Image: Trinity Church and Active Travel Hub by Roger Griffith (Rosser1954), sourced from Wikimedia Commons and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Frederick Thomas Pilkington’s polychrome “Rogue Gothic” church now supports walking and cycling from its dramatic riverside site.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1863
- Architect / designer
- Frederick Thomas Pilkington
- Type
- Venetian-inspired Gothic former church and hall on a compact sloping site
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB35410)
- OS grid reference
- NS 32030 38801
Architecture and continuing use
Bull-faced rubble, red sandstone bands and alternating voussoirs animate a tightly packed group of gables, porch, tower and spire. Steep roofs, pointed openings, carved foliage and sunburst masonry respond to the sharply falling ground.
Its story
Pilkington designed the church in 1863 for a Free Church congregation. After worship ended it served community purposes and entered a preservation-led reuse programme; the building now accommodates North Ayrshire’s active-travel hub.
Why it is included
Category A status, exceptional authorship, expressive masonry and a publicly useful new role make the former church an unusually strong example of adaptive reuse.
What to notice
- Red and grey stone arranged as bands and alternating arch stones.
- The compact sequence of gables, porch, tower and spire.
- How the approach walls and staged railings negotiate the steep site.
Reading the surroundings
The hub publishes limited weekly opening hours and programme information. Check before visiting, use the stepped or accessible approach advised by staff and do not assume access to every part of the former church.
Timeline
- 1863 Frederick Thomas Pilkington completed the church beside Bridgegate.
- 1996 A building-preservation trust acquired the former church for restoration and reuse.
- 2026 The Trinity continues to publish staffed opening hours and active-travel activity from the building.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The statutory record reflects the building’s former ecclesiastical and community-centre phases; the checked current function is the active-travel hub and future council estate decisions may change its use.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Trinity Church and Active Travel Hub, LB35410 — Designation category, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- The Trinity: North Ayrshire active-travel hub — Current function, address, staff, opening hours and 2026 activity.
- North Ayrshire Council: Local Transport and Active Travel Strategy — Council policy context for the hub’s walking, cycling and public-transport role.
Location
OS grid reference NS 32030 38801 · Location confidence: High: the HES designation provides an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.