Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Ruined Church
Greencastle, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Record only (not listed)
- Grade
- Record Only
- Type
- Church
- Date of construction
- Pre 1600
- Address
- Ruined Church, Greencastle Pier Road, Greencastle, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4LR
- Townland
- Greencastle
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.04051, -6.09983
- Date of survey
- 14 April 1998
- HB reference
- HB16/04/012
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
A ruinous single storey church aligned east-west in a field on the north side of Greencastle Pier Road.
Pitched natural slate roof with blue clay ridges, now all gone (remnants remain). Random rubble walls are a mixture of undressed granite and Silurian field stones, with substantial traces of external lime render. No openings retain any timber heads. The bases of the walls, especially those of the gables, are battered.
The north elevation has four openings. First on left is a large rectangular window opening with splayed reveal; head and cill missing. Second from left is a narrow splayed slit window. Second from right is a doorway, now without lintel; on its left reveal is a vertical recess for a timber doorframe. On the far right hand side is a small square opening.
The left (east) gable has a large window opening at centre; its head has collapsed
The south elevation has two window openings. The larger one is to the far right and is in line with the large opening on the opposite wall. There is also a smaller window just left of centre.
The right (west) gable has a window opening in the centre. There is also a small square socket (function unknown) to its right.
The wall heads and gables are very overgrown.
Historical information
A late medieval church extended to the west in the 16th or 17th century. The wider winder openings probably date to this enlargement. Scheduled monument recorded on Sites and Monuments Record (SMR).
Primary Sources:
1. M. Jope (ed), ‘An Archaeological Survey of Co. Down’ (Belfast 1966), pp. 302-3.
2. Map: ‘G284’ site ’57:2’. (SMR DOW 57:2, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LA).
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
Not listed
Criteria for listing: historic interest
Not listed
Evaluation
What survives is of little architectural interest, but because of the relative paucity of early churches, it may be of some historic interest.
Nearby in the register
- Boundary markers nearBoundary Markerunder 1 mi
- The PierHarbour/ Pierunder 1 mi
- 103-113 Greencastle Pier RoadHouse - Terraceunder 1 mi
- Boat houseBoat Houseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.