History in Structure

Watch House, Churchyard, Symington Parish Church, Kirk Bauk, Symington

A Category B Listed Building in Clydesdale East, South Lanarkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.5995 / 55°35'58"N

Longitude: -3.5907 / 3°35'26"W

OS Eastings: 299869

OS Northings: 635132

OS Grid: NS998351

Mapcode National: GBR 33CP.FK

Mapcode Global: WH5T0.TJB7

Plus Code: 9C7RHCX5+QP

Entry Name: Watch House, Churchyard, Symington Parish Church, Kirk Bauk, Symington

Listing Name: Watchhouse and Church Yard

Listing Date: 12 January 1971

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 347457

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB14169

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200347457

Location: Symington (S Lanarkshire)

County: South Lanarkshire

Electoral Ward: Clydesdale East

Parish: Symington (S Lanarkshire)

Traditional County: Lanarkshire

Tagged with: Churchyard Watch house

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Description

WATCH-HOUSE: Mid 19th century. Diminuitive single-storey gabled structure. Rubble with ashlar dressings. Steps to timber door and narrow, single slit-window to left; further small window to E gable. Grey slate. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

CHURCHYARD: enclosed by rubble boundary wall. Good collection of gravestones predating 19th century.

Statement of Interest

This 19th century watch house, located at the S corner of the Symington burial ground, is a well-preserved survival of its type. The watch house was used to maintained a nightly vigil over the churchyard, particularly after new burials, to deter body snatchers who intended to sell the corpses to medical institutions in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Watch houses often had a chimney for a fire to provide some level of comfort for the occupant, although there appears to be no evidence of such amenity in this case.

The burial ground surrounding Symington Parish Church (HBNUM: 14168 - see separate listing) appears to predate the existing church. It contains a number of significant burial monuments and table-top grave stones, the oldest decipherable stone dated 1629.

External Links

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