St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Gothic-revival style Roman Catholic Church, built c.1868, to designs by the Architect John O’Neill, located to the north side of Chapel Road, Glenavy. Rectangular on plan nave aligned east west with engaged square on plan two-stage tower with splay-footed slated spire to south; gabled sanctuary to east with single-storey extension to north providing connection to a similarly detailed side chapel built 2006.

Roofs are pitched natural slate with grey ridge tiles; raised flat stone verges with stone cross finials to each apex; moulded kneeler stones and corbel table support replacement metal rainwater goods. Walls are roughly coursed rock-faced basalt above projecting sandstone plinth and contain contrasting ashlar (sandstone) stepped quoins; angle buttresses with weathering to nave and sanctuary weathering. Windows are cusped headed lancets with leaded stained glass with margin lights contained within stepped chamfered ashlar surround with rock-faced voussoirs over and flush ashlar splayed sills; secondary glazing to exterior.

Principal elevation faces south and is abutted at left by centre by two-stage square tower with splay-footed slated spire; tower first stage at left is abutted by single-storey pitched entrance porch of similar detailing; exposed area at right is four windows wide. Tower detailed as nave with double projecting stepped plinth and angle buttresses at south. First stage south elevation contains lattice glazed window, diminished window at higher level on west. Second stage base comprises two courses of contrasting ashlar with weathering to all corners; each face contains single louvered belfry opening set in stepped chamfered ashlar surround with rock-faced voussoirs over and flush ashlar splayed sills. Tower terminates with splay-footed natural slate spire with slate hung gabled lucarne with louvre boards to each facet. Lucarne and spire each terminate with replacement metal crenellated ridge and finial. Adjoining single-storey entrance porch at east comprises central decorative entrance to south gable comprising replacement timber sheeted doors set in a gothic style ashlar surround comprising recessed first pointed arch with continuous torus mould, fronted by colonettes surmounted by crocketed capitals and pointed arched headed hoodmould with label stop resembling a human head; right cheek contains diminished cusped pointed arched headed window.

West gable contains group of five symmetrical diminishing cusped lancet windows containing leaded stained glass with margin lights contained within stepped chamfered ashlar surround with rock-faced voussoirs over and flush ashlar splayed sills; secondary glazing to exterior.

North elevation contains is six windows wide. North elevation of sanctuary at east is abutted by double height (lower) pitched sacristy of similar detailing; north gable contains central window and is abutted by later similarly detailed lean-to extension which connects to a modern glazed extension aligned north-south providing access to the side chapel at north.

East gable is abutted by (lower) sanctuary of similar detailing; east gable contains geometric tracery window with leaded stained glass comprising two cinquefoils surmounted by central quatrefoil; two windows to left cheek; right cheek is abutted by double-height sacristy.

Setting:
Set within churchyard containing selection of grave markers dating from the early nineteenth-century to present day. Site bounded to road at south and east by roughly course rubble walling with soldier coping supporting replacement mild steel railings. Square plan ashlar piers with cross gabled caps surmounted by stone cross finials at south supporting replacement mild steel gates at south; replacement square plan piers with plain square cap provide access to cemetery and small car park at east. The adjacent side chapel built as part of the extension in 2006 is of similar detailing externally.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Roughly coursed rock-faced basalt
Windows Cusped headed lancets with leaded stained glass
RWG Replacement metal

Historical information

An earlier building predated the current Roman Catholic Church at Ballymacricket; in 1832-33 the earlier church appears on the Ordnance Survey map as an oblong building recorded as ‘R. C. Chapel’ with a small office building at the entrance to the Church grounds. The Townland Valuation records the building as a small 1a class chapel, 64ft by 34ft and only 16ft in height, valued at £8. 3s. 4d.

In 1835-36 the Ordnance Survey Memoirs described St Joseph’s as ‘a neat Roman Catholic Chapel situated near the road from Glenavy to Moira … built in 1802.’ The Chapel replaced an earlier building (burned down during the rebellion of 1798), cost between £350 - £400 and could accommodate 225 people. The fund for the construction was raised by subscription and a number of collections. The writer tells us that the Chapel was ‘built at various periods’ and that ‘the interior of this chapel is extremely neat. It is always decorated with ivy and over the communion table there is a picture of Our Saviour crucified … this however, is not a very masterly production.’ Finally it is recorded that the priest was supported by his congregation.

In 1858 the second edition of the Ordnance Survey maps shows the addition of two out offices close to the Chapel, one of which seems to have replaced the small building previously situated by the entrance to the Chapel grounds. In 1859 Griffith’s Valuation recorded a ‘burial ground’ adjoining the Chapel grounds and valued the Chapel itself at £13. The current Church was rebuilt in the latter part of the century, as illustrated by the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1901), which recorded a much larger building which relates to the current layout of the Church. By this stage the building was recorded as ‘St. Josephs R. C. Church.’ In 1880 Fr. James O’Laverty wrote that a new church had been built along the foundations of the 1802 structure; it was constructed by the Architect John O’Neill who was notable as a builder of Catholic Churches and monuments (O’Laverty). However, there was no change in the valuation of the Church until 1912 when the value was increased by £1 with the addition of new offices. There was no subsequent change to the Church’s valuation by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929.

Brett tells us that a Roman Catholic Chapel had existed on this site since the 18th century until it was burned down by ‘the wreckers’ during the 1798 Rebellion (Brett, p. 63). The wreckers were seven or eight men from the local area who were involved in a parish-wide series of reprisal attacks in the wake of the rebellion; other Roman Catholic Chapels were similarly burned at the Rock, Derryaghy, Aghagallon and Ballinderry. Until 1802 Mass in Ballymacricket was said amongst the ruins of the old Chapel (Kavanagh). Kelly tells us that the new Chapel of 1802 was built by a Father Crangle. This building stood for around 60 years until it was replaced in 1868 by Fr George Pye who was the parish priest between 1848 and 1890. The new building was consecrated on 13th September 1868 (Kelly, p. 24).

There was little change to the Church building over the next century. In 1928 the baptismal font was added to the Church at the cost of £100. The burial ground was opened in 1930 and the Parochial Hall added in Easter 1957 (Kavanagh). The Church was listed on 12th October 1991 being described as ‘a good example of the Gothic Revival style with careful attention to massing and detail’ (Brett, p. 63). On 28th May 2006 the Church was reopened after being extended and renovated in order to accommodate its growing congregation. The interior was refurbished as part of this renovation during which a new floor and set of pews were added, however, this restoration ensured that very few original features of the old church remained, including its original stained glass windows. The parish priest was Fr Luke McWilliams until 2010 and is currently Father Dillon (Kelly, p. 24).

The Roman Catholic Church at Glenavy is notable as it became a target of sectarian violence in the wake of the 1798 Rebellion. Burned down in 1798, the chapel was seen as a contentious symbol of an insurrection which some mistakenly viewed as a solely Catholic uprising.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/59 – Field Map c.1830
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/171 – Townland Valuation
3. PRONI OS/6/1/59/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832-33
4. PRONI OS/6/1/59/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1858
5. PRONI OS/6/1/59/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901-1902
6. PRONI OS/6/1/59/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1921
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/58 – Griffith’s Valuation 1859
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/4 A – Annual Revisions 1869-1881
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/4 B – Annual Revisions 1881-1894
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/4 C – Annual Revisions 1894-1911
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/4 D – Annual Revisions 1912-1929
12. O’Laverty, J., ‘History of the Diocese of Down & Connor II’ Dublin: 1880.

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Antrim’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996.
2. Kavanagh, P. J., ‘Glenavy Church of the Dwarf 1868-1968’ Belfast: Irish News Ltd, Pamphlet.
3. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009.
4. NIEA File – HB19/01/015.

Online Resources

1. Glenavy History: http://www.glenavyhistory.com/ (Genealogy website).

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

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

Evaluation

Gothic-revival style Roman Catholic Church, built c.1868, to designs by the architect John O’Neill, located to the north side of Chapel Road, Glenavy. Rectangular on plan with nave aligned east-west with engaged square on plan two-stage tower with splay-footed slated spire to south; gabled sanctuary to east with single-storey extension to north providing connection to a similarly detailed side chapel built c. 2006. Despite the loss of much of its original fabric during 2006 renovation works, the church is a significant landmark, retains much of its well proportioned and detailed exterior and and has social importance in the Glenavy area.