They have slanted roofs and windows with leaded glass.

Inside the Church

In 1898–99, Peter McGregor Chalmers changed the inside of St Munn's. He created an open choir area on the southern wall. He also added new arches to support the upper galleries on the east and west sides. Much of the beautifully carved wooden furniture in the choir was also designed by McGregor Chalmers.

The church's flat ceiling has decorative arches. These arches are supported by stone brackets. The walls have exposed sandstone details and wood panels up to waist height.

The church has a special organ from 1909. It is powered by water! This is probably the only water-powered organ in Scotland still in use, apart from one in Dalkeith.

Argyll Mausoleum: A Burial Place for Chiefs

The Argyll Mausoleum at Kilmun Parish Church

Mausoleum History

The Argyll Mausoleum is a separate building, but it is connected to St Munn's Church. John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll ordered it to be built in the 1790s. It was made to hold the remains of the Dukes and Earls of Argyll. These were the Chiefs of the Clan Campbell and their families. Today, Argyll Mausoleum Ltd manages it. They also run a modern visitor center in the church. The center is open from April to October, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The mausoleum was built in 1795–96 by James Lowrie. It is the burial place for most Dukes of Argyll. It was built around an old Campbell family vault. This vault was originally inside the collegiate church. The first burials, starting with Archibald Campbell in 1442, were under the floor of the medieval church. But this practice was stopped in 1588 during the Reformation.

Even though burials inside churches were outlawed, the Campbells eventually built a "burial aisle" attached to the church. A private chapel with a family vault was built by the 9th Earl of Argyll in 1669. This vault stayed when the old church was taken down and the current one built. When the private chapel was removed and a separate mausoleum built, some important remains were moved. These included the statues of Duncan Campbell and his wife. When the current church was built in 1841, two of the mausoleum's walls were included in the new church. So, this building replaced an earlier chapel. Records show that Clan Campbell Chiefs have been buried or remembered here since the 1400s. That's twenty generations over 500 years!

When the Argyll Mausoleum was built in the 1790s, it had a pyramid-shaped slate roof. This roof was replaced with a large cast iron dome in the 1890s. The Marquess of Lorne led this restoration. The iron dome helped make the mausoleum brighter inside. However, it was not sealed properly. Water started leaking into the building. The water damage was mostly in the mausoleum until the 1970s. Then it began to affect the church next door.

The church members were worried. They thought the Duke of Argyll's family owned the mausoleum. But it turned out the Argyll and Bute Council owned it since the 1920s. A long legal argument followed for 30 years. Finally, the Council agreed they owned the decaying building. In the early 2000s, a survey described the mausoleum's condition. It said, "It has got water coming in the roof, water coming in the walls... The place is desperately in need of restoration."

The necessary work was finally done by Argyll Mausoleum Ltd. They received money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The mausoleum reopened in April 2015. You can now visit the beautifully restored mausoleum, church, and visitor center. They are open from Thursday to Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, from April to October.

Mausoleum Design and Features

Outside the Mausoleum

The Argyll Mausoleum is at the northeast corner of the church. It is connected to the church building. The mausoleum is square-shaped. Its main entrance is on the north side. This entrance has a pointed arch. On either side are two decorative, blind windows and flat columns.

One of the most striking features is the large cast iron dome on top. When the mausoleum was built in the 1790s, it had a pyramid-shaped slate roof. There were no windows, so it was dark inside unless the doors were open. When the Marquess of Lorne was at his mother's funeral in 1878, he called the inside "ghastly." So, during the 1890s restoration, he replaced the pyramid roof. In 1891–93, a domed roof with skylights and a huge cast iron dome was added. People believe this heavy iron dome was made in a Glasgow shipyard. You can still see the marks from the craftsmen inside the roof. Putting such a heavy dome on the old walls was a debated decision at the time. However, the weight did not cause much damage.

Inside the Mausoleum

The inside of the Argyll Mausoleum has two raised platforms along the side walls. These platforms have spaces for coffins. They are covered with stone slabs that have names carved on them. Besides the tombs along the walls, there are also graves under the stone floor.

Among the floor slabs, there is a metal cross. It has "Archibald, Marquis of Argyll" carved on it and "Beheaded 1661" on the crossbar. This marks the final resting place of Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl and 1st Marquess of Argyll. His body was buried at Kilmun after he was executed in Edinburgh in 1661. His head was buried here three years later. His exact burial spot was forgotten until the 1890s. During the restoration by the Marquess of Lorne, builders dug down a wall. They found a skeleton and a skull with a spike hole. They also found a yellow wig that fell apart when touched. Archibald Campbell was reburied in the center of the mausoleum. A cross was placed in the floor to remember him. At its base, a plaque has the words he spoke just before his execution.

On the south wall, there is a wide, decorative arch over a space. This space holds two statues from the 1400s. One is of Duncan Campbell, 1st Lord Campbell, the church's founder, in full armor. The second statue is of a woman, likely Campbell's second wife, Margaret Stewart. These two medieval statues are thought to be the last of such high quality in Scotland. The decorated arch above them was added in 1892 during the restoration led by the Marquess of Lorne.

In the middle aisle of the mausoleum, between the tombs, there used to be a life-sized sculpture. It showed an angel lifting Christ from the Cross. This sculpture was made by the Marquess of Lorne's wife, Princess Louise. She was Queen Victoria's fourth daughter and a talented artist. She married the future 9th Duke of Argyll in 1871. This sculpture is now in a glass display case in the visitor center. Three copies were made of Princess Louise's design. One is a monument to soldiers in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Another is a memorial to her brother-in-law in St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham. The copy in the Argyll Mausoleum might have been a tribute to her father-in-law, the 8th Duke of Argyll.

Campbell Family Burials

Arms of the Campbell Dukes of Argyll

Kilmun Parish Church and the Argyll Mausoleum are the burial places for many members of the Clan Campbell of Argyll. This includes most Dukes and Duchesses of Argyll, from the 1400s to the 1900s. It is believed that the earliest Clan Campbell Chiefs were buried in Kilchrenan. Then they were buried on Inishail island in Loch Awe. In 1442, a snowstorm stopped the burial party from reaching Inishail. So, Sir Duncan Campbell's eldest son, Archibald, was buried at Kilmun. This started the tradition of the Campbells being buried here.

We don't know the exact spots of the very early Campbell burials at Kilmun. But the locations of more recent burials in the Argyll Mausoleum are clear. While wives of clan Chiefs were not always recorded, most were likely buried next to their husbands. Other unrecorded family members are also likely buried at Kilmun.

Here are some of the Campbell family members buried at Kilmun:

Some Clan Campbell Chiefs are buried elsewhere. The 2nd Duke of Argyll († 1743) was buried at Westminster Abbey in London. The 11th Duke of Argyll († 1973) and the 12th Duke of Argyll († 2001) chose to be buried on Inishail island in Loch Awe.

The Churchyard: Resting Place and Memorials

The churchyard at Kilmun Parish Church has many interesting memorials. These include old medieval stone slabs. There are also high-quality gravestones from the 1600s and 1700s. Some table-tombs are carved with tools, showing the person's trade. You can also find the Douglas Mausoleum here.

The graveyard was made bigger twice. First, it expanded to the north, then to the west. It took up some land from Old Kilmun House. The churchyard walls were likely built around 1818 to 1819. That's when the graveyard got its current shape.

As part of the community projects by Argyll Mausoleum Ltd, parts of the graveyard have been studied. The words on many gravestones have been recorded. Photos have also been taken of most of them.

Old Kilmun House is just beyond the northwest edge of the cemetery. Part of the cemetery is built on what used to be the house's gardens.

Notable People Buried Here

The graveyard is said to be the burial place of St Munn. He is also the special saint of Clan Campbell.

In the northwest part of the churchyard is the mausoleum of Sir John Douglas. This eight-sided building was built in 1888. It's made of red sandstone. It has rough stone walls, a wooden door with metal studs, and a carved family crest above it. The roof is made of stone slabs. This mausoleum holds the remains of General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart. He was a military commander during the Indian Mutiny.

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, who was a former Governor General of Canada and husband of Princess Louise, is buried in the Argyll Mausoleum.

North of the church is the final resting place of Elizabeth Blackwell. She was the first qualified female doctor in the United States.

Images for kids

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  The church's façade with the non-matching modern bell tower.

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  The Argyll Mausoleum at Kilmun Parish Church

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  Arms of the Campbell Dukes of Argyll