Groomsport Parish Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A cruciform Church of Ireland church with two-stage tower, dated 1842, built to designs by Sir Charles Lanyon and set on the north side of Groomsport village, overlooking the sea. The main body of the church is aligned north-south with transepts to east and west, and entrance tower to south-west re-entrant angle; there is a lean-to vestry extension to south-east.

Roof is pitched natural slate with blue/black angled clay ridge tiles and having sandstone kneelers to all gables. Cast-iron rainwater goods on cavetto-moulded sandstone eaves. Walling is roughcast with ashlar sandstone quoins and string course at floor level. Windows are tripartite stained-glass lancets (unless otherwise stated), surrounds are generally chamfered blocked sandstone with a number of reconstituted stone replacements.

The tower is two-stage with castellated parapet, gableted pinnacles, string course between stages, and sandstone quoins. It has a four-centred arched entrance opening to west having a double-leaf wood grained door set in reconstituted stone surround, with panelled tympanum and bronze door furniture. It is surmounted by a stone shield inscribed with gilded date: 1842. There is a single lancet to south cheek; second stage has bipartite louvred lancets with linked stone hood-moulds to all elevations. To right of tower, nave is one window wide; the transept has tripartite lancets to gable and bipartite lancet to north.

The chancel has a gothic tracery window to north gable, having a sandstone surround, with hood mould detailed with foliated carved stops.

The east side consists of the east transept and vestry at left. The transept has a square-headed timber door accessed by a concrete step to north cheek, and tripartite lancets to east gable. The vestry has a gothic timber door with bronze furniture and tripartite gothic windows, all to east elevation. It is also lit by two gothic windows at south. The remaining east elevation has a single lancet window to the left.

South gable has a break front containing tripartite lancets surmounted by a single lancet with hood mould detailed with foliated carved stops.

Setting

The church is set in a tarmac car park planted with shrubs to borders and enclosed by a rubble stone boundary wall with soldier coping to road, saddleback render coping to remainder. It is accessed at south west by a mild steel gate supported on square ashlar sandstone piers with moulded caps.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Roughcast
Windows: Stained glass
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Groomsport Church was built in 1842 to designs by Charles Lanyon. In 1909 a chancel was added and in 1932, transepts. These later additions were designed by Samuel P Close and James A Hanna respectively.

The church is first shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858 with a cruciform plan. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists it as a church and yard valued at £14 and 10s for the yard. The diocesan history notes that it was built “as a chapel-of-ease to Bangor and was one of sixteen churches built with funds from the Church Accommodation Society. The site was a gift from [John Waring] Maxwell of Finnebrogue, Downpatrick and the architect was Charles Lanyon, who gave his services free to the Society…The church was originally only a nave with tower.” The diocesan history reproduces a contemporary painting of the church as it appeared at the time of construction. The cost was £750 and the church could seat about 130. A bell cast by Thomas Mears of London was added in 1843. (Clergy of Down and Dromore, p.117 (Part I), Groomsport Parish Church, p.9-10).

A three-light east window representing the Transfiguration was installed in the nave in December 1876 to commemorate Robert and John William Perceval-Maxwell who died in 1873 and 1875 respectively. The makers were Mayer & Co of Munich, a renowned stained-glass studio (Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette; Groomsport Parish Church, p.23; Belfast Weekly News).

In 1909 a chancel was added in memory of Major Robert Perceval Maxwell (father of Robert and John William) and his wife Helena Anne. New pews were installed and the flat ceiling was replaced by the present hammer beam roof. The architect for this addition was Samuel P Close. The east window by Mayer of Munich was re-installed in the new chancel (Belfast Newsletter).

In 1932, in response to the church’s need for extra accommodation, James A Hanna designed new transepts of Conlig stone with dressings of artificial stone. Stained glass windows were created by his son Dennis O’D Hanna. The £1300 contract was awarded to Messrs William Dowling Ltd of Belfast. In 1955, the vestry was enlarged at a cost of £850. The Good Shepherd window in the nave, designed by Kate O’Brien, was installed in memory of Montague Gordon Weaving in 1952. A three-light window by David Esler was added in 2000. (Clergy of Down and Dromore, p.117 (Part I); Patton, p.66; Groomsport Parish Church, p.20-1; www.dia.ie; www.gloine.ie).

References:

1. PRONI OS/6/3/2/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/2/2 – Second Edition OS map 1901
3. PRONI OS/6/3/2/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901
4. PRONI OS/6/3/2/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-26
5. PRONI OS/6/3/2/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/2 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/31 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/2 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/23/7A-K – Annual Revisions (1866-99)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/23/8A-C – Annual Revisions (1894-1923)
12. PRONI VAL/12/D/3/2 – Annual Revisions Maps (1866–1923)
13. Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette, Vol 19, No 213, 1st January 1877, p.17
14. Belfast Weekly News, 23rd December 1876
15. Belfast Newsletter, 12th June 1909

Secondary Sources

16. Gloine: Stained glass in the Church of Ireland (www.gloine.ie)
17. Groomsport Parish Church 1842-1992. Church leaflet
18. Patton, M, “Bangor, An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999
19. Rankin, F., Leslie, Canon, J.B., Swanzy, Dean H.B. “Clergy of Down and Dromore” Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996
20. The Parish Church Groomsport, Co Down, 1842-1934
21. www.dia.ie – Dictionary of Irish Architects online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A modestly-scaled cruciform Church of Ireland church, with nave and tower built in 1842 to designs by Sir Charles Lanyon, later extended in 1909 to include a chancel and in 1932 transepts to designs by James A Hanna. The overall composition is neat, and detailing is relatively plain, enlivened by battlemented tower and sandstone dressings. The church is in a prominent shore-side setting and contains many features of historic and artistic interest, including good stained glass windows from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is a good example of the minor works of two prominent architects.

General comments

Groomsport Area of Village Character