Billy C of I Parish Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Simple, rubble-built, single storey (‘Commissioners’) gothic C of I parish church of 1815, with three storey tower. The chancel was added in 1890. The church set on an isolated rise to the S of Cabragh Road (next to the junction with Haw Road), c.1.5 miles S of Bushmills. To the N and S of the church is a graveyard, and, also to the S, are the ruined remains of the original medieval parish church.

The church is entered on the S face of the tower, which itself is to the W side of the building. The entrance consists of a timber sheeted double door set with a pointed arch recessed opening with chamfered sandstone reveal. Drip moulding above doorway. To the first floor of this face of the tower is a (window-like) pointed arch recess with reveal as doorway and drip moulding over. To the second floor is a taller pointed arch opening with similar reveal and drip moulding. The opening has a Y tracery frame (double lancet) and is louvered. The first and second floor openings are set within a tall, shallow, recess. There is a string course between first and second floor levels and above second floor level (just below the parapet).

The W face of the tower is as S face, but there is a window to the ground floor and another to the first floor. Both windows are set in pointed arch openings with reveals etc as before and both have Y tracery frames, but that to the ground floor was small lattice panes, whilst the other has horizontal glazing bars.

The N face of the tower is similar to the W face, but the ground and first floor openings are both blind. The first floor opening has well worn carved stone panel set into the recess. The E face of the tower is only exposed at second floor level, were there is a louvered opening second floor level other faces. The tower is topped with a battlemented parapet and tall octagonal corner pinnacles set on square bases.

The N façade of the nave has three evenly spaced tall pointed arch windows. All are sandstone dressed with sandstone Y tracery and small lattice panes. Recent protective glazing over windows. The S façade repeats the arrangement of the N façade. The façade of the original section of the church is basalt rubble and has a tall chamfered base, which, to the W gable and tower is set on another chamfered base. Eaves course to the N and S facades of the nave.

To the rear gable is the chancel, which was added in 1890. This is in snecked basalt with red sandstone for quoins, courses and dressings to openings. It is five sided (like ‘half’ an octagon), with a projecting lean-to (vestry) section to the N. To the S face there are two high level pointed arch openings with cusped windows with pictorial stained glass (?by Michael Healy), and drip moulding over with decorative stops. There is a single similar window to the SE, E and NE faces.

To the N is the lean-to vestry section, which projects beyond the line of the N façade of the nave. To the E face of this is a set of steps leading to a timber sheeted pointed arch doorway set in reveal as windows to other faces of the chancel. The steps to the doorway are enclosed by a parapet to the N in basalt topped with sandstone. To the right of the steps (at semi-basement level) is a low doorway leading to the boiler house. To the immediate right of the doorway is a window, as other faces of the chancel, but shorter and with patterned stained glass. To the N face of the lean-to are a pair of windows, much as E face only slightly shorter and set at a slightly lower level.

The chancel is set on a tall plinth which is topped with a sandstone course. The windows to the S, SE, E and NE faces are set on a sandstone cill course. Sandstone eaves course and (lean-to) parapets to chancel. The parapets have decorative ‘tympanum’ ends. There is potless chimney stack rising from the roof of the lean-to (against the main E gable), also in basalt and sandstone.

The gabled roof of the nave is covered in natural (Bangor blue) slate, as is the roof of the chancel, but some of the chancel slates are shaped. Cast iron rw goods.

The church is surrounded by a rubble-built wall, which is fairly low to the N, W and E, but much higher to the S (beyond which is the original church/graveyard). To the S the wall has had some head stones set into it. To the SW there is a pedestrian entrance with a well worn (?early to mid 19th century) wrought iron gate. To the NW the wall is ‘chamfered’ and within this section there is a carriage entrance with slightly more ornate wrought/cast iron gates set between octagonal sandstone pillars with ‘splayed’ caps. The E wall is faced with breeze block to the E side. Built into the S end of the E side of the E wall is a two storey gabled outbuilding, also in rubble. A recent looking timber ‘walkway’ stretches from the church grounds to a doorway on the upper floor of the N gable.

Historical information

The parish of Billy was created in the 12th century as part of the reorganisation (and standardisation) of the Irish church in the wake of continental reform movements and the Norman invasion of Ireland. A church probably stood on this site long before the 1100s, however, for the word ‘Billy’ derives from the Gaelic word ‘Bile’, meaning a large tree of religious (i.e. pagan) significance. Like many others, the site was undoubtedly commandeered when Christianity reached the area.

‘The old church of Bile’ is listed in the 1306 taxation rolls of Pope Nicholas when it possessed the, surprisingly high, valuation of 54 marks (£36). The fate of the church during the late medieval period is unclear, however it appears to have escaped the depredations carried out on many such buildings during the 16th century, for it is described as in good repair in the Ulster Visitation Book of 1622. The medieval church building continued to serve the parish (in presumably much modified form), until the early 1800s, and is indicated in Taylor’s and Skinner’s 1777 map of the area. Its ruined remains are still extant in the old graveyard.

The present church was built in 1815 at a cost of £1,300, £800 of which was provided by the Board of First Fruits. In 1821 a bell was added at a cost of £21 and the roof repaired in 1827. In 1890 the chancel was added and a new pulpit installed. The organ followed in 1893, the font four years later, the bell replaced in 1914 and the boiler installed in 1917. Electric lighting was provided in 1952.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777), map 272.
2 PRONI CR/1/29 Records of Billy parish church 1787-1870.
3 PRONI OS/1/1/7 OS map 1st ed., 1834, Co. Antrim 7.

Secondary sources
1 W.D. Girvan ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the towns and villages of North Antrim’ (Belfast UAHS 1972), p.28.
2 Rev. Adam A. Johns ‘Short history of the Parish of Billy’ (Local publication 1982).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Simple, rubble-built, single storey (‘Commissioners’) gothic C of I parish church of 1815, with three storey pinnacled tower. The hipped roof chancel was added in 1890. A good, well conserved example of its type. Also the importance of the site in its association with both the Early Irish and Anglo-Norman eccliastical periods means that it should be included in the higher (B) grade.