McGarel Cemetery

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A walled graveyard which contains a chapel on axis with the main entrance, and a stone-roofed vault built along the southern boundary.

Main entrance gateway faces east. East boundary wall: basalt rubble in rough courses, with sandstone copings surmounted by iron railings ornamentally treated; central entrance gateway comprising two square piers, snecked squared basalt, sandstone capstones, sandstone weathering to plinth; pair of iron gates, similar style to railings. To each extremity of east boundary, square corner piers similar to gate piers; one to left surmounted by large terracotta urn, presumably a feature of the other three piers originally; pier to right abutted by modern rendered wall of adjoining playing fields. Boundary walls to other three sides, basalt rubble with sandstone coping.

On axis with entrance gateway, a small gabled single cell chapel in Gothic Revival style: walls of basalt rubble roughly coursed, with white brick quoins, dressings to openings, and string courses. Segmental arch to entrance front containing double doors, each door three-panel, with radial fanlight and sidelights, all constructed in chunky chamfered timber. Glazing all boarded up. Iron work grille gates to front, ornamentally treated; two sandstone steps. Above door, three-light timber Gothic style window. Three windows to each side elevation: four-centred arches; sandstone cills; windows boarded up. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; red terracotta ridge tiles; cast iron guttering all removed from eaves and lying on ground; cast iron downpipe. Three-light window in gable to west (ecclesiastical east end) blocked up with cement render.

To the south-west of the chapel, tight up against inside of south boundary wall of cemetery, a single cell gabled stone vault in Gothic Revival style: snecked basalt walls with red sandstone quoins, all rock faced. Red sandstone covering to roof, laid in regular courses. In entrance gable, Gothic arched doorway in red sandstone containing two leaf timber door, each leaf three-panel, below red sandstone tympanum; two sandstone steps to doorway. Projecting from each side elevation, low iron railed enclosure, ornamentally treated, on sandstone dwarf walls.

No monuments of special architectural interest but one worth recording for local art-historical interest: standing to east of vault, a red sandstone pedestal with corner colonnettes and High Victorian stylised leaves to the base of a broken obelisk which has an artist’s palette in relief on the front face; inscribed as follows: “Erected by a few friends in memory of Thomas Semple, Artist, who died at Larne, 18th December 1874, aged 33 years”. (Semple would appear to be otherwise unknown.)

The cemetery is located on the edge of the built-up area of the town and occupies a slightly elevated site rising up from the main road. Apart from one tall tree and a few bushes, it is rather bare of vegetation and does not have an aspect of any particular attractiveness.

Historical information

Laid out as a public burial place to be called the McGarel Cemetery at the cost of Charles McGarel. Originally half an acre was given for the separate use of Roman Catholics, to be managed by the parish priest, and the rest was handed over to the care of the guardians of the poor; consecrated in 1867.

References - Secondary

1. G.H. Bassett, The Book of Antrim (Dublin, 1888), p 371.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Victorian cemetery of some local interest but it contains little of real architectural interest and has suffered loss of original fabric