St. Colman's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing gable-fronted pebble-dash rendered Roman Catholic Church, dated 1812. T- plan, aligned east- west set back from the road within its own grounds on the south side of Bottier Road, surrounded by cemetery and a Presbytery to the west, built c.1960.

Cruciform pitched natural slate roof with lead valleys behind lead-lined verges to all gables surmounted by stone crosses. Tooled kneeler stones to stone eaves with ogee moulded guttering on iron drive-through brackets and square-profile cast-iron downpipes. Pebble-dash rendered walling with several smooth render plat-bands and smooth render plinth course. Stepped diagonal corner buttresses with stone offsets. Single pointed-arched window opening to each side elevation of each gable. Window openings executed in flush chamfered sandstone containing paired lancet windows with iron quarry glazing with cylinder glass and quatrefoil above. Pointed-arched door openings with chamfered rendered surrounds and paired replacement hardwood panelled doors with overdoor panel.

North gable has a single door opening and diamond-shaped marble date plaque to the gable with hood moulding and curtail stops. The inscription reads..”DEO, OPT. MAX., UNI ET TRINO.,SUB INVOCATIONE, SANTI COLMANI., MDCCCXII”

Plain ruled-and-lined east gable (containing altar) abutted by single-storey gabled vestry with rendered chimneystack to the gable and smaller pointed-arched window openings, detailed as above. Pointed-arched door opening to north with diagonally-sheeted hardwood door and over panel. Square-headed door opening to south with replacement hardwood panelled door. Lean-to toilet block abutting north elevation to vestry.

Blank gable to south with blind pointed-arched recess.

West entrance gable has door opening, as per north gable with sexfoil stone panel above.

Concrete step to west entrance and concrete paved ramp to north entrance opening onto bitmac path which encircles entire church leading to a pair of short driveways to the iron entrance gates on Bottier Road. Several upstanding marble and stone grave-markers occupy the entire site to north and south, dating from the late eighteenth-century to the present, enclosed to the road by a low rendered wall with iron railing.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Pebble-dash render / sandstone
Windows Pointed-arched stone frame / quarry-glazed iron
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

A date plaque located on the north gable is inscribed with ‘MDCCCXII’ (1812) which confirms the buildings late Georgian Gothick style and proportions. The Townland Valuations 1828-40 record the chapel with an outshot vestry which is confirmed by the footprint of the building on the first edition OS map of 1833 and which remained unchanged on the further 1858, 1903 and 1916 editions.

Further valuations records show very little change to the building, until extensive restoration was carried out in 1967 (Kelly). This modernising resulted in the complete loss of any internal historic fabric, and the roughcast render with banding also altered the external character of the building. A portion of the original render can still be observed over the vestry on the east projection. A toilet was added adjacent to the vestry c.1990.

References – Primary sources

1. PRONI VAL/1B/347 – Townland Revisions 1828-40
2. PRONI VAL/1A/3/13 – Field Map c.1830
3. PRONI OS/6/3/13/1 – OS map 1833
4. PRONI OS/6/3/13/2 – OS map 1858
5. PRONI OS/6/3/13/3 – OS map 1903
6. PRONI OS/6/3/13/4 – OS map 1916
7. PRONI VAL/2B/3/47A – Griffiths Valuation 1861
8. PRONI VAL/2A/3/13 – Field Map 1861
9. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7A – Annual Revisions 1866-78
10. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7B – Annual Revisions 1879-93
11. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7C – Annual Revisions 1894-08
12. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7D – Annual Revisions 1909-20
13. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7E – Annual Revisions 1920-29
14. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13A – Field Map 1863-78
15. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13B – Field Map 1879-05
16. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13D – Field Map 1905-24

References – Secondary sources

17. Kelly, J A “Lisburn’s Rich Church Heritage, Churches and Places of Worship in the Lisburn City Area” 2009

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
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

T-plan rendered RC church, dated 1812, which has retained its simple external Gothic appearance, with stone lancet windows and angled butresses, set within a graveyard in a rural setting. The church has been substantially altered internally during the 1960's which detracts from its late Georgian character. It does, however remain of social interest for the local community and it is relatively rare as an early nineteenth century pre- emancipation catholic church with a T-plan layout.