St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 19th century church in Gothic Revival style of cruciform plan consisting of a short nave, transepts, and shallow chancel, with a later tower and spire added next to the chancel. It stands on the edge of the village set back from the main road within its own grounds.

Walling is of hammer dressed snecked sandstone with smooth sandstone dressings including block surrounds to windows, and a projecting plinth. There are weathered diagonal buttresses to the outer corners of each block, those to the transepts and chancel gable rising to octagonal pinnacles. Some of the stonework of these pinnacles just above and below eaves level is recent replacement fabric for the original. Roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. Rainwater goods are of cast iron, with circular downpipes.

The main elevation, in visual terms, is the south, which faces directly toward the main road. The south elevation consists of a central chancel gable joined to a tower to the right which projects slightly forward from it, with both of them together projecting forwards from the two transepts which extend to each side. The chancel gable contains a three-light geometrical traceried window containing stained glass behind modern storm glazing, surmounted by a drip moulding with plain block stops. In the apex of the gable is a datestone inscribed '1845', set in a trefoil surround. Surmounting the gable is a cusped stone cross. To the left hand side of the chancel the angle between it and the transept is filled by a canted bay in two stages, containing a small rectangular window at lower level and roofed by stone weatherings.

The tower of square plan is of two stages surmounted by a tall stone broach spire. The lower stage contains two Gothic lancets, one above the other, while the upper stage contains a two-light plate traceried opening containing louvre boards, set in a Gothic arched surround rising from a single weathering. Above that rises a tall broach spire which contains a louvred lucarne at the base, and an elaborate metal finial and cross at the top. The other faces of both the upper stage of the tower and the spire are similar to this face while the lower stage on the east face is blank.

The transepts, set back to the left of the chancel and to the right of the tower each contain a simple Gothic arched lancet with a drip moulding.

The west elevation of the church consists of the west transept gable projecting forward from the nave. The transept gable has diagonal buttresses to the corners, both rising to octagonal pinnacles, with some of the stonework new. It has a central doorway containing a pair of rectangular ledged timber doors with a Gothic arched plate glass fanlight, set in a chamfered arched surround with a drip moulding, and approached by a stone step. Above it is a single light window similar to the south side of the transept. The north face of the transept is blank, while the west elevation of the nave contains a tall Gothic arched lancet without any drip moulding.

The main entrance formerly faced north, in the centre of the nave gable, but a modern extension has created a lateral porch across that gable and provided two entrances into it, approached from the east and west sides. Two other entrances, in the gable of each transept, facing east and west, are also used. The north gable of the nave is now largely covered over by the lower full-width projecting modern extension which encloses the original central entrance, but the top portion of a lancet window is still exposed above the ridge of the extension, now truncated to form a lunette. The extension projecting to the north is domestic in character, with a low eaves line, small rectangular three-light windows in each elevation, and a short square chimney on the gable. In both the east and west faces it has a pair of rectangular ledged timber doors set in a glazed screen, which lead into a new north porch to the church. Below the chimney on the north gable is a circular datestone inscribed '1995'.

The east elevation of the church consists of similar elements to the west with similar openings and details.

SETTING:
The church is approached from the main road to the south by a tarmac path which divides into two to run around the sides and rear of the building. The grounds are otherwise laid out as a grassy graveyard to the front and grassy banks to the rear. There is a very densely packed burial ground on rising ground to the east of the building and a new tarmac car park on higher ground to the north reached by a driveway elsewhere, but linked to the lower churchyard by a modern stepped path with modern iron railings.
The front boundary is formed by a smooth rendered wall topped by rough stone copings, which contains the main gateway which is set back and comprises a pair of original High Victorian ornamented gates and iron piers which are inscribed 'Musgrave, Belfast', flanked by curved screen walls.

Historical information

Built in 1845 for Rev James Lennan on the site of a previous church which had been established in 1797 and repaired in 1807. The date of the tower is not known.

References - Primary Sources
1. Date of 1845 inscribed on the building.

Secondary Sources
1. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), pp 215-216.
2. UAHS, Dungannon and Cookstown (Belfast, 1971), p 41.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A 19th century church in Gothic Revival style of cruciform plan consisting of a short nave, transepts, and shallow chancel, with a later tower and spire added next to the chancel. This a church of well proportioned and ornamented parts, including a robustly detailed tower and broach spire of very distinct form which stylistically recalls that of J.J. MacCarthy's Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Cookstown. The author of this church is, however, not known. Despite the loss of original character and appearance of the interior, due to modernisation, it retains a relationship with pre-emancipation plan forms. The exterior, which has now recaptured its original appearance following the reinstatement of pinnacles to the buttresses, stands as a significant local example of its type that enjoys a largely unspoiled rural churchyard setting as well as undoubted social importance. The 19th century ironwork main entrance gates and piers contribute an important element of original historic fabric to the setting.