Chapel at

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This building has been demolished since this record was made.

Small private chapel situated at the SW end of a large derelict nursing home complex to the rear of the original house (HB16/012/006A).

Roof is aligned NW-SE and has concrete pantiles. Its front (SE) facing gable has a pitched coping and shouldered kneelers. Cross finial. Walls are cement dashed and have smooth chamfered basecourse. Thin two stage buttresses rise up left and right sides. At ground floor centre there is a shallow porch (see later). Plaque on front wall to left of porch states, ‘THIS FOUNDATION STONE WAS LAID/ ON/ 22ND NOVEMBER 1959/ BY/ MOST REVEREND EUGENE O’DOHERTY D.D/ BISHOP OF DROMORE/ CONTRACTOR P.CARVILL & SONS ARCHITECTS ROBERT SHARP & SONS’. Over porch, filling front gable, is a large Gothic window with three cusp headed lancets inset. All have rectangular leaded quarries and there is a common hood mould. Gable apex has small linear ventilator recesses. Single storey porch is flat roofed (concealed behind a parapet) and has walls as main block. Its front (SE) wall has a Gothic headed doorway with smooth architrave and hood mould. It contains a pair of t+g sheeted doors with strap hinges. Its cheeks each have three small rectangular windows (in a common opening) with dressed concrete frames and rectangular quarry glazing.

The left (SW) elevation has four Gothic headed windows with moulded architraves and hood moulds. All have rectangular leaded quarries.

The rear (NW) gable is dashed and blank. Its central portion advances (accommodating the sanctuary internally) and is blank also.

The right (NE) elevation is abutted to left by the derelict nursing home complex (of no interest). The remaining portion to right of centre has two windows (as those to left elevation) and at extreme right a small single storey sacristy abuts. Sanctuary is rectangular and aligned NE-SW. It has a flat roof and is detailed as the front porch. Its rear (NW) facing wall has four small leaded windows in a common opening. Its NE cheek has three similar windows.

Historical information

Erected in 1959 by the Alexian Brothers. Mount Saint Columb house was built as Rectory to Clonallan Parish Church (HB16/12/015) c1728. It was sold to Alexian Brothers in 1925. In the post WW2 years the brothers built the extensive nursing home and this chapel. They vacated the property in the 1990s and the whole demesne was sold to a property developer. The grounds are being developed for housing, leaving this property, the nursing home and the main house vacant.

This building was demolished in 2000.

Primary Sources:
1. Commemoration plaque.

Secondary Sources:
1. Historical information framed and hung in Clonallan Parish Church (HB16/12/015).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This small church, built by the Alexian Brothers, was the only post-war structure of any quality in the Mount St Columb demense.