St Peter's RC Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Early 19thC cruciform plan church with late 19thC tower, situated on corner of Great George’s Street and St Peter’s Street. Front elevation faces SE.

Pitched natural slate roof with crested ridge tiles, leaded valleys and moulded rainwater goods on wrought iron brackets. Saddle coped gables with cross finials to all but front gable, which is abutted by the tower. Walls have a chamfered basecourse and are cement dry dashed with a smooth band at cill level of the windows and another at the spring of arch level. Ogee metal gutters and square section metal rainwater goods throughout.

Front (SE) gable is in ashlar granite, and almost completely abutted by the later tower (see later). There are two-stage clasping buttresses to corners of all gables with a chamfered basecourse. The first stage is broad and plain, with a moulded sloping coping between ground and first floor. Above this the buttress is more slender and at gable level it has a moulded stringcourse. It then rises above gable as an octagonal pinnacle with plat band and conical cap terminated in a foliated finial.

All windows are tall lancets with smooth rendered architrave and flush cill. They have chamfered reveals and hood moulds. Glazing is either the original cast iron tracery in clear and pink glass or in modern porch is later stained and leaded glass.

The side walls of the nave (SW and NE facing) are each identical, each having three tracery windows. The NE elevation is additionally abutted at left by a modern porch, obscuring the lower part of the left window. Porch has a pitched natural slate roof with crested ridge tiles. Cement dashed walls on a polished granite chamfered basecourse with clasping buttresses to the gable end, constructed in thin panels of polished granite and coped (with gable) in concrete. Its SE wall and its NE gable each have a small modern lancet window with polished granite cill and modern stained glass. Its NW wall has a wide doorway with a depressed Gothic head containing a pair of modern t+g sheeted stained doors.

The front (SE) facing wall of each transept is identical, having one tracery window to the centre. The end gables of each transept (one facing SW the other NE) are identical. Each has a doorway at ground floor level, consisting of a pair of diagonally sheeted doors with strap hinges set within a deep chamfered Gothic headed door case with hood mould over. Modern granite holy water font set into splayed jamb of door; left-hand side of the NE elevation and the right-hand side of the SW elevation. There is a moulded string course between ground and first floor level, tied into the buttress on either side. In gable at first floor level is a pair of lancet windows with a quatrefoil ventilator set high in the gable above. The rear (NW) facing walls of the transepts are each blank and abutted by the lower side chapels.

Each side chapel sits in the angle between the sanctuary and the transepts. They are identical with flat roofs concealed behind an embattled parapet. Walls are roughly wet dashed with smooth rendered quoins and banding to walls and concrete coping to the parapet. Their rear (NW) walls are blank and the end walls (facing SW and NE) each have three small lancet windows with leaded glazing and render architraves. The ground falls away at this point revealing a basement level.

Each side wall (facing SW and NE) of the sanctuary is identical, abutted to ground floor by the side chapels. Over are three small lancet windows set in granite architrave and hood moulds, their cills level with the side chapel roofs. Over these windows is a small coped gable, with matching pitched natural slate roof tied into sanctuary roof.

The rear (NW) gable of the sanctuary has a semi-basement and is abutted at basement and ground floor level by a modern sacristy block. The remaining gable is smooth rendered to first floor, wet dashed to ground floor and basement. Basement walls have a large modern timber window at right end. In gable are three tall lancet windows, the central one taller, all stained and leaded glass. Above in apex of gable, is a small lancet vent. Gable apex has a broken finial.

Sacristy is two storeys and has a pitched natural slate roof, and wet dashed walls. Its ground floor is level with the basement of the sanctuary. Its windows are all modern lancets, stained timber with plain and stained glass. Its main door (on SW wall) is t+g sheeted and in a Gothic headed opening and it has modern louvered door and shutters on its NE wall. Its passage is enclosed by railings.

The front tower is a later addition and is three stages high with a slender broached spire. Its walls are in ashlar granite and its spire in ashlar sandstone. Buttresses rise full height on each elevation. They are broadest at first stage, set in from the corners slightly on each upper stage. They step in between the first and second stages, half way up the second stage, between the second and third stages and terminate half way up the third stage.

Front (SE) wall is as follows. First stage has the main entrance, a pair of diagonally sheeted t+g doors set within a deep chamfered Gothic headed reveal with a hood mould over. Over is a moulded string course (which continues around the tower over the buttresses), it steps up to front over a modern polished granite plaque which reads, “1841/ 1991/ IN HONOREM SANCTI/ PETRI APOSTOLI”.

Stage two is taller than the others and has three lancet openings (top one taller), with chamfered reveals. The central one contains a statue of St. Peter on a truncated octagonal plinth. The left and right openings have leaded lights of diamond quarries. In wall over there is a glazed quatrefoil, with flush platband linking it to the buttresses. Between the second and third stages is a moulded string course.

Third stage is the belfry. It is narrower than the rest of the tower, instepping on three sloping courses of masonry. It contains a pair of lancets with a quatrefoil filling the common spandrel above, all are set within a deep chamfered granite reveal with hood mould over which continues as a string course, wire mesh grills to all. The buttresses terminate at spring or arch level (below the stringcourse).

The broached spire has a small moulded cornice and its first masonry course is decorated with shallow cusps. Its SE, NW, SW and NE faces each have a tall slender lucarne, with pitched masonry roof, and lancet on gable with tiny quatrefoil over. Near the top, each pitch has a small gabled vent and at the top of each are two rounded crockets. Metallic cross finial.

Left and right (SW and NE) cheeks of the tower are abutted to first and lower part of second stages by two storey canted bays. Each have a two stage basecourse, a string course between each stage (a continuation from tower) and a window on each cheek. At first stage level the windows are small lancets and at second stage they are small trefoils. Each has a pitched half-attached spire roof with finial. Over on tower wall is a quatrefoil light (as that to front) and every detail above is as the front of the tower.

The NW wall of tower abuts the front gable of church at first and second stage levels. Its other stages are as front of tower.

Setting:

Boundary to Great George’s Street South is canted forward to the centre. It consists of a small dressed granite dwarf wall carrying iron railings with cast iron detailing to top bottom and middle of each vertical, Gothic spear finials. The railings are supported to each outer end on plain granite piers with swept copings. To centre the railings are supported on one-piece granite gate piers with Gothic panels, incised spandrels, and swept copings. They carry original gates (as the railings) on modern hinges, which allow the gates to swing back flush with the railings.

On entry into church grounds, running parallel with front boundary is a retaining wall clad in modern mock granite ceramic tiles and carrying modern railings, to either end are steps up to the main path around the church. At transepts the ground falls away to rear.

The boundary to St Peter’s Street is a cement dashed wall with irregular granite rubble coping.

Modern car park to rear with small hall and dashed walls (of no interest).

Historical information

Foundation stone laid in 1834, but not completed until 1841. Designed by Thomas Duff, construction cost £2500. Tower added in 1875; designed by Timothy Hevey but obscuring Duff’s original facade.

This original façade was in ashlar granite and contained a Gothic entrance (as those to transepts) flanked by small lancet lights, all with linked hood moulds over. A moulded stringcourse linked the first stage of the buttresses. At first floor were three tall lancet windows, with chamfered reveals and sloping flush cills. These had diamond paned quarry panes and all had linked hood moulds over. High in gable above was a multi-foil cusped light and cross finial. The front railings seemed to have been parallel with the façade and must have been canted forward to accommodate the construction of the tower.

The building was enlarged in 1928 with the addition of the sanctuary and side chapels. The sanctuary windows by Michael Healy were installed at this time. Healey was then employed by F. G. O’Hare and Co. Dublin, and was a contemporary of Harry Clarke who’s windows are often found in Catholic churches in the Newry and Mourne area.

Most recent works were undertaken in the 1990s and included the addition of the modern porch on the NE elevation, alterations to the gallery, the modern landscaping and the construction of the sacristy.

Primary Sources:
1. Lawrence collection photograph, no. 1275 (National Library of Ireland).
2. Lawrence collection photograph, no. 2141 (national Library of Ireland).
3. Photograph (no. 3/21A) in HMBB building archive, 5-33 Hill Street Belfast.

Secondary Sources:
1. L Bradley “Warrenpoint, Origins and Developments”, 1998, p111.
2. “An Artist in Stained Glass” Warrenpoint Historical Magazine, Vol.15, Spring 1990, p22.
3. “Buildings of Interest” Warrenpoint Historical Magazine, Vol.16, Autumn 1990, p3.
4. “Roman Catholic Chapel” Warrenpoint Historical Magazine, Vol.17, Spring 1990, p15.
5. F. H. Bell “Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor” Friars Bush Press, 1989, p44, 45 and 59.
6. P. Keenan “Clonallan Parish, Its annals and antiquities” Newry 1942.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

This much evolved early 19thC church, built to designs by Thomas Duff, has an attractive setting on a raised site facing the town park. Its tower, a later addition, is impressive and in keeping with the style of the original building. Internally it is modernised, but this does not detract from the overall character. Its sanctuary and side chapels are of exceptional quality, with marble and mosaic walls, fan-vaulted ceilings and stained glass by Michael Healy.