St Mary's RC Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A medium sized cruciform plan church with bellcote aligned W-E within a graveyard on north side of Castlewellan Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with modern flush ventilators to north side of main pitch (not visible from the road), terracotta ridges and leaded valleys. Modern, profiled metal gutters resting on plain corbels with cast iron (circular in section) down pipes.

Walls are unpainted lined cement render (over granite rubble) with an advanced base course. All dressings are punched granite blockwork. Each corner has a broad clasping buttress on a chamfered plinth, which tapers flush into the wall at 3/4 height. Each gable has a moulded granite kneeler, raised granite skews with decorative gable over kneeler (all lead flashed). All window openings are lancets with cusped heads, splayed reveals and canted, flush cills; all granite dressed. Glazing and frames vary (see below).

Detailed description starts on west gable and goes around the building in an anti-clockwise direction.

West gable contains the main entrance. At ground floor centre, a single granite step leads to a pair of modern stained timber doors (filling a Gothic opening) with modern black iron handles. These are set within a Gothic headed doorcase with chamfered reveal and moulded hood (on cube stops) from spring of arch level. On wall over door are two modern light fittings.

Above are three window openings. That to centre is taller and placed slightly higher in the gable. All are inset with modern rectangular quarry glazing with blue margins. Above, in gable apex, is a small shamrock shaped vent within a circular granite panel.

Rising from gable is a large granite bellcote built in squared unrendered granite. Its sides instep in three pitched stages, then rise vertically (with chamfered corners) to a gabled, leaded granite roof. This is terminated by a decorative granite cross, and the whole thing is pierced by a trefoil headed opening within which, from plain granite corbels, hangs the church bell.

South wall of nave has four window openings. The three from left are modern with yellow glass rectangular quarries, and red and blue margins, inset with red and blue Celtic crosses. The fourth window (to right) has cast iron diamond glazing with margin panes. Advancing to right is the south transept.

South transept entrance is to centre of its gable. It consists of a pair of modern sheeted timber doors (as west end) within a shouldered arched doorway and Gothic doorcase. Shouldered head is decorated and the doorcase is as that to west end with the exception that the arch head is infilled head with a plain tympanum panel. On this panel and over the door are modern light fittings.

Gable over has three windows, as those at west end but with different glazing. All have yellow glass rectangular quarries with blue margins, and the central one is inset with a lozenge panel emblazoned with the sacred heart pierced from above by a sword. In apex is a small trefoil vent in a circular panel. Gable has a decorative cross finial.

The west cheek of the south transept has two windows, each with cast iron framed diamond quarries. The east cheek also has two windows, both of which have figurative stained glass (see interior description).

The east end gable of the main church contains the sanctuary which is an extension of the nave. Its narrow south cheek (advancing to east side of south transept) has a single stained glass window which is smaller to those on nave and transepts but has a higher cill.

The east gable is abutted by a single storey sacristy. Wall above has three stained glass windows which are as those on west end but clustered together with decorative hoods on moulded brackets. Trefoil vent in apex (as others) and cross finial.

The sacristy is single storey with basement. Its has a pitched natural slate roof with modern flush vents on each pitch. Rainwater goods and walls are of similar construction and detailing as the main block.

The sacristy’s south elevation has a modern door at basement level accessed by concrete steps which are enclosed by a plain modern wrought iron railing and matching gate. At ground floor is a pair of small rectangular cast iron casements with diamond quarries set into a single opening.

The sacristy’s east gable has two similarly detailed narrow lancet windows. Its north elevation is blank and abutted by a porch which links it to the east gable of the main block. Porch has a lean-to (against east gable of main block) natural slate roof which ties into the north pitch of the sacristy roof, but has a lower ridge. Three steps on its east cheek rise to the modern sheeted timber porch door, the head of which is at eaves level. Its north wall has a pair of rectangular cast iron framed casements.

Turning right corner is the north cheek of the sanctuary which has a single stained glass window (as south cheek). To its right advances the north transept.

North transept is identical to the south with only the following exceptions: all windows here are cast iron framed with diamond quarries except those to east cheek which are figurative stained glass (see interior). A modern disabled access ramp abuts the north entrance. It has squared uncoursed granite walling with a chamfered plinth and tubular metal handrail.

North wall of nave has four window openings. The left window has a figurative, painted glass window (see internal description) and the remaining three are modern with yellow glass rectangular quarries, and red and blue margins, inset with red and blue Celtic crosses.

Setting:

The area around the church is paved in tarmac which runs right up to its walls. Boundary with road is enclosed by a cement rendered dwarf wall with overhanging granite coping. Above, on cast iron ball cushions, are decorative wrought iron railings with foliated cast iron spearheads. Placed approximately to the centre of this boundary are the main gates which are set into a concave recess. The pair of gates are detailed as the railings (makers stamp “B. Lindsay” ) and hang on broad ashlar granite posts with chamfered plinths and moulded overhanging pyramidal caps. The base of the left plinth is incised with an Ordnance Survey benchmark. To the extreme left end of the boundary is a two storey pebble dashed out building with small plain pedestrian gate, and to extreme right is a pair of vehicle gates detailed as the main ones.

Through main gates is a path and two flights of granite steps up to south door of church. Area to either side of the steps is lawned and to right is the Gothic Revival McMullan mausoleum c 1841/2 (HB16/07/030B). To north and west of the church is the graveyard, which has a retaining wall where it is close to the west end of the church. It contains an assortment of memorials, the earliest or these date from 1830/40s and are in roughly dressed granite or slate, the latter are often decorated with naive angels.

To east of the church is the plain parish house (c1900) with bay windows and plastic double glazed windows (of no interest). To its rear is a 1970s toilet block and car park.

Historical information

Ordnance Survey Memoir of 1836 notes a plain rectangular building of T plan (the main dimensions of which are given as 80ft and 77ft). Also notes that a church was first erected on this site in 1783, but was rebuilt, with additions, in 1832. A T planned church is on the 1834 OS map. By 1859 it is cruciform (sanctuary added) and both the outbuilding to front and McMullan Mausoleum are shown. Church cleaner states that the church was refurbished in 1998. This included stone cleaning, re-rendering, re-roofing, and redecoration. Work completed by November of that year.

Primary Sources:
1. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Clonduff Parish (1836).
2. 1st edition OS map (1834), Co. Down sheet 42.
3. 2nd edition OS map (1859), Co. Down Sheet 42.
4. Information from the church cleaner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Extensively altered internally, with modern furnishings, the church has lost a significant element of its architectural and historic interest.