St Patricks RC Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A gabled Roman Catholic Church in the Gothic-Revival style; dated 1838 and located to the north side of Dromore Street, Banbridge. Rectangular plan with single-storey lean-to extension to northwest and canted bay window to baptistery at northeast.

Pitched natural slate roof with crenellations, dressed granite pinnacles and cross-finial to gable. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is squared blackstone laid in rough courses with granite dressings to principal elevation; remainder is smooth rendered. Windows are gothic-arched lattice leaded glass, some with stained glass, having smooth surrounds, hood moulds and projecting granite sills. Geometric tracery window to principal elevation.

The principal elevation faces southeast and is divided by four slender buttresses framing a window to either side and central Tudor arched entrance door with dominant tracery window over; all openings have chamfered long and short granite surrounds and hood moulds. Diagonally-sheeted double-leaf door with lattice transom accessed via set of twinned polished granite steps with metal railings and lamps. Datestone to cross finial reads “1838”.

The southwest elevation has four evenly-spaced windows; to right of centre is double-leaf timber-panelled door with leaded transom light within Tudor opening with hood mould over; abutted at far left by a modern annexe connecting the two-storey manse.

The northwest (rear) elevation is abutted by a single-storey lean-to extension.

The northeast elevation has four evenly-spaced windows; replacement timber-panelled door to left of centre with leaded transom light within Tudor opening with hood mould over accessed by a ramp with metal railings; to right is a later canted baptistery with gothic window to each face, to far right is an almost full-height leaded-and-stained glass window.

Setting

Prominently sited on the approach to Banbridge town centre, on an elevated site to the north side of Dromore Street. Lawned to front with tarmacadam entrance and concourse. To southwest is a two-storey mid-twentieth century manse, attached to the church by a modern single-storey annexe. To northeast is a detached twentieth-century single-storey house. Bounded to road to southeast by original arrow and trefoil head cast-iron gates and railings with caged piers on granite plinth. Free-standing bell to north of site.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Stone / render
Windows: Leaded-and-stained glass
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church was built between 1835 and 1839 to designs by Thomas Duff. A wave of church building took place throughout Ireland after the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. (Cairns) Church design among non-conformists began to be more architecturally adventurous and whereas previous catholic churches had been classical in design, the gothic style began to be gradually embraced and seen as Catholic rather than Anglican. According to Walker, St Patrick’s demonstrates a tentative use of gothic detailing on an essentially classical structure. (Walker)

Prior to the construction of the church, Roman Catholic services in the parish were conducted in private homes, barns and open areas in the country around Banbridge. (Cairns) In 1834 the Ordnance Survey Memoirs recorded that there was no Roman Catholic chapel in the Parish of Seapatrick but efforts were being made to erect one. The memoirs noted that construction of the church was underway by 1836-37 and described the structure as ‘a whinstone building, the front of the church corniced and buttressed with granite. The windows and doorways are Gothic, the arches of which are brick.’ The church measured 80ft by 60ft, was intended to provide accommodation for a congregation of 1,000 and at the time of the Ordnance Survey had already cost £450, which had been raised by public subscription. However in 1836-37 construction of the building was halted due to a lack of funds (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down III, Vol. 12, p. 125-9). The Townland Valuation of 1838 valued the ‘Roman Catholic Chapel’ at £16. At the time of building Banbridge was in the combined parish of Tullylish, Donaghcloney, Seapatrick and Magherally (Bassett, p. 229; McMahon).

St. Patrick’s Church was depicted on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1860) as rectangular on plan with a national school also located on the site. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1863) valued the church and the school at £50 and there was no change to this value by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930; however the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map shows that an extension had been added to the school house along Dromore Street by 1903.

Linn states that the Rev. Edmund Magennis initiated the planning of the church; the church ground was purchased by Magennis from a Mr. Thomas McClelland for £52 and the church was finally completed in 1839; it was dedicated to St. Patrick on 21 June 1841. The name of the parish ‘Seapatrick’ is thought to derive from the Irish Suide Padruic meaning place/residence of Patrick, but this name does not appear until a patent of 1610. It is thought possible that Patrick could have founded a church in the area on his route from Armagh to Saul, but there are no early records of an association with his name. (Stephens)

The building was designed by Thomas J. Duff (1792-1848), a Newry-based architect who effectively became the Dromore diocesan architect after establishing his credentials with his Gothic revival design for Newry Cathedral (Dictionary of Irish Architects; Cairns). The sermon during the dedication of the church in 1841 was delivered by Father Theobald Matthew, the great Roman Catholic Temperance reformer of the mid-19th century on his first visit to Dromore Diocese (Linn, pp 80-85; McMahon)

Much financial assistance was given by the McComish family of Banbridge but nevertheless funds were very restricted and tradition has it that for many years after its opening the church still had an earthen floor. Parishioners who could afford it brought kneelers but many had to kneel on the bare ground. (McMahon)

A single-storey parochial house was added to the rear of the church and was enlarged over the years with a second-storey added in 1852 and a third-storey in 1874. Bassett notes that between 1841 and 1887 frequent exterior and interior improvements were made to St. Patrick’s and in 1885 a detached wooden bell tower was erected to the south-side of the church. The bell was manufactured in the Fountain Head bell foundry, Dublin by M Byrne and is ornamented with a figure of the Immaculate Conception, a harp and shamrock, a wolf-dog and a round tower. (Freeman’s Journal) A gallery was added in 1890 and the current High Altar was completed in 1910 whilst a renovation and redecoration of the church was carried out in 1924. By that year the congregation of the church had grown to such an extent that a chapel-of-ease was established in the Townland of Drumnavaddy. This was dedicated to Our Queen of Peace and opened on 17 August 1924 (Bassett, p. 229; Linn, pp 80-89; McMahon).

Heavy demands had been placed on the finances of the parish and on 3rd May 1931 a charity sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Liverpool, Most Rev Richard Downey at which £700 was raised. Several members of the Northern Ireland parliament were present. Later that year a new window by Mayer of Munich was dedicated, the gift of a New York benefactor. The window celebrated St Therese of Lisieux who had been canonised not long before in 1925. (McMahon)

The First General Revaluation of 1933/4 revalued the church at £105 and noted that there was a seating capacity of 500. In the early 1940s the old, wooden bell tower was demolished and the church was without a bell for some years.

In 1969 Brett noted that the church possessed an ‘uncommonly good plaster ceiling with unusual geometrical tracery and coved vaulting;’ The boys’ school in the grounds had been constructed in 1858 and extended by the addition of a girls’ school in 1871 to which a second storey was added in 1876. Brett describes a ‘long low cottage-like schoolroom with twin gabled porches, each having charming curly barge-boards’ (Brett, p. 8). Unfortunately, however, the boys and girls schools were demolished in 1975. (Banbridge Chronicle)

St. Patrick’s Church was listed in 1977. McMahon notes that a number of modifications have been made to the church since that time, the most significant carried out in the early-1980s when Altar railings were removed, the sanctuary was extended and the high altar (from 1910) was extended and repositioned. Marble from the altar rails was used in the construction of a new lectern and celebrant’s chair. A baptistry lit by a trio of stained-glass windows was constructed at the edge of the sanctuary. New seating and confessionals were installed and new sacristy facilities. (McMahon) The church bell was restored at a cost of £10,000 and was re-erected in a steel frame to the east of the church building. The parochial house to the rear of the church was demolished when the sanctuary was extended and a new residence was built to the west of the church. A single-storey meeting hall/parish office was also erected in the grounds of the church. (Banbridge Chronicle) During the reopening ceremony in November 1982 relics of three saints were placed in the altar.

In 1991 St. Patrick’s Church celebrated the 150th anniversary of its dedication (McMahon).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918
4. PRONI VAL /1/B/348A Townland Valuation (1828-40)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/C – Griffith’s Valuation 1863
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/B – Annual Revisions 1911-1922
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/C – Annual Revisions 1921-1930
12. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down III, Vol. 12 (1833-38)
13. Bassett, G. H., ‘County Down: One hundred years ago: A guide and directory 1886’ Belfast: Friars Bush Press, 1988.
14. First Survey Record – HB17/04/008 (1977)
15. Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser 29th August 1885
16. Banbridge Chronicle 4th April 1975
17. Banbridge Chronicle 18th November 1982

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Borough of Banbridge’
Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1969.
2. Cairns, A “The Church and Community of St John the Evangelist Gilford, Sesquicentennial 1850-2000” Lurgan: Inglewood
Press, 2002
3. Linn, R., ‘A history of Banbridge’ Banbridge: The Banbridge Chronicle Press, 1935.
4. McMahon, A., ‘The Diocese of Dromore: Past and present – Parish of Seapatrick’ Dromore: Dromore Diocese Historical
Society, 2004.
5. Dictionary of Irish Architects Website - www.dia.ie
6. Stephens, R “The Parish of Seapatrick” 1987
7. Walker, S “Historic Ulster Churches” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 2000

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A gabled Roman Catholic church in the Gothic-Revival style with battlements and pinnacles, dated 1838, to designs by Thomas Duff. It is a good example of a small church by a recognised local ecclesiastical architect. The walling is an early example of snecked stonework. Alterations internally detract from its character and original plan form but much detail remains intact and is of good quality, including a fine Revival-style plasterwork ceiling. The setting is compromised by the adjoining annexe, twentieth-century manse to southwest and detached single-storey house to northeast compromise although the original gates and railings survive. It is a good example of an early post-emancipation church.