Belfry in grounds of

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached two-storey belfry, built c.1880, located in St Patrick’s graveyard, to the west side of Dooish Road. Square-on-plan.

Roof is pitched natural slate with blue/black clay ridge tiles; stone Celtic cross finial to north; ashlar sandstone square-headed bellcote to south consisting of pointed-arched-headed aperture containing bronze bell; flat coping surmounted by pinnacles and Celtic cross finial. Walls are roughly coursed rubble with circular piers to corners surmounted by segmental coping. Windows are square-headed timber-framed fixed glazed with concrete sills.

Principal elevation faces south and is blank; projecting bay to centre surmounted by bellcote (see above).

West elevation is blank.

North elevation contains square-headed vertically-sheeted timber entrance door with sandstone lintel at ground floor right.

East elevation contains single window at first floor; evidence of opening at ground floor shown by sandstone lintel and differing stonework.

Setting

Set on elevated site to south of graveyard containing range of nineteenth- and twentieth-century grave markers and memorials. Bounded to road at east by roughcast walling with concrete coping; access through pair of steel gates supported on square piers; bounded to all other sides by hedging. St Patricks RC Church, built c.1980, to north of graveyard.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Roughly coursed rubble
Windows Square-headed timber-framed fixed glazed
RWG Cast-iron half-round gutters and round downpipes

Historical information

The belfry appears to date stylistically to c.1880.

It first appears, captioned, on the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1905) in the grounds of St Patrick’s RC Church.
The associated church is listed in Townland Valuations (1828-40) at a value of £22.2s. Griffith’s Valuation lists it at £25 and show the lessor to be Rev. Thomas S Blacker. In 1905 the value is raised by £1 due to the ‘addition of land’. The old church is fully described in OS Memoirs (p.126) and appears to have been quite a large building with attendances of 1,000 to 1,200.

The first mention of the belfry in valuation records is in 1933 when it is valued with the church, parochial hall and grave yard. The valuer gives the dimensions of the belfry as 20x17x19 and estimates the cost of it at £215. He deducts 3½% from the valuation of the plot because the church is ‘larger than necessary’ and the belfry is ‘little used’.

The church appears to have been rebuilt c.1980.

References

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/6/33/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1905)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/33/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1939-51)
3. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/33 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
4. PRONI VAL/1/B/635B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
5. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/33 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/37A – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/35/11A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1923)
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/1G/3 – Valuers RV Binder (1933-57)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached two-storey belfry, built c.1880, located in St Patrick’s graveyard, to the west side of Dooish Road. The belfry appears as a solid structure with fortified corners and few openings . The substantial bellcote to the south elevation displays fine stonework detailing, including finial. The building remains intact despite some evidence of change of openings at some time and is an unusual ornate feature of the graveyard and the small settlement in which it is situated.