St Patrick’s C of I Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A church consisting of nave, chancel and western tower which contains the entrance, with a projecting vestry off the nave and a modern school room off the tower, both on the north side.

Main entrance, in the tower, faces south. South elevation comprises a nave with an entrance tower set back to the left and a chancel set back to the right. Tower and nave walls constructed largely of grey stone boulders; later chancel constructed of random rubble blackstone with sandstone quoins.

Tower has circular openings containing louvres at the top in three sides, the one on the entrance front being off-centre, and immediately below it is a blocked up two-centre arch. Main entrance is a chamfered Gothic archway containing double doors of ledged timber; ornamented hinges. Parapet of tower crenellated with a slated octagonal spire above, unusual feature, a rebuilding of the original spire but lacking original blind oculus details at base; weathervane on top. West face of tower has a pair of coupled lancets of Gothic Revival design, later insertions in what was originally a rectangular doorway; glazed with stained glass.

Nave roof slated. Bangor blue in regular courses set between gable copings of sandstone. Stumpy octagonal chimney at right-hand extremity of ridge. Cast iron gutter and cast iron downpipe. Victorian iron lamp bracket with fluted globe-light mounted on wall at right-hand extremity. Windows are two pairs of coupled lancets of Gothic Revival design, later insertions, with sandstone dressings, glazed with lozenge pattern, cast iron glazing bars; clear glass quarries with red tinted margin lights. Chancel roof and rainwater goods similar to nave; flag pole mounted high on chancel wall, with timber and iron brackets. One pair of small coupled lancets of Gothic Revival design containing lozenge pattern leading and stained glass.

East gable of chancel has three-light traceried window in Gothic Revival style; sandstone dressings; stained glass.

North elevation of building comprises from left to right: side wall of chancel with shallow rectangular out-shot containing a small gothic arched window with lozenge pattern cast iron tracery; side wall of nave with gabled vestry projecting forward to the left and school room projecting forward to the right and embracing base of western tower; PVC downpipe at junction of chancel with nave.
Vestry roof slated as previous, its gable built up from original hipped roof as seen in an old photograph; small Gothic arched lancet in gable, with lozenge pattern cast iron tracery; doorway with shouldered lintel, sandstone dressed, ledged timber door, in west side of vestry; sandstone steps with modern tubular metal handrail up to door; walling of vestry random rubble blackstone.

North elevation of nave has roof, walling and two pairs of coupled lancet windows as previous to entrance front, except eastern pair are glazed with stained glass.

School room, recent addition, built of boulder masonry in imitation of the tower and nave, but lancet windows in long wall and in gable have cement surrounds in the manner of raised blocks not used anywhere else in the church, inappropriate. Slated roof swept down from nave; cast iron gutters and downpipes; PVC soil pipe and PVC waste pipes at low level, inappropriate. Set back gable at west end dressed with slate hanging, introducing an inappropriate construction technique.

SETTING: The church stands in a rural
setting, in its own churchyard which also contains the ruined walls of its 17th century predecessor. There is a substantial rubble stone boundary wall to the main road, with a set of modern iron gates, but other boundary walling is either insubstantial or in a state of partial collapse held up only with the aid of later buttresses.

Historical information

Built in 1815, with a grant from the Board of First Fruits, as a simple rectangular church with a western tower and spire; chancel and vestry at the east end added in 1862 to designs of Welland and Gillespie of Dublin. The spire was rebuilt c. 1970 following the general form but not all the detail of the original spire. Sunday school added in 1992-3 to design of H.S.L. Robinson, ARIBA, MRIAI, MBIM, with E.S. approval. The font is of some historic association: it was used by Dean Swift in Ballynure Church during his incumbency in 1695.The church stands within the area of an ancient monument, no. ANT35:14.

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1833, Co Antrim 35.
2. OS Map 1903, Co Antrim 35.
3. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Antrim III, Volume 10 (Belfast, 1991), p 3.
4. Photograph in Welch Collection, Ulster Museum (W01/28/11).
5. S. Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), p 264.

Secondary

1. C.E.B. Brett, The Buildings of County Antrim (Belfast, 1996), p 46.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A pleasant early 19th century church of some rustic charm in a rural setting, with an unusual spire.