Dallas Parish Church

Dallas Parish Church is located in an open area of ground a short distance south-west of the small, linear village of Dallas. The manse and glebe land surrounds the church and there is a small graveyard to the south. The church was built in the late 18th century and has been altered and extended in the centuries since. The graveyard features a fine former watch house and a tall 16th century cross.

An older church stood on the site of the current church (or possibly slightly to the east, in the graveyard), and was dedicated to St Michael. Its foundation is not clear, although it is mentioned in 1226. It was repaired in 1580 but was ruinous by 1627. 

The church is a fairly simple rectangular building with later additions to the north, including a hall and kitchen. It was built with roughly-shaped and coursed granite blocks with harl pointing around partially over the stonework. The window and door surrounds are of polished and tooled ashlar. The roofs are all slated and the nave has two metal conical vents on the ridgeline. 

The south elevation is the principal face of the church and overlooks the graveyard and gateway into the grounds. It has three round-arched windows with multi-pane frosted glass, the outer panes of which are coloured orange. The main doorway into the church is placed in the eastern end of the elevation. Fairly untypical for the style and scale of the church, there is a fine sandstone corniced lintel which is supported by Ionic pillars. Historic Scotland suggest they have been re-used from elsewhere. The door itself is a recent replacement of wood with small side windows. 

The west gable has a small round-arched window in the centre with clear multi-pane glass. On the apex is a tall birdcage-style bellcote, which has ashlar uprights and a rectangular opening. A small bell is held in place by a metal mechanism and is rung via an external chain pull. In the centre of the gable, at ground level, is a blocked doorway, showing that the interior has been re-orientated. 

The east gable of the church has a Venetian-style window in the centre, comprising two outer rectangular windows and a larger central round-arched window. This was originally a doorway to give access to a gallery within. A large double stairway attached to the gable provided access to the door, which was at gallery level. This stairway is no defunct but is still in place. There is a blocked doorway under the stairway, suggesting there was an outer store under the stairs. 

The north elevation of the church has two large round-arched windows with multi-pane glass, and there is a small rectangular window at the east end to help light the area under the gallery inside. Attached to the west end of the elevation is a low, single-storey extension, built in coursed granite rubble and with a slate roof. It is a small hall or session room and a small kitchen extension has recently been added to its north end. There is also a small vestry annex, attached on the western side of the hall.

The interior of the church is quite plain and features a gallery at the east end and a sanctuary area at the west. The walls and ceiling are plastered and painted and there is a dado course around the walls. The nave has rows of simple wooden pews, most likely later additions, and there is a small display and welcome area under the east gallery. The sanctuary area at the west end includes a small communion table, lectern and font and behind is a pulpit with wooden stair. A later electric organ is placed in one corner. Behindthe pulpit is a painted banner which reads: 'God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come 1794-1994'. A doorway in the north-west corner leads into the session room/hall, which has recent furnishing, including tables and chairs.