Formoyle Parish Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A freestanding, single-cell Gothic-style stone Church of Ireland church, built c.1843. Located in a remote
setting, the church is rectangular on plan comprising central hall four-openings deep with a porch and canted chancel to west and east respectively. The deep roof rises to a small ornate stone bell-cote and buttresses articulate the window bays.

Pitched slate roof with black/grey angled ridge-tiles and flat stone coping to gables, surmounted by a small finial to the east. A stone, pinnacled bell-cote rises from the west gable, the three-pointed structure is pierced by a cusped opening, in which a single bronze bell is hung; the sides are carved with Gothic panels and below is a stone plaque with plain carving and mock machicolations supported on brackets to the west gable. uPVC rainwater goods to overhanging eaves, mounted by wall driven brackets to projecting stone eaves course. Walling is uncoursed, roughly-squared, rock-faced blackstone with sandstone dressings; projecting plinth of sandstone, with small vent openings, over un-mortared squared rubblestone base. Three-tiered offset buttresses and moulded sill course to all elevations except west. Gothic-style lancet windows are plain-glass, in metal diamond-lattice panes with raised pointed and splayed architraves surmounted by hood moulds with decorative stops.

Principal elevation faces north and comprises four windows having buttresses on each side.

East elevation is abutted by canted chancel, with hipped slate roof and lighted by three windows to the three easterly faces; remaining sides and elevation are blank.

South elevation is detailed as north.

West elevation contains advancing gabled porch to centre; otherwise blank. Stone porch is executed in style of main church and contains a pointed-arch doorway to centre having a double-leaf sheeted and braced timber door encased within chamfered stone architrave and hood mould over. Single small window to each cheek.

Setting

Located in a remote rural setting at the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, to the east of Coleraine town. The mature, elevated site is situated on the corner of Formoyle Road, which is lined with a small group of houses. The churchyard is somewhat overgrown, falling away steeply to the east and south, where a handful of 20th century graves are situated. Rubble/squared-stone walls and vegetation bound the site to the west and north. Access is via a small pedestrian iron gate, supported by a large circular, rendered stone pier, leading to a small gravel path, with a shallow sandstone step to porch.

Roof Slate
RWG uPVC
Walling Rock-faced uncoursed blackstone & sandstone dressings
Windows Metal-framed, diamond-paned, plain glass

Historical information

The Church of the Ascension, Fermoyle was built by the Clothworkers’ Company c1843 and is first shown, captioned, on the second edition OS map of 1849 with a ‘School Ho[use]’ (now gone) to the west. The church commands a view of the surrounding countryside, including the hill of Slemish which is associated with St Patrick (castlerock.derry.anglican.org). The chancel is a later addition and is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1904.

Fermoyle was established as a perpetual curacy comprising nine townlands that had originally been part of Dunboe parish. The church was built by the Clothworkers with the intention that it would be at the centre of a town between Coleraine and Limavady but due to the famine of the 1840s and the associated depopulation of the area, this scheme did not materialise. The building of the church was instigated by Archdeacon Monsell who contributed £200 towards its endowment but contracted fever at the time of the famine and died in 1846. A monument on the east wall commemorates the Archdeacon. The church was dedicated to St Matthew but is known as the Church of the Ascension (Crooks; castlerock.derry.anglican.org; Clergy of Derry and Raphoe) Griffith’s Valuation lists the church at £11 and the school house (which was in use until 1918) at £3.10s. The associated land was valued at 10s.

When the Clothworkers sold their estates in the area they gave the parish a gift of £300 and in 1869 the lands of Fermoyle were purchased by the Representative Church Body. Fermoyle was united with the mother church at Dunboe in 1873 (Crooks). The building was listed in 1977 and at this period was lit by gas lamps, Girvan commenting on the ‘fanciful bell-cote…surmounted by a handsomely carved pinnacle’ but no parishioners remain in the area and the church is currently used for a small number of services each year in connection with Orange Order parades. In 2009 alternative uses were being considered. (HB file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/6/1 First Edition OS Map 1831
2. PRONI OS/6/5/6/2 Second Edition OS map 1849
3. PRONI OS/6/5/6/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/6/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923-4
5. PRONI Printed Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/3A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. HB file – 03/13/018

Secondary Sources

1. Crooks, D W T “Living Stones: A Historical Survey of the Churches of the Dioceses of Derry and Raphoe”
2. Fawcett, FW Rev Canon; Crooks, DWT Rev Canon; Leslie JB Rev “Clergy of Derry and Raphoe” Ulster Historical Foundation, 1999
3. http://castlerock.derry.anglican.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

An unusual example of a small, freestanding early Victorian, hall-type stone church, which was constructed c.1843 by the Clothworkers Company and is located in a historic rural farmland setting, on the Formoyle Road, to the east of Coleraine. Whilst modest in scale and proportion, this remote parish church is embellished with decorative Gothic-Revival detailing, which significantly elevates the architectural interest. This serves to highlight the ambitious intentions, which were envisioned for this church during the time of construction. Although the building is now rarely used, the character and fabric of the interior, exterior and setting have remained largely unaltered.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity ; T - Historic Importance and U - Histyoric Associations also apply.