Drumcrin Church Tower

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A square-in-section church tower set within a churchyard on an elevated site in Drumcrin Td. It is accessed from the road by a wrought-iron gate supported on rubble stone gate piers.

Tower is two-staged and of random rubble stone with sandstone dressings to openings; vestiges of lime render. Between each stage is an ashlar sandstone platband. All openings are semicircular-headed; none of the window cills remain.

The SE face was formerly abutted by the church, denoted by a slightly projecting pitched section to first stage. The first stage of the tower has a door opening to both SE and NW face; the remaining faces are blank. The second stage has a window opening with keystone to all but the SE face. This stage is surmounted by the remains of a crenallated parapet with finely dressed sandstone quoins and base.

The churchyard contains few stone memorials, mostly dating from early-mid 19thC. One of note is the Moore memorial, a stone slab resting on four stone blocks c1830.

A pair of square-in-section rubble stone gate piers with vestiges of lime render and pyramidal stone caps support a wrought-iron gate with ram’s-head finials and dogbars.

Historical information

The 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir describes this church as follows: “Th church in Drumcrin is very small and inconveniently situated with regard to the parish, being very near its western extremity, which is also the narrow end of the parish. It is placed on the side of a small hill and frequently in winter the road lading to it is flooded at both sides of the hill, so that divine service is often performed at the schoolhouses in Annaghmore and Rabbit island townlands. The church itself was built about 50 years ago and has a small square tower. It is very damp and in most wretched repair. It can accommodate about 200 persons”.

Both nave and tower are shown on the 1834 6" map. It is described in the first Valuation book as a 'Protestant church house' measuring 51ft6in x 26ft6in x 16ft. By the 1857 map, the nave had become roofless.

Primary sources:
1. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Drummully Parish, Co Fermanagh (1835).
2. OS 6" map 1st edition (1834), Co Fermanagh sheet 43 (PRONI OS 6/4/43/1).
3. First Valuation book, Drummully Parish, 1836 (PRONI VAL 1B/410B, p.65).
4. OS 6" map 2nd edition (1857), Co Fermanagh sheet 43 (PRONI OS 6/4/43/2).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-stage church tower beautifully set on an elevated site overlooking adjoining townlands within the lakelands of Co Fermanagh