St John the Baptist Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey four bay basalt High Victorian church in Gothic Revival style, built between 1860-1861 by contractor James Henry of Belfast, to designs by Joseph Welland architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Rectangular plan form orientated N-S comprising gabled nave with projecting gabled porch to NE, narrowly projecting gabled bay to W and projecting gabled chancel to S which is abutted on its W by a smaller vestry with LGF. Narrowly projecting W bay is abutted by a later flat roofed boiler house. Later deep gabled transept to E with smaller gabled organ projection to its S, both added in 1903 to designs by Samuel Patrick Close. The church is situated within its own grounds to the W of the junction between the Suffolk and Stewartstown roads.

Gabled natural slate roof has black clay roll top ridge tiles to nave and angled ridge tiles elsewhere. Open roof vents to nave and transepts. Gables have raised stone verges with moulded stone trefoil to apex. Nave has a single square section chimney with two buff clay pots to S gable apex and smooth dressed sandstone bell-cote to N apex. Original cast iron ogee guttering, set on moulded sandstone corbels, discharging to circular section cast iron downpipes.

Walling is of rock-faced random-coursed basalt, with sandstone dressings, set on a battered plinth course. Windows are generally simplified Gothic composed of paired lancets in pointed arch surrounds with leaded stained glass. Perpendicular Gothic stained glass window to chancel gable and smaller Perpendicular Gothic windows with stained glazing to SE and SW of nave.

Principal elevation
The principal elevation faces E and has a three bay nave, single bay gabled chancel to S and projecting single bay transept to SE end. Projecting gabled porch to NE with pointed arch door having stop-chamfered sandstone surround and pointed arch windows to side elevations; paired pointed arch window with leaded clear lozenge shaped glazing to N bay and traceried stained glass window to S bay of nave. Painted timber door, with iron nail-head studs, is hung on wrought iron scroll hinges and opens onto two splayed sandstone steps. Transept has pointed arch window with stained glass composed of two lancets crowned by a quatrefoil light. Gabled organ block projects from S of transept and has no window openings to E facade.

North elevation
Nave gable has two lancet windows with clear lozenge glazing below reuleaux triangle shaped window and crowning sandstone bell-cote with moulded trefoil to apex. Later square-headed doorcase with metal door to NW of nave gable. Porch to E of nave has lancet window and E transept has paired lancet window in pointed arch surround. Narrow projecting gabled bay to W is abutted by later flat roofed and cement rendered boiler house to W.

West elevation
Three bay nave with first and second bays having paired lancet windows with pointed arch sandstone surrounds; third bay has two part traceried window. Narrowly projecting gabled bay to SW of nave has pointed arch window with stained glass composed of two lancets crowned by a quatrefoil light in pointed arch sandstone surround. Flat roofed boiler house below transept window with metal flue rising to S side. Chancel to S has mono-pitch vestry attached to its W; square-headed trefoil doorcase with louvered timber door opening onto two stone steps. Flight of stone steps to S of vestry lead to LGF, with square headed timber door to S of LGF.

South elevation
Elevation is dominated by a four centred arch on gabled chancel with perpendicular style tracery (restored 2012 see plaque in G03). Chancel window has stone cill composed of twelve pierced and moulded quatrefoils. Transept projects from E side of nave with gabled organ projection to its side. Paired lancet window to end of mono-pitch vestry on W of chancel and blind lancet window to gable of organ projection.

Setting
Located at the junction between the Suffolk Road and Stewartstown Road, St John the Baptist Church is situated in its own grounds set to lawn with mature trees. Rock-faced random-course basalt dwarf walling with bevelled edge sandstone coping to Suffolk Road and replacement concrete coping to Stewartstown Road. Walling is topped by pointed finial wrought iron railings to E and S roadsides with boundary walling to N having random stone coping. Site is bound to W by mature trees and the banks of the Collin River. Principle entrance in SE of boundary wall with wrought iron gates hung on square section piers with two stage pyramidal caps and scrolled metalwork overthrow (overthrow dated to 1935 by plaque in porch). Principle entrance to church is approached by tarmaced pathway leading NW from gates to projecting porch.

Roof: natural slate
RWGs: cast iron
Walling: rock-faced random-coursed basalt with sandstone surrounds
Windows: fix light pointed arch windows with leaded clear or stained glass Some stained glass tracery windows to nave and chancel.

Historical information

The origins of this church can be traced to the mid 1830s. In 1837 Rev. William McIlwaine, curate to the incumbent of St George’s Church in High Street, Belfast, began to hold services in Roseland school-house and in the barn of William Coates of Trench Farm, on alternate Sunday evenings. In the autumn of 1854 John Stouppe Charley provided a venue at his residence of Woodbourne for public worship and this was licensed by the bishop for that purpose. It was subsequently recorded that Rev. McIlwaine had ‘by his great exertions brought together a considerable number of worshippers’ at these services at Woodbourne. In 1859 a district parish was legally reconstituted and Rev. Joseph Rawlins was appointed the first incumbent.

Charley provided a site for a new church and designs were prepared by Joseph Welland, architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. This was one of the last churches that Welland designed before he died on 6 March 1860. On 14 May 1860 the foundation stone of the church was formally laid. As part of the ceremony on this day a roll of parchment was placed in a bottle with coins of the realm and placed in the foundation of the right side of the chancel arch. The contractor was James Henry of Belfast and the cost of building the church was £1,650. Some £600 of this had been raised by public subscription.

The church was consecrated on 27 May 1861. In appreciation of the exertions of Rev. McIlwaine a stained-glass window was placed in the chancel. The church appears in Griffith’s Valuation of 1861 where it is given a valuation of £65. In 1868 the district parish was reconstituted the parish of St John the Baptist, Upper Falls. In 1903 Samuel Patrick Close prepared designs for a new transept and organ which would cost around £700. Mortar bombs fired at a nearby army base in the early 1980s caused considerable damage to the church; repairs were subsequently carried out.

References

Primary sources
1. PRONI, St John the Baptist Church vestry minutes, 1855-96, MIC/583/28
2. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1901, OS/6/1/64/3
3. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1920-39, OS/6/1/64/6

Secondary sources
Lavens Ewart, Handbook of the United Dioceses of Down and Connor and Dromore (Belfast, 1886)
J. F. Rankin et al, Clergy of Connor (Belfast, 1993)

Online sources
Dictionary of Irish Architects: ww.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

High Victorian basalt church in Gothic Revival style built between 1860-1861 by contractor James Henry of Belfast, to designs by Joseph Welland. Rectangular plan form orientated N-S comprising gabled nave with bel-cote to N and several gabled projections that enhance the overall form. Later deep gabled transept to E with smaller gabled organ projection to its S, both added in 1903 to designs by Samuel Patrick Close. Despite having suffered bomb damage in the 1980s, St John the Baptist church retains most of its original character, style and proportions. A number of the original stained glass windows were damaged but have now been restored with other high quality internal features. The church is situated on the junction between the Suffolk Road and Stewartstown Road, with the Colin Glen river immediately adjacent to the E; its prominent position and important function mean it is of social significance to the local population. The main frontages are bound by basalt random rubble walling topped with dressed stone copings and wrought iron railings with impressive sandstone pillars supporting a decorative metalwork overthrow and gates to the corner entrance, all of which add considerable architectural character.