Upper Langfield Parish Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing hall and tower Church of Ireland church, built c.1800. Rectangular-on-plan, facing west with gabled chancel to east and gabled vestry to north, added c.1870. Set on an elevated wooded site, with burial ground to south, accessed by a curved lane and enclosed by rubble-stone walls.

Pitched natural slate roofs with black clay ridge tiles to the main hall, roll-moulded clay ridge tiles to the chancel and vestry. Projecting render eaves course with steel guttering on iron drive-through brackets and cast-iron downpipes to north; asbestos rainwater goods to south elevation.

Three-stage crenellated tower slightly embedded into the west gable of the hall with the main entrance to the south elevation. The crenellations have cut stone coping and two stone string courses to the middle stage. Rubble-stone walling with squared quoins. Gothic openings formed in voussoired stones with inset brick arches, to the outer three sides of the upper stage, and to west side at ground level. Cast-iron quarry glass windows (missing to north, timber louvred to west). Tongue-and-groove timber door with cast-iron furniture opening onto two stone steps.

The main hall is three windows wide with rough-cast rendered walling and a smooth render plinth course. Arched window openings having recessed stone ashlar surrounds and leaded coloured glass windows.

The later chancel (east) and vestry (north), are of squared coursed and snecked stone walling with stone ashlar gables rising above roof level. To the chancel gable is a pair of round-headed window openings formed in tooled stone ashlar surrounds with decorative stained glass windows and a glazed quatrefoil set within a stone roundel above. To the east end of the north elevation is an added vestry with gables as per the chancel and a tall stone ashlar chimneystack. A square-headed window opening to both gables with cast-iron quarry-glass windows and a lean-to entrance porch to the east with tongue-and-groove timber door. To the west of the vestry is a brick screen wall and lean-to structure.

Setting

Church is set on an elevated site with an ascending gravel lane curving through the church yard containing a substantial amount of stone and marble grave markers, dating from early nineteenth century to present, and a single stone box tomb. The entire site is enclosed by a rubble-stone wall with the lane opening through a pair of cast-iron gates on a pair of curved stone walls with stone coping.

Roof Covering Natural Slate
Walling stone
Windows Iron quarry glazing/ stained glass
Rainwater goods Cast-iron/fibre cement

Historical information

The church is captioned on the first edition OS Map of 1833. By the third edition map of 1906 the plan appears to have changed slightly to incorporate a chancel to the east and a vestry to the north. In the Townland Valuation Records of 1828-40 the church is described as being 45 ft 6 in long by 27 ft broad by 16 ft high. A tower and steeple is 13 ft by 10 ft and 27 ft 6 in high. A vestry is pencilled in at a later date, being 10 ft long by 10 ft broad by 7 ft high. The church is valued at £7 16s 4d and the steeple at £1 12s 3d. In Griffith’s Valuation it is noted that the land belongs to Sir Jas M Strange Bt. The church is valued at £7 0s 0d and amended to £12 0s 0d. The valuation remains the same in the Annual Revision Records

Rowan comments; “1803. A diminutive tower and hall type church set on a hillside in a pretty little churchyard. Interior by Welland & Gillespie 1863” (p.253)

The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that Welland & Gillespie were associated with 'new sittings' in the 1860s and R E Buchanan with additions in 1916 - probably the chancel and vestry.
References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/34/1-3 – Ordnance Survey Maps ( 1833, 1854, 1906)
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/34 – Townland Valuation Map
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/634 – Townland Valuation Records (1828-40)
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/34/A – Griffith’s Valuation Map
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/36 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/18/A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)

Secondary Sources

1. Rowan, A ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’, Penguin Books, 1979
2. The Dictionary of Irish Architects, on line www.dia.ie

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

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

Evaluation

Free-standing hall and tower Church of Ireland church, built c.1800. A small sized church set in rural landscape with a simple hall and tower. Retaining its original features and an intact interior this church expresses a restrained nineteenth century character. The additions in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth century (vestry & chancel) complement the earlier fabric in scale and craftsmanship and the interior has work by Welland & Gillespie. This is an early church demonstrating both its original character and historic changes.