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St Mary's Church, Stow is a parish church situated in Midlothian, Scotland, in countryside underlain by Gala Group wacke bedrock of Telychian age. The church stands as a record of medieval religious provision in the Scottish Borders region, designated as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM8215.
The site's geology of tough, fine-grained wacke would have presented both challenge and resource to builders. Such durable sedimentary rock, formed in the Silurian period around 430 million years ago, outcrops across the moorlands and valleys of this part of Midlothian and provided suitable stone for construction of walls and architectural features throughout the medieval period and beyond.
The church's designation as a scheduled monument reflects its significance to the heritage of the area and its potential to yield information about ecclesiastical organisation, local settlement patterns and building practices across the centuries. The rural setting and local geology continue to shape how the monument is experienced and understood within its landscape.
St Mary's Church, Stow is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8215. View the official record →
St Mary's Church, Stow is a parish church situated in Midlothian, Scotland, in countryside underlain by Gala Group wacke bedrock of Telychian age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8215.
St Mary's Church, Stow is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM8215.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Our Lady's Chapel,chapel 350m N of Torsonce (0.9 km), Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow (2.8 km), Windydoors Farm, Bastle (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St Mary's Church, Stow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
St Mary's Church, Stow stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.