St. Mary's Star of The Sea Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing 11-bay triple-height gable-fronted Gothic-Revival basalt and sandstone Catholic church, built c.1865, rectangular on plan, facing west on a corner site to the east of Shore Road and to the south of Whitehouse Park, with a square-plan four-stage tower and steeple at the southwest corner, erected c.1899. Single-storey lean-to aisles to both side elevations with a gable-fronted entrance porch attached to either side aisle and a further 2-bay 2-storey vestry attached to the northeast corner. Set within its own landscaped grounds including a multi-bay two-storey rendered parochial house to the south (and attendant outbuildings), all enclosed to the west and north by a low rubble stone wall, wrought-iron gates and railings.

Roofs:
Main hall
Pitched natural slate roofs with roll-moulded terracotta ridge tiles, sandstone ashlar fractables to all gables surmounted by iron crosses (to the main body) and by stone crosses to the vestry and porches with gabled skew corbels at eaves level. Replacement metal rainwater goods to a concave moulded sandstone eaves course. A large sandstone ashlar chimneystack to the vestry has a pair of tall decorative sandstone chimney pots.
Steeple
Octagonal-based sandstone ashlar broach-spire rising from the square tower behind a decorative parapet, having octagonal turrets rising from the broaches with blind panels and crocket finials. Four lucarnes adorn the spire, each having a pair of gothic arches set within a further pointed-headed arch containing timber louvers, flanked by a pair of slender colonnettes and a steep gablet above surmounted by a crocket finial. An elaborate wrought-iron Celtic cross surmounts the spire.

Walling:
Uncoursed rock-faced rubble basalt walling with sandstone ashlar splayed plinth course. Rubble basalt and sandstone ashlar buttresses flank all bays to the side elevations with sandstone offsets. To the northwest corner is an single-stage angle-buttress with a further three-stage buttress to the north of the entrance front. The steeple has angle-buttresses to all four corners rising to the third stage. The buttress to the northwest contains the stairwell to the bell-chamber with three loop-hole window openings and weathering to either side of buttress. Three-stage angle-buttresses are also present to the rear gable.

Windows:
Gothic window openings with basalt relieving arches, sandstone hood mouldings with block label-stops and flush sandstone ashlar splayed window frames.

To the principal gable is a large Gothic relieving arch and sandstone hood moulding framing three lancet window openings formed in splayed sandstone ashlar with trefoil-headed lights containing weather glazing and stained glass windows. To the spandrel is a pair of roundel openings formed in sandstone ashlar with blind trefoil panels. To either side of the principal gable (north side aisle and first stage tower), is a Gothic window opening with basalt relieving arch, sandstone hood moulding with block label-stops and bipartite sandstone ashlar geometric tracery containing a pair of trefoil-headed lights surmounted by a quatrefoil light and flanked by a pair of daggers, all glazed in stained glass.

To the second stage of the tower (west elevation) is a Gothic opening with relieving arch and hood moulding with foliate label-stops, containing a trefoil-headed blind arch having a pair of colonnettes with foliate capitals and a dog-tooth detail to the arch, a splayed flush sill with an empty octagonal plinth base. To the south elevation at second stage is a pair of lancet openings with basalt relieving arches, hood mouldings and quarry-glazing, repeated as a single window opening to the east elevation. To the third stage of all four elevations is an oculus opening with a semi-circular hood moulding and cinquefoil sandstone frame with quarry-glazing. To the fourth stage (bell-stage) on all four elevations is a pair of compound Gothic openings formed in clustered colonnettes with foliate capitals, resting on weathered sills.

Windows to the side aisles are generally Gothic with a stone relieving arch, hood moulding and sandstone ashlar plate-tracery formed in sandstone ashlar splayed frames, containing a pair of lancet openings with a trefoil or quatrefoil light above, having stained glass and weather glazing. At clerestorey level is a series of geometric window openings formed in sandstone ashlar, of alternating shapes and containing fixed-pane iron-framed quarry-glazing.

To the rear gable is a Catherine wheel window formed in sandstone ashlar with semi-circular stone relieving arch, a centre quatrefoil and sandstone colonnettes forming trefoil-headed lights with stained glass and weather glazing. Below is a pair of pointed-arched window openings formed in splayed sandstone ashlar with stone relieving arches, a continuous hood moulding and moulded sandstone sill course, containing trefoil-headed lights with stained glass and weather glazing. The vestry contains a pair of lucarnes to the attic-storey with bipartite Gothic window openings formed in flush sandstone ashlar containing quarry-glazing and trefoil openings to the gablets. The bipartite window openings are repeated to the ground floor.

Doors:
The main entrance to the front gable comprises a squat Gothic opening with basalt relieving arch with a hood moulding and head-stops. A pointed-trefoil-headed opening with foliate cusps surrounded by a compound doorcase comprising a pair of colonnettes (to either side) with foliate capitals on splayed plinth bases, supporting compound moulded soffit with dog-tooth detailing and double-leaf vertically-sheeted timber doors with elaborate wrought-iron hinges.

The door openings to the projecting porches to either side and to the entrance to the vestry comprise Gothic openings with basalt relieving arches, hood mouldings with head-stops, chamfered reveals with broach-stops. Double and single-leaf vertically-sheeted timber doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges, opening onto sandstone steps (single-leaf steel replacement door to vestry).

Setting

The church is surrounded in bitmac and enclosed to the Shore Road by a low basalt wall with sandstone saddle-back coping. Entrances and corners are terminated in sandstone ashlar piers with bowtell stop-chamfered corners and roll-moulded saddle-back capstones. The rubble basalt wall to the north (Whitehouse Park) has a stacked rubble stone coping. A pair of wrought-iron gates provides the main vehicular front entrance, with gothic detailing and floral finials. A pedestrian wrought-iron gate to the southwest and a further gate to Whitehouse Park show similar detailing.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Uncoursed rock-faced basalt rubble
Windows: quarry glazing
RWG: Replacement metal

Historical information

The building is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1902 and is captioned ‘RC Chapel’.

Valuation Revisions dating from 1864-1870 record (under exemptions) a ‘Roman Catholic Chapel and land’, valued at £180. Brett describes the church as a tall and handsome Gothic Revival church constructed 1865-7 to designs by John O’ Neill. Drawing on contemporary sources such as O’Laverty’s ‘Down and Connor’ Vol III, (1884) and the Builder journal of 1869, Brett describes the church as O’Neill’s “first ambitious exercise in architectural design, probably commissioned in late 1861”. (p.62). The church has a very tall steeple which, again according to Brett, was “built under the supervision of J.J McDonnell but possibly to the designs of O’Neill, [and] completed only in 1899”.

References:

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/2 –Second Edition OS Map (1857)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/57/3 –Third Edition OS Map (1902)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/5/12 A-K – Valuation Revision Fieldbook (1860-1909)

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C.E.B, Buildings of County Antrim, UAHS, 1996.
2. First Survey Information. 1991

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Free-standing 11-bay triple-height gable-fronted Gothic-Revival basalt and sandstone Catholic church, built c.1865. This exercise in Gothic Revival church architecture displays an abundance of architectural detailing typical of the mid 19th century and stands as a testimony to the highly accomplished craftsmanship of the day. The exceptionally tall steeple serves as a landmark feature of the locale, set against the backdrop of the Antrim hills.

General comments

This record has been combined with the gate piers, gates and walling previously HB21/07/005B