Roman Catholic Church of Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Brigid

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing double-height gable-ended Neo-Gothic rendered Roman Catholic church, built c.1910. Rectangular on plan, set on an east-west axis on the south side of Maghaberry Road, destroyed by fire c.1991, restored and renovated c.1993. Detached two-storey rubblestone and redbrick former school building, dated 1895 located to the west within the church grounds.

Replacement pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and set below slightly raised replacement stone coping to either gable end surmounted by stone Celtic crosses with stone gableted kneelers. Replacement moulded cast-iron guttering to eaves brackets and iron downpipes. Painted rendered walling with projecting rendered plinth course and half-height diagonal buttresses with stone offsets. Pointed-headed window openings with replacement reconstituted stone sills, replacement hood mouldings and foliate label stops and replacement Y-tracery timber windows.

West gabled entrance elevation is abutted by single-storey gabled entrance porch, built c.1993, with tripartite window opening and double-leaf timber sheeted door with chamfered stone surrounds. Above the porch is a pointed-headed window opening, as above.

North nave elevation is four windows wide with a recessed chancel section to the east.

East gabled elevation has a tripartite arrangement of lancet window openings to the upper level with replacement triple hood moulding (inscribed '1993') and leaded stained glass windows. To the ground level is a square-headed door opening with replacement hood moulding and replacement sheeted timber door.

South nave elevation as per north elevation.

Setting:
Set on an east-west axis runing along the south side of Maghaberry Road enclosed by timber fence, having a bitmac car park to the east and a detached two-storey rubblestone and redbrick former schoolhouse to the west.

Roof Natural slate roof
RWG Replacement cast-iron
Walling Painted render
Windows Replacement timber y-tracery

Historical information

This Roman Catholic Church in Magheramesk does not appear on the Ordnance Survey Maps until the fourth edition in 1920-21 where it is depicted as an oblong building situated on the Maghaberry Road outside Moira. From the third edition of the maps (1900) the adjoining National Schoolhouse recorded as ‘Magheramesk School’ can first be seen. Prior to its construction in 1910 there were no Roman Catholic Churches recorded on the first or second editions of the Ordnance Survey maps for Magheramesk Townland or Parish (1832-3; 1858). Although this church was constructed in 1910 it does not appear in the Annual Revisions between 1910 and 1929 when the Revisions ended.

Kelly tells us that in the years before the Ulster Plantation, the Catholic population of Magheramesk held mass in an ancient church in the neighbouring Townland of Trummery; however this church was destroyed during the Confederate War (1641-1653) when Cromwellian artillery troops stationed in nearby Soldierstown fired upon the building which was occupied by Confederate troops at that time (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Antrim VII, Vol. 21, 1832-38, p. 113). Catholic services in the area were later conducted in the home of a Mrs Mulholland of Edinhill; when her parlour room could no longer accommodate a growing congregation, the Very Rev. Fr Mark McCashin endeavoured to build a meeting place for his parishioners. Initially a plot of land was bought from a Mr. D. Mulholland for the construction of a National Schoolhouse and teacher’s residence, which was erected in 1894 at a cost of £400 and opened in 1895; for a time this building was also used to celebrate Mass. By 1910 the current Church had been built on the same site and in that year was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Brigid with Fr McCashin installed as the Parish Priest.

The Ordnance Survey map of 1973 shows no discernible alteration to the site since its construction. The Church was listed in 1988; however, in 1991 it was extensively damaged by fire during an arson attack and was not reopened until 1993 (NIEA File; Kelly, p. 32).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/67/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832-33
2. PRONI OS/6/1/67/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/67/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900
4. PRONI OS/6/1/67/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1921
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/14 A – Annual Revisions 1863-1879
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/14 B – Annual Revisions 1880-1889
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/14 C – Annual Revisions 1890-1908
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/14 D – Annual Revisions 1909-1929
9. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Antrim VII, Vol. 21
10. Ordnance Survey Map 164-10 (1973)

Secondary Sources

1. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009.
2. NIEA File – HB 19/03/014

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Free-standing double-height gable-ended Gothic style rendered Roman Catholic church, built c.1910. Rectangular on plan, set on an east-west axis on the south side of Maghaberry Road, substantially damaged by fire c.1991, restored and renovated c.1993. Despite the fire damage the restoration of the original fabric both externally and internally has ensured the continued use of this church within the local community. Within its original rural setting adjacent to Magheramesk National School, HB19/03/014B, it has group value with the school and makes an important contribution to the heritage of the area.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity also apply.
Previously HB19/03/014