Christ Church (CoI)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached double-height Church of Ireland, built c1870, located to the east side of Ballyard Road, Trillick. Rectangular nave with chancel to north; gabled vestry to west and square two-stage tower with broach spire to south-west corner.

Roofs are pitched natural slate with lead sheeted ridge; stone verges on cyma recta moulded kneelers; double-barrel chimney to north apex; square cast-iron rainwater goods. Walls are roughly coursed squared-and-snecked rubble stone with contrasting string course at cill and head level; droved finish stepped sandstone quoins; projecting chamfered plinth. Windows are gothic containing leaded stained glass in stepped droved finish sandstone surrounds with splayed sandstone cills and voussoirs.

Principal elevation faces west and is abutted to right corner by two-stage tower; exposed section contains paired pointed-arched-windows flanked by single window at each side.

Tower contains gabled entrance consisting of double-leaf vertically sheeted timber doors flanked by polished granite crocketted colonettes supporting bead-moulded gothic with hoodmould; three narrow square-headed windows to left and right cheek; south elevation contains single square-headed window surmounted by two marble plaques, (first reads ‘THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE’, surmounted by second tablet and clock). Clock is recessed with moulded stone surround; stage two contains louvred belfry openings to each elevation surmounted by broach ashlar spire. Intersecting angle between church and nave contains bell tower stairwell with glazed loophole to each face and ashlar roof.

North gable is abutted at centre by double-height (slightly lower) gabled chancel; exposed section is blank. Chancel is detailed as nave with herringbone slate pattern to centre of each roof slope. North gable contains single tracery window; paired narrow square-headed openings to apex; chancel east elevation contains single window; west elevation is abutted by vestry; detailed as nave with small geometric tracery window to west elevation; replacement timber sheeted door within shouldered stop-chamfered surround; accessed by single stone step, flanked by plinth wall with saddle-back coping.

West elevation is five windows wide, central window flanked by pair to each side. Corners abutted by stepped angle buttresses with off
setting.

South gable contains central geometric tracery window with hoodmould and carved stop-ends; projecting extended cill with carved moulded ends. Tripartite round-headed window to apex (outer windows diminished in height).

Setting

Located to the north of Trillick town; bound to Ballyard Road by roughly coursed rubble walling, accessed through set back entrance consisting of square rubble stone pillars supporting painted cast-iron gates.

Roof Natural slate
Walling rubble stone .
Windows leaded stained glass
RWG cast-iron

Historical information

The church first appears captioned ‘Christ Church’ on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1906. It is written into the Annual Revision Records in 1877 and valued at £50 0s 0d, the value remaining the same throughout the revisions.

Rowan comments; “High Victorian Gothic, built in 1872 by the Archdale family in a new parish created in that year. Dec windows. Hall and chancel with offset porch. Belfry turret with a broach-spire. All in dark red sandstone.” (p. 502)

The Diocesan history confirms that the Church was licensed for Divine Worship on 9 December 1872. (p.251)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/56/1-3 – Ordnance Survey Maps (1833, 1854, 1906)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/40/5/A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)

Secondary Sources

1. Rowan, A ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’, Penguin Books, 1979
2. Leslie, Canon J B 'Clergy of Clogher', Ulster Historical Foundation, 2006

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached double-height Church of Ireland, built c1870, located to the east side of Ballyard Road, Trillick. The church is robustly detailed with tower and broach spire, Gothic stained glass windows with stepped chamfered stone surrounds. The stone detailing is of very good quality and an intact and well preserved interior contribute to the overall character of the church. A good example of a later Victorian ecclesiastical building.