St Comgall's Roman Catholic Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height Gothic-Revival Roman Catholic church built c.1890 to designs by Mortimer Thompson. Irregular plan form resulting from multiple additions and alterations to original barn-type church c.1980. Located on the south side of Brunswick Road in Bangor West.

Natural pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles; crested ridge tiles to tower; leaded ridge to modern extensions. Replacement square-section extruded metal rainwater goods. Walling squared rubble masonry built to courses with sandstone plinth and corbel course and long-and-short quoins. Stained glass windows throughout embedded into lancet openings; sandstone surrounds. Diagonally timber sheeted double doors embraced by gothic ashlar sandstone surrounds, chamfer-stops and hood-moulding; ornamental head-stops and hood-mould over. Cross engraved into tympanum.

Principal gabled north facing elevation with bell tower located to left. Apex stone with gablets surmounted by filigree gable-cross. Principal entrance centrally located with large traceried gothic window over. Three-stage bell-tower, square on plan and segmented by drip courses; single lancet window at first stage; three clustered arrowloop openings at second stage; paired louvered gothic openings at third stage, rising to gabled roof with trefoil centrally located. Apex stone with gablets surmounted by gable cross. Single-storey porch, matching in detail c.1980, abutting east face of tower.

The east elevation (including tower) is abutted by a full length single storey extension c.1980; plain cement rendered, comprising an entrance hall, side aisle and secondary accommodation to the rear.

The gabled south elevation has three lancet windows centrally located with relieving arch over flanked by modern single storey service and secondary accommodation.

The west elevation has six lancet windows and modern single storey extension abutting the right hand side.

Setting

Faces directly on to the Brunswick Road and surrounded predominantly by detached single and two-storey residences. Modern primary school located immediately to the east and south. Presbytery immediately located to west. Walls with gated piers at the front entrance; matching masonry type and detailing from the main body of the church.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: stone
Windows: Stained glass
RWG: metal

Historical information

This building, which dates from 1888, replaced an earlier chapel. Bangor traditionally had a very small Catholic population and was without a Catholic church until 1851. A chapel was then constructed on a site that was, at the time, surrounded by green fields and very much outside the town of Bangor itself. Prior to the construction of the church, Masses had been celebrated in Bangor only during the summer season, using an empty house in Ballymagee Street, now High Street. (O’Laverty, p.152)

An ‘R C Chapel’ appears, captioned, on the second edition OS map of 1858 and is listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) at £7, indicating a small and simple structure. It remained in use as a school for some years after the building of the present church but was demolished in 1984. (Patton, p.29)

As Bangor expanded into a successful seaside resort and commuter town, a decision was made to build a larger church on the present site, to the west of the old chapel. Work began on the new building in 1886 and it entered valuation records in 1889 at £59, having been completed in 1888. The building is captioned ‘St Comgall’s RC Church’ on the third edition OS map of 1901. (Annual Revisions, Irish Builder; Patton, p.29) According to Patton, the architect was Mortimer Thompson. (Patton, p.29) The stone used was greywacke with secondary Scrabo sandstone and Portland limestone. (www.stonedatabase.com)

In 1916 the Rev Scally, former chaplain to H.M.S. Caroline, became parish priest and oversaw a number of improvements to the church. The Irish Builder announced in 1917 that the interior of the church had recently been decorated and a new high altar erected, “The new high altar replaces the original Caen stone altar which was erected in 1888, just prior to the opening, on completion, of the church. It is Gothic in style to correspond with the church. It was designed by Mr J J McDonnell, Belfast, the sculptor being Mr Edmund Sharpe of Dublin”. Rev Scally also inserted stained glass windows, mosaic pavement in the Sanctuary, the Stations of the Cross and the Little Flower Hall. (Irish Builder; Information Leaflet)

The church was extended in 1983 by the addition of a further aisle and porch to the east together with two rear extensions housing secondary accommodation. A vestry to the south-east of the church was removed during these alterations. (Patton, p.29)

The Church was almost completely destroyed in a fire in January 1985, but following restoration was re-dedicated on the first Sunday of Advent in December 1985. (www.bangorparish.com)

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/3/2/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
2.PRONI OS/6/3/2/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901
3.PRONI OS/6/3/2/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-26
4.PRONI OS/6/3/2/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
5.PRONI VAL/1/A/3/2 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
6.PRONI VAL/1/B/31 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/2 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
8.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
9.PRONI VAL/12/B/23/7A-K – Annual Revisions (1866-99)
10.PRONI VAL/12/B/23/9A-S – Annual Revisions (1900-1930)
11.Irish Builder Vol 59, 6 January 1917, p.16

Secondary Sources

1.“Christian Heritage in North Down and Ards” Information Leaflet (n.d.)
2.O’Laverty, Rev James “An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor Ancient and Modern, Vol II” Dublin: M H Gill & Son, 1880
3.Patton, M, “Bangor, An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999
4.www.stonedatabase.com
5.www.bangorparish.com

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A double-height Gothic-Revival Roman Catholic church built c.1888 to designs by Mortimer Thompson. Enlarged c.1983 and suffered fire damage c.1985. The church retains many original external architectural features of which its unusual tower is of note. It was restored after fire in 1985 and has been extended in recent years. The church is a good example of the type and of some interest as one of the minor works of a notable architect.