St Columba's Parish Church - Largs, North Ayrshire. - Unique Steeples on Waymarking.com

St Columba was associated with the seaside town of Largs as long ago as AD711, and a church of that name occupied land in the centre of the town. All that remains of that building is the Skelmorlie Aisle, and a new church was built in 1812 on the seafront overlooking the Firth of Clyde. This relatively small building with a spire on the western gable was not fit for purpose, and the Glasgow architects Henry Steele and Andrew Balfour designed a new building on the same site which was started in 1891.

Built in Ballochmyle sandstone in an early English Gothic style, the new church featured a 150 foot three-stage tower and spire which is a prominent landmark in the town. The steeple is situated on the north-west corner next to the high western gable. A doorway lies at the foot of the north face of the tower, and on the west face are two small windows. A long gap then heads up to two narrow recessed slots with the central part between acting as a buttress. A string course lies above and then there is a tall pointed arch window split horizontally by two transoms. On the corners, the lower buttresses are converted to octagonal columns with roll moulding at the change of directions. At the next stage above the string course is a large clock face with a gabled pedimented cap. The lower buttresses now have blind lancets on each face with pointed pediments above, then finished on short stone spires. The spire which tops off the tower is octagonal.