St Mary's on the Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height basalt Roman Catholic church, built 1896 to designs by J. J. O’Shea, located at the west side of Carnmoney Road. Rectangular-on-plan, facing east; diminished chancel to west, two-storey sacristy to north elevation of chancel, two-stage square tower to south, modern porch to east.

Pitched natural slate roof with red clay fleur-de-lys ridge tiles, moulded stone verges with wrought-iron Celtic crosses to gable apexes, cavetto-moulded stone corbelled eaves, half-round cast-iron gutters. Walling is random-coursed rock-faced basalt over splayed red sandstone plinth, buttresses with off
setting between windows. Windows are cusped stained glass lancets with dressed sandstone surrounds and splayed flush sills. Non-lancet windows have Geometric-tracery and figurehead label-ended hoodmoulds.

East gable is abutted by modern porch (of no interest). Exposed section has two Gothic geometric-tracery windows; apex has ventilation lancet with dressed sandstone surround and flush sill course.

South elevation is abutted at right end by tower. Remaining section has two windows. Tower has pyramidal slate roof, angle buttresses, and a Gothic varnished timber-sheeted double-leaf door set in moulded stone surround with crocketed collonettes and hoodmould, accessed by two stone steps. Second stage and left and right cheeks each have window to each stage.

West gable is abutted by a diminished chancel. Exposed section is blank. Chancel gable has full-height Gothic geometric-tracery window with hoodmould. Right cheek has two windows. Left cheek is entirely abutted by sacristy.

North elevation is three windows wide.

The sacristy is detailed as church; windows are square-headed replacement timber casements in stop-end-chamfered dressed stone architraves. Gable has two diminished windows with wrought-iron protection grilles. Right cheek is abutted by modern single-storey boiler block (of no interest). Left cheek has two bays; windows are square-headed replacement timber casements in stop-end-chamfered dressed architraves. First floor has a single window to each bay; ground floor left bay has a bipartite window; right bay has square-headed replacement varnished timber raised-and-fielded eight panelled door with frosted overlight set in stop-ended chamfered dressed stone surrounds and accessed by two concrete steps.

Setting

The church is situated on an elevated hilltop site in tarmac parking lot with landscaped lawn. Separated from the road by a modern mild steel railing over a random rubble stone plinth wall. Accessed via modern mild steel vehicular double gates.

Roof: natural slate
Walling random-coursed rock-faced basalt
Windows: stained glass
Rainwater Goods: cast-iron

Historical information

The building first appears on the third edition OS map of 1902 and is marked as ‘St Mary’s on the Hill’.

The church is not recorded on the Valuation Revision Map from 1885-1895, but the site is marked in pen as 17B and recorded as ‘site of RC Chapel’ in exemptions.

According to the First Survey Information, St Mary’s was designed by J.J O’Shea for Rev. J Hamill, Parish Priest of Whitehouse, in 1896. (source - Belfast Newsletter, Jan 1 , 1897).

References:

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/56/1 -First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRON OS/6/1/56/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/56/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1902)
4. PRONI VAL/12/D/1/56F -Valuation Revision Map (dating from c.1885-1895)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/5/7 A-G -Valuation Revision Fieldbook (1862-1929)

Secondary Sources
1. First Survey Information (ref. Belfast Newsletter, Jan 1, 1897).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A late-nineteenth-century double-height basalt Roman Catholic church with Gothic detailing and a truncated tower that commands a hilltop setting on Carnmoney Road. The church is of a relatively late and common type and not of special architectural or historic interest.