St John's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached double-height Roman Catholic Church, built c. 1850 to designs by Thomas Duff, located to the west side of Castle Hill, Gilford. Rectangular on plan with central four-stage tower and attached two-storey extension at west built c. 2000.

Roof is pitched natural slate with clay ridge tiles; masonry raised verges; painted cast-iron gutters on projecting eaves course. Walling is rubble built to courses and snecked with painted projecting plinth and double height painted diagonal buttresses with off-sets projecting with flat tops above raised verges. Generally timber-framed decorative lancet windows with cast-iron latticed glazing and inset with pivoting oculus are contained within smooth rendered and ruled surrounds, with stopped hood moulds and projecting painted masonry sill course (unless otherwise stated).

Symmetrical East gable is abutted at centre by four-stage square-plan tower; exposed sections at right and left contain one window, each flanked to tower side by additional painted masonry buttress. Tower walling is uncoursed dressed rubble; ashlar angle buttresses with off-sets to first two stages, ashlar quoins thereafter rising to corner piers with pointed pinnacles and filigree finials; openings are contained within yellow brick surrounds with rubble voussoirs over, unless otherwise stated. First stage east elevation contains three small stained glass lancets (with secondary glazing) contained within a co-joined stepped yellow brick reveal and having chamfered ashlar sills; east and west cheeks each contain a centrally positioned pointed-arched double-leaf timber panelled door (accessed by two stone steps at S, ramp at N). Second stage east elevation contains double lancet window with oculus over, east and west cheeks contain single lancet. Third stage (delineated by string courses) is diminished in height and contains oculus window at all sides. Fourth (belfry) stage has paired pointed-arched louvered lancets on all sides surmounted by corbelled overhanging parapet with Irish crenellations.

South elevation is five windows wide, each window divided by a buttress; that to left contains leaded stained glass protected by secondary glazing.

West gable has a cross finial is abutted by (later) two-storey extension (lower than nave). Extension is sympathetic with natural slate roof and rubble stone clad walling; buttresses to corners.

North elevation is as south; window at right contains leaded stained glass protected by secondary glazing

Double-height extension at west has natural slate roof, cast-iron ogee profile rainwater goods supported on projecting eaves course. Walling is random rubble with projecting painted plinth and double height diagonal buttresses with off-sets projecting above raised verges. Windows are square headed timber casements with leaded latticed glazing contained within smooth rendered lined bands and painted projecting keyblock and masonry sill. West gable comprises louvred timber door at left flanked by three windows at right, left diminished in width; two windows at right at first floor. Left cheek contains timber panelled door with overlight at right, fixed window at landing level at left and diminished window at right at first floor; right cheek contains window at centre at each floor.

Setting:

The church is set on a large narrow site accessed at east via roughly coursed random rubble boundary walls and modern metal gates on decorative posts, original pedestrian gate at left, each with granite threshold. Former single storey National School dated 1879 located to the south-east corner of the site.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Stone/brick
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

St John the Evangelist, Gilford was completed in 1850 to designs by Thomas Duff. (Cairns)

The history of Gilford in the nineteenth century is inextricably linked with the fortunes of the spinning mill, one of the largest in Ireland in the 1840s and the driver of economic growth and social development in the nineteenth century. Hugh Dunbar was the descendant of a linen family, his grandfather having leased a property at Huntley from the Whyte’s of Loughbrickland, where Hugh was manufacturing thread and his hand-loom weavers produced linen cloth. In 1834 the competition from mill-spun yarns, produced by the new wet-spinning process was such that Dunbar was compelled to start his own spinning mill or go out of business. Dunbar chose Gilford as the centre of his new enterprise and the Dunbar McMaster & Co spinning mill opened in 1839. It was an immediate success and attracted large numbers of workers to the town. Between 1841 and 1851 the population more than quadrupled, from 643 to 2,814, contrasting strongly with other areas in Ireland at this period which were experiencing mass emigration due to famine conditions. (Cairns; Logan)

The rapid growth in population led to the need for a catholic place of worship in Gilford itself, the only two catholic chapels in the area being at Laurencetown bridge and in Clare townland. (OS Memoirs) Hugh Dunbar transferred 2 roods and 23 perches of land to church representatives in 1846 for a nominal rent of one penny half-yearly, but a clause in the lease forbade the church from using any part of the land as a grave yard. As a result all burials took place in the sister churches at Clare and Laurencetown. Work was underway by November 1846, when an unfortunate accident, in which the gable wall of the church collapsed killing one of the workmen, was reported locally and nationally. The church was built of local stone quarried at Lower Ballynagarrick. The dedication of the completed church took place on 5th May 1950 and was attended by many of the local, protestant, gentry. (Logan)

St John’s was one of the last catholic churches to be built in Dromore diocese following catholic emancipation in 1829. Its architect was Thomas Duff (c1792-1848), a native of Newry, who was the designer of a large number of churches of all denominations, but is particularly noted for several important catholic churches, such as the cathedral of St Patrick and Colman in Newry and the cathedral of St Patrick in Armagh. Duff died of a stroke during the construction of St John’s, said to have been brought on by the loss of two of his children who had died within a year of each other. (www.dia.ie) The church is first shown on the second edition OS map of 1858 captioned ‘R C Chapel’ as a rectangular structure with a vestry to the rear. An extension to the front facade appears to be shown, but according to the parish history, the church was first built without a tower or belfry. The ‘R C Chapel and yard’ is listed in Griffith’s valuation at a valuation of £50 and £1 for the yard. No changes are listed in subsequent records up to 1930.

The interior of the church was completed later as funds became available and the Dublin Builder states in 1863 that John Murray, architect builder and surveyor of Dundalk, was to direct the work. Murray worked mainly in County Louth, where he designed several catholic churches. (www.dia.ie)

A national school was added to the site, opening in January 1879 and is shown on the third edition of 1901-2. The building was in use as a catholic day school until a new school opened in 1957 and has since been used as a parochial hall and nursery.

The parish priest appointed to Tullylish in 1877 Father Bernard O’Hagan, had made several fund-raising lecture tours of the United States where he appealed to the Irish diaspora for funds to add a tower and belfry to the church. Mr Patrick Reilly, originally of Tullylish, responded to the appeal and donated a bell which was forged in a Baltimore foundry established by Henry McShane, originally of Dundalk, and bears the inscription, “McShane Bell Foundry, Henry McShane & Co, Baltimore, Maryland, Trade Mark 1888. Presented by Patrick Reilly Jr Baltimore MD USA to St John’s Guilford Co Down, Ireland to the memory of his beloved mother”. The original order for the bell survives and the cost was $350. The bell was blessed and tower added in 1889. (Cairns)

In 1922 and 1929 two memorial stained glass windows were fitted either side of the high altar, donated by a parishioner then living in the USA. The windows were designed by Harry Clarke, one of the foremost stained glass artists of his era. In 1930 the original altar dedicated in 1850 and wooden apart from the altar stone, was replaced with a new gothic high altar. The altar had originally been intended for St Peter’s Church, Warrenpoint, who were unable to accommodate it when they received the unexpected gift of two stained glass windows. The church was extensively repaired at this time and a set of new stations of the cross were installed, of German origin and costing around £500. Interior doors and gallery seats were also replaced. (Cairns)

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/26/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/26/2 Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/26/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/26/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-21
5. Griffith’s Valuation online (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/25A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1930)

Secondary Sources

1. Cairns, A “The Church and Community of St John the Evangelist Gilford, Sesquicentennial 1850-2000” Lurgan: Inglewood
Press, 2002
2. Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Down III, 1833-8, Vol. 12.” Belfast: Institute of
Irish Studies, 1992.
3. Logan, R A “A Window on the Past, A History of Gilford County Down” Banbridge Chronicle, (n.d.)
4. www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached double-height Roman Catholic Church, built c. 1850 to designs by Thomas Duff. Rectangular on plan with attached two-storey extension at west built c. 2000. The church is dominated by a four-stage square plan tower at east. Its setting survives, with original site features, including former national school dated 1879 at east. Much original character and detailing survives, including good coursed and snecked rubble stonework to walls and original lancet windows, some with original glazing. The Interior layout remains largely unchanged with some original detailing including some well-executed fittings. The church is a good example of the type by an architect of note.

General comments

Previously recorded as HB17/01/011