St Laurence O'Toole R.C. Church, Main Street, Belleeks, Co Armagh, BT35 7PH

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Freestanding double-height rendered and painted Roman Catholic Church, built c. 1849, located on the north side of Main Street, Belleek. Principal elevation faces south. T-plan with projecting single-storey porch to south and single-storey modern extension containing sacristy to north.

Pitched natural slate roof with plastic gutters abutting roof fascia and plastic downpipes. Walling is rendered and painted over masonry with corners to central volume having projecting stepped quoins and shallow projecting window surrounds.

Principal elevation (south) has bellcote rising from gable containing single bronze bell and wrought-iron cross finial. Flat masonry coping to gable; diagonal buttressing with two offsets to outer corners, surmounted by simple pointed masonry pinnacles with square bases and wrought-iron cross finials (that to east missing). Central occulus window containing stained glass above projecting masonry string course; two lancet windows containing stained glass and secondary glazing flanking porch. Porch has pitched natural slate roof with plain timber bargeboard and fascia; plastic rainwater goods; angle-headed window openings with plain reveals and painted masonry sills containing stained glass with secondary glazing. Two-leaf sheeted timber door to east contained in pointed doorway over single step.

West elevation has five lancet windows; those to nave and north and south of projecting arms of T-plan have painted chamfered masonry surround and those to east of projections have painted chamfered reveals without surround.

Rear elevation has two lancet windows identical to principal elevation. Sacristy extension has pitched roof with natural slate; brick chimneystack with concrete capping; plastic rainwater goods and timber fascia. Window openings are square-headed with plain reveals and painted masonry sills containing timber casement windows with steel window grilles. Single timber-panelled door contained in square-headed opening to east.

East elevation has five lancet windows, all with painted chamfered masonry surrounds. Double-leaf timber-panelled timber door over ramped granite threshold contained in pointed arched door surround with painted chamfered masonry and transom with timber floral tracery design.

Set back from Main Street on an elevated site, with panoramic views of the village and surrounding countryside. The original chapel of ease still stands at the entrance to the church, currently vacant but with historic features such as roof and windos to side and rear intact. The church is accessed through a decorative wrought-iron entrance arch and gate bearing the Church’s name (St. Laurence O’Toole), date (2000) and various cross motifs. Approach is a long tarmacademed drive towards the highest point in the village, within the rear grounds of the chapel of ease. The hilltop has been flattened to extend the cemetery and create space for parking, with additional space to west. Cemetery sloping slightly off to east contains a mixture of nineteenth to twenty-first century graves located to the rear of the church, with rubble masonry grotto containing wrought-iron gate, timber altar and plaster statues depicting the Virgin Mary at the northern boundary. Graveyard bounded by hedge, with rubble masonry wall with cock and hen coping and wrought-iron gates to east of church, also giving access to graveyard.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Painted masonry
Windows: Leaded and stained glass
RWG: uPVC

Historical information

Situated in the estates of the Acheson family, (Baronets and later Earls Gosford), during the later eighteenth century, the modern settlement of Belleek mainly owes its origins to Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford, who in the 1790s created a planned village on the site.

In 1840 a chapel of ease was established in the village for local Roman Catholic congregation when a dwelling house formerly belonging to John Mulholland was converted for worship. By 1846 it had been decided to build a permanent church on the long narrow plot to the rear and a plan was procured from architect Thomas McKeag of Crossmaglen. The new structure was to be a relatively simple T-shaped building, with a rear vestry and a capacity of about 400, McKeag specifying the:

“Foundations to be 3½ feet thick and carried up to the bed of the first step at entrance door; the next course to be 2½ feet thick and 16 inches high to be built to answer for a base course, projecting 2 inches outside and 1 inch inside of the nett wall, which is to be 2½ feet thick, built in regular courses 1 foot high, having bond stones placed two to each perch lineal. The buttresses to be hammered granite.... The jambs and arches of the doors and windows to be revealed having 9 inches thickness from the front of the wall to the recess for frames...
The whole of the mason work necessary to be done in the best manner. The mason to include setting of cut-stone and fixing bond timbers. The steps and landings of the doors to be chiselled granite, got out so that the landing may be in one stone, 6 x 3, and the steps in one length.... The offsets of the buttresses to be in one stone, neatly chiselled, and the pinnacles correctly finished.
The door and windows of the vestry room to agree in workmanship with the body of the building, a fireplace is to be installed therein. The skew-course on the gables to be not less than 14 inches wide. Two neat crosses to be made. The stone-cutter to fit all his work and find all materials.... The entire work to be done in a workmanlike manner with materials of the best description.”

Building work commenced in September 1846 under contractor Arthur Bennett, a stone mason of Ballykeel, with John Feenan of Carrowbane undertaking the iron work, Edward Fearan of Camlough the slating, Patrick Feenan of Drumcrow the carpentry work, and a Belleek man, John Begley, agreeing to make and supply all nails required for the build.

The church was opened in January 1849 and dedicated to St. Laurence O’Toole - the 12th century Archbishop of Dublin, canonised in the early 1200s – a saint chosen, perhaps, in deference to the local curate, who happened have the same surname. At the time of the opening building costs had amounted to £228-18-4, but externally the walls remained un-rendered and the interior appears to have been largely unfinished and unfurnished, with the timber altar re-used from the chapel of ease. Some steps were taken to remedy this in 1855 when the walls, outside and in, were plastered and the paving of the floor attended to; but due in part to a lack of funds and in part to tensions between the Parish Priest, Father Daly, and the church committee, much work was deferred. Fr Daly’s successor, John McMahon, proved more amenable and between 1867 and 1871 a series of repairs and improvements were carried out, including the re-mortaring of joints and re-plastering of the exterior, the fitting up of the vestry, addition of a gallery and seating, and the landscaping of the grounds and construction of a boundary wall and formal avenue.

The front porch was added some time after 1959 but before 1986, probably in the 1970s; the interior appears to have been renovated in the 1970s also, work which included the application of timber sheeting in the recess behind the altar and the laying of carpet. The a further post-2009 internal refurbishment witnessed the removal of the timberwork to the recess and the removal of the carpet from the aisles, revealing late Victorian floor tiles once again.

References:
Primary Sources:
1 OS maps, (various scales), 1860, 1906, 1956, 1986

Secondary Sources:
1 Regan, Joseph P., “Church Building at Belleek”, in ‘Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society’, Vol. 3,No. 2 (1959), pp. 430-440
2 https://parishofloughgilly.com/ [accessed 13 November 2019]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The St. Laurence O’Toole R.C. Church is a modest church building located on an elevated site overlooking the rural village of Belleek and the surrounding countryside of County Armagh.

Built in 1849 by Arthur Bennett to the designs of Thomas McKeag, this rare 'T-plan' church building has undergone a number of clearly identifiable changes over time. At present, the main church volume’s exterior seems to have survived mainly intact, including bellcote, stained glass windows, window surrounds, buttresses and pinnacles. Later, alterations include the addition of a porch and sacristy which are plainly detailed. The addituion of a more recent rear extension detracts somewhat from the building's integrity of design, having been constructed in a modern style, with square-headed windows and brick chimneystack.

The interior of the church is relatively simple in design, with some replacement joinery to the sacristy, re-plastering of the reredos and replacement internal doors. The original ornate timber ceiling with drop finial remains in situ, as do the encaustic tiled floor and oak pews. The raked gallery adds to the interest of the interior.

From historic maps it appears that the setting has remained largely intact, with a long approach leading from Main Street. In 1840 a chapel of ease was established in the village for local Roman Catholic congregation when a dwelling house was converted for worship. By 1846 it had been decided to build a permanent church on the long narrow plot to the rear This dwelling house, though modernised, remains at the entrance. The relationship bewteen it and the church to its rear is significant as it illustrates the Church's humble origins.

A rubble masonry wall, wrought iron gates and rubble grotto located in the cemetery also survive, each of which make a positive contribution to the church setting. The intervisibility of church and village due to the buildings elevated position are significant in terms of both townscape and church setting.

General comments

Listing Query ref: HB16/LQ061