St Patrick's Church of Ireland

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An early 19th century church built of sandstone of hall-and-tower type, consisting of a three-bay nave and short chancel, with a three-stage square tower, all with Perpendicular Gothic tracery to the windows. It stands on an elevated site set well back from the public road, within its own grounds, in a very rural area.

Walls are of regular coursed sandstone rubble with raised quoins and smooth sandstone dressings to openings, and a small projecting plinth. Nave and chancel have gabled roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, timber barge boards, and rainwater goods of cast iron.

The main elevation faces south, the main entrance door is located in the tower which stands set back at the west end of the nave with the chancel set back at the east end. The nave is lit by three Gothic arched timber windows, each of three lights with Perpendicular Gothic tracery, all containing metal framed lozenge shaped glazing, and surmounted by moulded labels. The south elevation of the chancel is blank.

The west (gable) elevation has the tower located centrally with a small lean-to roofed modern toilet extending to the left of the tower with slated roof and smooth cement rendered walls which are lined, the walling to the right hand side is blank.

The tower has had its stonework cleaned except for the crenellations, corner pinnacles, and moulded cornice above the top-most storey. Tower stages are marked by plain projecting stringcourses. The bottom stage contains the main entrance which consists of a rectangular ledged timber door with decorative ironwork hinges, surmounted by a blind tympanum of Gothic arched form containing intersecting Gothic tracery, all set within a Gothic arched stop-chamfered stone surround and projecting drip moulding. Above the doorway is a projecting sandstone shield inscribed with the date 1818. The middle stage of the tower has a narrow Saxon-style slit opening containing a perforated timber board. The top-most stage contains timber louvre boards in timber Perpendicular tracery set in a Gothic arched surround and projecting drip moulding with crudely carved stone label stops, in the form of human heads, but of unusually naïve and primitive appearance. The west elevation of the tower is similar to the south except that the middle storey contains a timber sheeted oculus in a projecting moulded surround, and the bottom storey contains a three-light traceried window similar to those of the nave except for its small square glazing pattern. It has modern moulded metal rainwater goods with a square-section downpipe. There is a simple Gothic arched doorway in the west end containing a sheeted timber door, with a pair of semi-circular headed modern timber vent-lights in the north side. The north elevation of the tower is similar to the south except for a blind bottom stage.

The north elevation of the nave is similar to its south side, while the north side of the chancel is mostly covered over by a lean-to vestry. The vestry has similar roofing, rainwater goods, and walling to the main building, but the window in the north side is a rectangular timber sliding sash, two over two, without horns, set in a partly blocked surround. A rectangular timber boarded door in the east end of the vestry is set in a fully blocked surround.

The east elevation of the chancel is of similar walling to previous. It contains a large five-light window of Perpendicular Gothic type containing stained glass, with a narrow Gothic lancet, filled with brickwork, in the apex above it.

SETTING

The church is approached from the public road by a tarmac 'entrance driveway' through a pair of original chamfered sandstone piers hung with decoratively treated iron gates with a modern 'exit' driveway complete with a replicated gateway now constructed alongside it. Driveways are flanked by grass verges and trees and converge in an extensive tarmac car park which contains a modern church hall near to the church. There are also extensive lawns near the church and a driveway leading to an enclosed graveyard to the west. The graveyard is entered by a set of gates and piers similar to the main entrance, with a rubble stone wall enclosing it all around. Mounted in the wall next to the graveyard entrance is a sandstone shield recording a dedication to the Countess of Castlestuart's father who died in 1864. The graveyard contains late 19th and 20th century memorials but none of special artistic interest.

To the east of the church is large, modern church hall of no interest.

Historical information

Built in 1818 at a cost of £1600 which was granted by the Board of First Fruits. The decision to build a church on this site was made in 1813, and the completed building was consecrated on 4 September 1822. No architect's name has been recorded but there is a local tradition that the elaborate ceiling plasterwork was designed by John Nash who was involved at Derryloran Parish Church in Cookstown and also at Lissan Rectory in this same period. The building was repaired around 1837 with a grant of £151 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The east window was made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, retaining earlier tracery lights, and installed after 1928.

References - Primary Sources
1. Datestone of 1818 on the tower.
2. OS 1st Edition Map of 1833.
3. S. Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), Vol 1, p 88.

Secondary Sources
1. T. Davis, John Nash: The Prince Regent's Architect (London, 1966), p 51.
2. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), p 327.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

An early 19th century church built of sandstone of hall-and-tower type, consisting of a three-bay nave and short chancel, with a three-stage square tower, all with Perpendicular Gothic tracery to the windows.This is a church in a Gothic Revival style which retains most of its original character and detail intact. It is a well proportioned example of its type, with a typical hall-and-tower plan form, and contains an interior which exhibits some unusually elaborate ceiling plasterwork. On the exterior it exhibits a series of highly unusual and idiosyncratically naïve carved head label stops. Aside from the art-historical interest of its detailing, it is of considerable local interest as it forms a prominent landmark in a rural setting, as well as having local social importance.