St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A mid-19th century church of masonry construction in Gothic Revival style comprising a nave, two aisles, apsidal chancel, and a western tower in the angle between nave and aisle on the south side. It stands at the western edge of the village facing a public road but set back from it within its own grounds.

Walls are of polygonal blackstone rubble with smooth sandstone dressings to openings, projecting plinth, buttresses, and shaped sandstone corbels to the eaves course. There are angle buttresses at the corners of the tower and at the corners of the aisles.
Roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. Rainwater goods are of cast iron, comprising moulded gutters and square section downpipes with trefoil-ended fixing brackets.

The south elevation consists of the south aisle with the tower to the left hand end. The main entrance faces south, located in the base of the tower. The south aisle is lit by tall narrow Gothic arched lancets containing tinted leaded glazing with stained glass motifs, set in irregular sized block surrounds. The tower is of two stages separated by a moulded stringcourse. The lofty lower stage contains the main entrance with a pair of small narrow lancet windows appearing higher up. The main entrance contains a pair of double-leaf Gothic arched timber boarded doors with large scrolling ironwork hinges, set in a stop-chamfered Gothic arched surround surmounted by a drip moulding with plain block stops. It is approached by two concrete paved steps combined with a ramp and modern ironwork railing. The windows higher up in the tower have drip mouldings and contain leaded glazing. The upper stage of the tower is pinnacled and crenellated and contains timber louvre boards in a Gothic arched opening containing geometric tracery. The pinnacles are surmounted by plain crosses. The other faces of the upper stage of the tower are similar to the south. The east face of the lower stage contains two small lancets as previous. The west face of the lower stage of the tower contains a narrow lancet at the bottom, detailed as on previous faces, with a quatrefoil marble datestone of 1861 in a circle above it, and a pair of quatrefoil windows above that, one with plate glass, the other with leaded glazing.

The west elevation of the main body of the church comprises the two gables of the nave. Walling is similar to the south elevation, with buttresses again marking the main structural divisions. The nave gable contains a doorway similar to that of the tower, with a three-light geometric bar-traceried window above it, glazed as previous to the nave. It rests on a moulded stringcourse and is surmounted by a drip moulding with plain block stops. In the apex of the gable is a small trefoil opening to ventilate the roof space. This gable is surmounted by a stone wheel-cross. The north aisle gable contains a two-light window with a quatrefoil in plate tracery, surmounted by a drip mould as before and containing plain leaded glazing. The apex of this gable also contains a trefoil vent but is surmounted by a stone cresting ornamented by a small fleur-de-lys motif carved in stone.

The north elevation consists of the north aisle with a lower gabled sacristy projecting at the left hand end. The north aisle is lit by six windows of similar detailing to those of the south aisle. The sacristy gable contains a projecting chimney breast carrying a square chimney of regular coursed ashlar sandstone. The west side of the sacristy contains one small lancet window, as previous, but without a drip moulding, and a gothic arched doorway, with drip moulding, containing a ledged timber door. It is approached by a flight of six stone steps. The east side of the sacristy contains two lancets similar to previous, with a rectangular timber sheeted door in the plinth area which is deep enough to accommodate a basement due to the slope of the ground.

The east elevation of the church comprises the curved apse of the nave flanked to each side by the gables of the aisles. The apse wall is of slightly battered form, with a semi-conical slated roof, and contains five small lancets, without drip mouldings, containing stained glass. The aisle gables contain two-light plate traceried windows similar to that of the west end of the north aisle, but without drip mouldings. They also have a trefoil vent in the apex and are surmounted by an ornamented stone gable cresting.

SETTING:
The church is approached from the main road to the south by a tarmac driveway which expands to the west to form a small car park and extend around the perimeter of the church as a path. To the south and west the grounds are laid out as lawns. To the north they form a graveyard. The boundary to the south, or front, is formed by a low rubble stone wall which contains the main gateway, comprised of a pair of scrolling ironwork gates set in plain rubble stone piers. Boundaries elsewhere are formed mainly by hedges.

Historical information

Built in 1861 for Rev Patrick Quinn.

References - Primary Sources
1. Datestone of 1861 on the building.
2. OS Map of 1905-6.

Secondary Sources
1. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), p 125.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A mid-19th century church of masonry construction in Gothic Revival style comprising a nave, two aisles, apsidal chancel, and a western tower in the angle between nave and aisle on the south side. This is a church in a Gothic Revival style, well proportioned and exhibiting some minor ornamental elements appropriate to the style. It has undergone some alterations to the interior which detract from its original interior appearance and have altered its original spatial arrangement, but as a substantial example of its type, with a prominent and highly visible tower, it stands as a building of both special local interest and considerable social importance.

General comments

Sketch plan does not indicate the aisles.