St Patrick's RC Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Somewhat eclectic two storey cruciform RC church with square tower, which began life in 1807 as simple ‘barn’ type building but which, like many ‘rural’ RC churches in Ulster, evolved into a much more imposing structure during the mid to later 1800s, picking up the usual French gothic influences along the way, but with elements of earlier Classical styling still apparent. The S transept was extended in c.1994 and is now actually the nave.

The church is set on high ground on the E of Church Street, to the S of Ballynahinch town centre. To the S is the large two storey parish hall (built c.1994) and a car park covered in tarmac.

The semicircular main entrance door opening is located in the centre of the (S facing) gable of the nave and is framed with a door case with moulded archivolt and simple double pilasters. It is surmounted by a pediment like moulding with a small Celtic cross motif to the apex. The doorcase is set on simple projecting stones. The double doors have vertical timber sheeting and decorative wrought iron patch hinges.

Directly above the door opening is a large rose window with a central circular scalloped window surrounded by nine small quatrefoil windows all with leaded and coloured glass. The window is surmounted by a moulded drip with label stops. To either side of the central moulding are smaller mouldings.(without windows) To either side of the façade are projecting square (pier-like) buttresses with in/out quoins and surmounted by decorative square stone pinnacles with tall square based pyramid shaped roofs. The main gable has a small stone stylised Celtic cross to the apex.

The W façade of the nave has three tall, evenly spaced, semicircular headed windows to the left of centre. To the right of this is a projecting square buttress as before but larger. Between the buttresses the main wall is set back and has a semicircular window as before but smaller. The E façade is as per the W façade but handed.

The gabled E wall of the E transept has a central rose window as before but without drip moulding. The apex of the gable has a Celtic cross and to the sides of the gable are square stone pinnacles, as before. The S side of the E transept is blank to the upper portion and has a small timber door with a small bracketed roof canopy. The N side is partly obscured by a two storey lean-to extension (comprising vestry with meeting room over), but is otherwise blank. The N side of the lean-to has a recessed door opening to the right side and window opening with modern window frame also to the right side.

The E wall of the chancel (originally the N transept) is mainly obscured by the lean-to. The N wall is as per the S and E gables but has, at high level, a small rose window set within a large drip moulding and to the lower level are two blind semicircular headed openings. The W face has a large mainly blind semicircular opening with small paired pointed arch windows at its base.

The W gable of the W transept is as per that of the nave but has small rose windows to either side of the main rose and to the right side is the main tower. The N side of the transept has three evenly spaced semicircular headed openings. The S face is mainly obscured by a small single storey lean-to opening and has a small semicircular window over.

The three storey square tower is finished with a helm slated roof which is surmounted by a tall cast iron cross. Each corner has a projecting full height buttress which is capped with a small decorative stone pinnacle. Each face has a small gable which merges with the ridge of the helm roof. A small roundel sits over paired louvered semicircular headed openings. Each face of the second level is blank. The buttresses at this level have quoins in a dressed sandstone. The W face has a small date stone- 1866. The N face of the tower at ground level is obscured by the main building. The E face is obscured by a small lean-to projection. The S and W faces each have a small semicircular headed window with sandstone dressings. Below the cill level the wall surface changes from greywacke to battered ashlar sandstone. The base of the tower is in sandstone but has a greywacke band one metre above ground level.

The space in front of the front door is bounded by a colonnaded screen wall to the W side (built c.1994), a high retaining wall to the E side and a modern church hall (also c.1994) to the S side.

To the W boundary is enclosed with substantial wrought iron railings and gates. The base of one of the gates is inscribed with the foundry name of Sheridan Dublin.

The above compass points are actual.

Historical information

This church began life as a relatively simple rectangular (or barn) structure, built in 1807. This original building is noted in the valuation of 1834 and described in the OS memoirs as ‘a plain slated rectangular building in good repair, standing nearly east and west, 72 feet long and 30 feet broad’. The church was badly damaged in the ‘Great Wind’ of January 1839 and was largely rebuilt (with more decorative Classical features) in c.1840-43. In 1866 the tower and north and south transepts were added to designs by W.J. Barre, with the gallery installed in the 1890s. The render to much of the façade may date from the early to mid 1900s.

In c.1994 the orientation of the building was completely altered, when what was the south transept was extended to become the nave. The parish hall was added to the site at this stage also.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940.
2 PRONI D.272/41 MS map of Ballynahinch by William Byers, c.1795
3 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.17: Parishes of County Down IV’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB1992), p.99.
4 PRONI OS/1/3/22 OS map 1st ed., 1834, Co. Down 22.
5 PRONI VAL/1B/388A-B Valuation records, Magherdrool, 1834-1838.
6 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation town plan, Ballynahinch, 1838.
6 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.17: Parishes of County Down IV’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB1992), pp.102, 106-107.
7 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation town plan, Ballynahinch, 1838.
8 PRONI VAL/12E/83/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1864-1905.
9 PRONI VAL/12E/83/2 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1905-35.
10 PRONI VAL/3G/59/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1937-53.

Secondary sources
1 S. McCullough ‘Ballynahinch: centre of Down’ (Ballynahinch Chamber of Commerce 1968).
2 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the towns and villages of Mid Down’ (Belfast UAHS 1974), p.39.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Somewhat eclectic two storey cruciform RC church with square tower, which began life in 1807 as simple ‘barn’ type building but which, like many ‘rural’ RC churches in Ulster, evolved into a much more imposing structure during the mid to later 1800s, picking up the usual French gothic influences along the way, but with elements of earlier Classical styling still apparent. The tower and transepts were added by W.J. Barre in 1866. In c.1994 what was the south transept was greatly extended to become the nave and the whole orientation of the building was altered.