Old Cambus, St Helen's Church

AOC recorded the remains of St Helen's Church, Cockburnspath, on behalf of Historic Environment Scotland in spring 2021, following a report of possible damage to a hogback stone at the site. The church is believed to date to the 12th century, with some elements rebuilt in the 14th or 15th century. The west gable suvives almost to its apex, at over 8.5m tall, and includes some stones carved with chevron. Chevron occurs in Norman architecture as is considered at other sides to date to the 12th century. They have most likely been reused here from an earlier building. The west gable is also marked with putlog holes or joist sockets. Putlog holes held timbers as part of scaffolding used during construction. At some sites, the timbers extended right through the wall. At the end of the build, they might be sawn off and plastered over, hence the gaps in the wall here where the wood has rotted away. More info: https://canmore.org.uk/site/59948/old-cambus-st-helens-church