St. Brigid’s RC Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large modernist post-war church set on an exposed hillside in a housing estate. Built to a traditional T plan, it is symmetrical and consists of a large gabled nave with side aisles, narthex, and transepts all contained in abutting blocks. An additional free-standing campanile abuts south side of façade. In the following description, compass points are ecclesiastical.

Nave roof is a folded slab clad with copper; on the North face this has been overclad with mineral felt; all along the ridge on both sides (N+S) the roof is glazed. The roof trimmed in insitu concrete mastering the stonework below. The West end wall is gabled over the nave and canted forward to the central axis. East end rests on a full width podium of five limestone steps, with rusticated limestone ashlar work to either end and precast concrete paving flags.

Gable is faced overall in ashlar limestone (possibly from Kilkenny). The face is smooth dressed into regular vertical ridges and furrows with rusticated stops above a series of low level rectangular lancet lights (in aluminium) set in four groups of four (two to each cant); below each of these windows is an isolated rectangular rusticated block.

To left and right of nave gable, the North and South aisle entrances are glazed full height (to eaves of main gable) with polycarbonate in aluminium frames; each entrance (consisting of a pair of glazed aluminium framed doors) is approached by six limestone steps off the podium. Each entrance has an overhanging concrete roof with three canted panels to soffit, central one inset with a light.

Beyond the entrances are shallow gablets, the facing walls are full height smooth ashlar limestone. North gable is inset with a commemorative raised and chamfered stone plaque: ‘This stone was blessed and laid by the Most Reverend Eugene O' Doherty D.D Bishop of Dromore, 13 June 1968, Rev John A. Lynch A.D.M. Newry Smith and Fay Architects , Newry . Henry Cole Newry Ltd Builders.’ The south gablet has a similar plain plaque and its concrete gable advances to link with the campanile.

The campanile is of four stages and all insitu concrete and rests on the podium, which advances to meet it. Stage one is just four square posts and stage two is similar divided by a similar transom. Stage three is decorated on North and South faces by cross-potent second on East and West by a grill of nine concrete posts: Stage four is similar but with the decorations transposed: a single bell hangs there. Topping campanile is a large cross portent in galvanised metal, resting on the open framework roof. It has a spike finial / lightening conductor.

The South elevation forms a series of ten shallow gables, each advancing a different stage from its neighbours. Some original aluminium window frames have been replaced by plastic to similar designs. The first bay on left is the advanced Narthex, faced in smooth ashlar limestone with large aluminium window from approx. 2M cill height full height to the gable head. It is glazed with blue and white glass, the blue brought out in a cross. On its east cheek wall is a pair of sheeted timber doors stained and set below a gabled hood.

The next six shallow gables alternate; 2+4+6 are quarry faced ashlar limestone with the wall space for 1/2 M below roof line glazed with seven paned painted timber fixed windows (following line of gable). At ground floor each has five rectangular lancets in squinch reveals, with smooth dressed stone mullions.

Bays 3+5+7 are advanced but not to the same distance as the Narthex. The fifth is further advanced than 3+7. The stonework of the masonry in bay 5 is decorated with a raised masonry cross potent. The West cheeks of all three are 3X4 paned fixed painted timber glazed from a cill height of approx. 2M to eaves level.

Gables 8+9+10 advance further than all previous bays and form the south transept. Gable 8 forms the west wall to the transept and 10 the east wall. The west elevation of bay 8 is quarry faced ashlar with low level lancets in two groups of five. The gable of 9 advanced beyond those of 8 and 10 and is ashlar and blank. It has an entrance porch with the doorway in its west cheek, and east cheek is blank. The east wall of transept (bay 10) is quarry faced ashlar punched by one group of five lancet windows at high level and two groups at low level; the mullions are smooth faced limestone.

The East wall of the nave (the sanctuary) is in quarry faced ashlar limestone and is abutted to ground floor by the two storey sacristy. The sacristy is symmetrical about the main building axis with four shallow gables forming roof. The stone work is all quarry faced ashlar. Ground floor is symmetrical having seven rectangular aluminium framed casement windows, (centre one larger than the others); these are flanked by paired sheet doors of stained timber with an overpanel containing a metal grid with a cross; at both ends are two more rectangular windows. At first floor from roof line to two thirds of the storey height is glazed in four bays (below gables).

There is a further single storey section of the sacristy and associated offices having two gables on the North face of sacristy flush with east elevation. Roof is copper and stonework is quarry faced on the East wall and smooth on the North. The North wall is glazed from a cill at approx. 1.5 up to the roof (filling gable).

The North elevation is the same as the South (but read R-L) with the following exceptions: The copper roof has been overlain with mineral felt. Some aluminium framed windows have been replaced with plastic, to a similar glazing pattern. The Narthex does not have a doorway on its east cheek.

The grounds are extensive and are landscaped. To rear is a free-standing boiler house placed axially and detached single storey with a concrete tiled hipped roof crowned by a decorative chimney with crosses fretted out of the four faces; walls are rendered. There is a railing along the West and South perimeter including two carriage gates and related pedestrian gates including one linking to the primary school; the design is sympathetic to the building and the gates are peaked in echo of the gables of the building. The dwarf wall below the railings is concrete with bush hammered vertical ribs. The same detail repeats for retaining walls around the site and for the landscaping around the free standing crucifix that is set axially in front of the West face of the building. His Mother and St John flank the crucified Christ. The quality and scale of this feature are disappointing.

Historical information

Foundation stone laid on 13 June 1965. Designed by Smith and Fay, Architects, Newry. Constructed by Henry Cole, Newry.

Primary Source:

1. Commemoration stone at chapel.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an interesting and spatially-exciting design wedding modern ideas and construction techniques with a well understood traditional form (this was known as new formalism). However, it is not of special historic or architectural merit .