RC Church of The Visitation

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small single storey gothic RC church of 1872 in snecked sandstone, situated in tree lined grounds to the E of Killinchy Street.

To the left on the S façade of the church is a gabled porch. The entrance is located on the S gabled face of the porch and consists of a pointed arch opening with recessed timber sheeted double doors encased with a dressed (in and out) sandstone surround, label moulding and thin three quarter column jambs with decorative capitals. The E and W faces of the porch have a small pointed arch window with in and out dressed sandstone surround and label moulding (all the windows have a similar surround). The porch has thick buttresses, an eaves course and a parapet with ‘pedimented corbels’ and a celtic cross finial. The porch roof is covered in natural slate.

To the left of the porch is a narrow pointed arch window with small lattice panes, with four similar to the right. The windows have buttresses between them. Eaves course.

The W gable has three windows as before but set at a slightly higher level. There are buttresses between the windows and to the wall edges. The tops of the two central buttresses continue as two shallow projecting vertical courses which rise to merge with a gabled bellcote at the apex. Between these two courses (just beneath the bellcote) a shallow segmental arch is formed by the joining of the inner sides of the courses. Directly beneath this arch is a small roundel/rose window set within a sandstone dressed chamfered recess. This window consists of a central circular pane with eight smaller circular panes around it. These panes have stained glass.

The N façade has six windows as the S façade, with buttresses between. Between the first and second buttresses (i.e. to the left) there is short modern flat roofed ‘corridor’ which links to a fairly small modern [?store] extension, octagonal in plan with a shallow, felt covered hipped roof, lined render façade and four small windows on alternate faces. There is a flat panel door (with steps) to the W face of the ‘corridor’ and two small windows to the E face. Eaves course to main N façade.

The E gable has three pointed arch windows, with stained glass, set at a high level to the centre (with that to the middle taller). To the gable apex is a tiny (roughly) oval window. To the base of this façade is a small recent boiler house projection. The tall chimney breast from this boiler has been deftly built against the main façade in similar sandstone.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with parapets with ‘pedimented corbels’ and celtic cross to gable apex.

Small graveyard to E of church. Sandstone wall to N, S and W of church with gates to W (to the street) with gabled pillars and decorative late Victorian cast iron gates.

Historical information

This church commenced building in 1868 and was consecrated in September 1872. In the years immediately prior to this Comber’s Catholics had met in a house in the Lower Crescent (to the north east side of the town) and, previous to this (around 1850), in the town market house which stood near the site of the present church.

The church interior was damaged in an arson attack c.1992 and the fittings were replaced afterwards.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Secondary sources
1 Norman Nevin ‘The Story of Comber’ (c.1980s) [typescript in Comber library].

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Small Gothic revival RC church of 1872 in snecked sandstone . Despite losing its interior in 1992 due an arson attack this is a fine church complete with boundary walling and cast iron gates, in a good setting.