St James's R.C. Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A cruciform church comprising nave, transepts, and a projection to the east containing a shallow chancel and sacristy. Main entrance faces west.

Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; black ridge tiles. Walls are rendered with wet dash of crushed stones, painted white; projecting rendered eaves course; projecting smooth cement rendered plinth, painted black; no rainwater goods fixed in place yet. Stone cross on apex of each gable, painted white, with new lead dressing to base of each cross.

West gable has a small circular window above a flat roofed projecting porch. Porch newly rendered, but not yet painted, with lead covering to roof and dressing to cornice. Main entrance is a large rectangular doorway in centre of west face of porch, a new opening; doors not yet fixed. One small window in each side wall of porch, new Gothic headed timber fixed lights, 6-paned with tracery lights, replacing original doorways in porch; projecting concrete cills; smooth cement render to reveals with smooth rendered arris.

Nave has two windows in each side wall: original Gothic headed timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, 3 over 6, with horns with intersecting glazing bars to tracery lights; projecting sandstone cills, painted white; reveals and arris as in porch windows.

Transepts have one window in each side wall, original, as previous to nave. Transept gables are blank except for two newly created circular ventilation holes in each one just below eaves line.

Eastern projection has one larger Gothic arched timber window, 6-pane fixed light with intersecting glazing bars to tracery lights and a new replacement for damaged original. Side wall to south has two small windows, Gothic headed timber fixed lights, as previous to porch; one to left lights chancel; one to right lights sacristy accommodation. Side wall to north has one similar small window, to light sacristy, with a rectangular doorway to left; door not yet fitted.

SETTING: The church stands in a rural area, on a corner site, facing the main road and set back from it within its own grounds. Churchyard laid out with graves in grassed areas all round church. Short driveway in front of church, from main road, with path all round perimeter walls; modern concrete kerbstones being laid to paths; surface not yet finished. Grassed banks to south side where ground slopes up from path. Mature yew trees all round the church yard. No memorials in churchyard of any special architectural interest; one of local historical interest to the parish is that of Rev John McAreevy who died in 1868, in the form of a cross slab, but only of note due to its former position against front wall of porch; and formerly with a rough stone front on a white painted stone pedestal in front of that. Rear and side boundaries formed by hedges. Layout of front boundary now altered with gateway set back toward church; new boundary wall links are of concrete blockwork, not yet rendered. Gate piers are of red brickwork with yellow brick dressings to corners; caps not yet reinstated; gates not yet fitted.

Historical information

Built in 1824-7 as an enlargement of an earlier church dating from 1815-16; the old holy water stoup reputedly came from the old church of Templepatrick; gallery added later but date not recorded; front porch added by 1920; church maliciously burnt in July 1998; re-instated 1999. Until the new doorway was built in the centre of the west wall of the entrance porch in 1999, a stone cross slab and iron enclosing railings around the burial plot of Rev John McAreevy (who died in 1868) stood immediately in front of the porch, with an old stone font or trough on a painted stone pedestal standing to the west of that: both removed by September 1999 to be re-located, one to each side of porch. In the 1830s the floor of the church was described as being of earth. In 1841 Rev MacMullan who was responsible for the enlargement and rebuilding of the original church in 1824, was buried inside the church, in front of the altar.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1832-3, Co Antrim 55 (without porch).
2. OS Map 1920, Co Antrim 55 (with a porch).
3. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 35: Parishes of County Antrim XIII, 1833, 1835, 1838 (Belfast, 1996), pp 12, 41, 45.
Secondary Sources
1. J.A. Pilson, History of the rise and progress of Belfast, and annals of the County Antrim (Belfast, 1846), p 159.
2. J. O’Laverty, An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern, Vol II (Dublin, 1880), pp 329, 331, and 333.
3. U.A.H.S. West Antrim (Belfast, 1970), pp 10 and 27.
4. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of County Antrim (Belfast, 1996), p 42.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

This is an early 19th century church in a Gothic style which exhibits the plan form, proportions, spatial organisation and details characteristic of a vernacular treatment of the style. It retains the essence of its original character and appearance despite changes to the front entrance porch and area in front of it.