Rab MacInnes and Cannon-MacInnes, east staircase window (2009), Kilmacolm Old Kirk, Inverclyde.

Photo: Peter Hildebrand

Kilmacolm Old Kirk, Inverclyde

Address

Kilmacolm Old Kirk, High Street, Kilmacolm PA13 4BP

Recommended by

Linda Cannon AMGP ACR (10)

Highlight

Angel window on the stairs to the gallery

Artist, maker and date

Reason for highlighting

Rab was asked to design a window for the stairwell of Kilmacolm Auld Kirk, to “give succour to the old ladies”. Theological restrictions are less constrained outside the main “body of the kirk”. So why should two enormous, powerful, androgynous angels not have bright pink and blue wings? Complex glass techniques involving acid etching , painting, staining and double plating of expensive, gold-pink glass floods the lobby with luminescent pink light in time for the Sunday service.

Other comments

The church interior has many other wonderful and very unusual windows in a place of worship dating back 800 years. These include

Gerald E Moira’s magnificent window of the crucified Christ between Saint Andrew and Saint Columba (1903-4)
Norman MacDougall’s window, “Crossing the bar”, 1907
Douglas Hamilton’s windows on the meeting of St Mungo and St Columb, 1958
Lorraine Lamond’s windows in the Murray Chapel, 1989 & 1994
John K Clark’s Fyfe window, 2002

There is a useful video on the church website, but to fully enjoy their colour, and range of styles a visit is essential. A beautiful, ancient, forward-thinking kirk.

Kilmacolm Old Kirk website

Further images from the project to create the Angel window can be seen at Cannon-MacInnes and the Angel window Kilmacolm

Discussions are currently ongoing concerning a union between the Old Kirk and St Columba’s, which also has a fine selection of stained glass.

Artist/maker notes

Rab MacInnes (b. 1949) studied at the Glasgow School of Art and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. His painting and print work can be found in many domestic and international exhibitions. He is now based in Glasgow where he specialises in solving difficult stained glass restoration and conservation problems as well as tackling unique glasswork commissions for individual clients.

Source: Rob MacInnes – Original Stained Glass

Cannon-MacInnes was a partnership between Rab MacInnes and Linda Cannon, from 1997-2018, making, restoring and conserving stained glass throughout Scotland.

Highlighted dates at this location

2009 (Go to date search)