St Josephs Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double height gabled church dating from 1826. L-shaped plan form with gable entrance porch at inside junction of each 'leg' and square tower to SW. The church is located within its own grounds with a graveyard to W, including the Hamill Vault (listed under HB26.20.004 B). The site is located to the E side of Hannahstown Hill.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled black clay ridge tiles. Small circular section metal ventilators to roof. Raised stone verges to kneelered gables. Metal ogee guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Rendered walling with projecting plinth course. Stained leaded glazing to window openings and concrete sills (unless otherwise stated).

South elevation:
The principal elevation faces S. Double-height gabled entrance to centre flanked by two projecting gables at 45 degree angles facing SE and SW.
Large pointed arch door opening to S gable, with double-leaf diagonal-sheeted timber door opening onto five steps. Round arch window above and a small stone plaque with the date AD 1998. Stone celtic cross to apex.
The two-bay wide SW block has a gable end with round arch window opening at high level and single storey projecting porch to front also having a round arch window to gable and single stage buttresses. Small stone memorial plaque at high level to gable. NW elevation of porch has a square-headed door opening with a diagonal sheeted double-leaf timber door with fanlight opening onto a small ramp; the SE elevation has a round arch window.
The SW gable is abutted to W by the square plan three-stage pyramidal roof tower. Un-coursed rock-faced Greywacke stone walling with Scrabo sandstone quoins and small angled buttresses. Pointed arch door opening to first stage with smooth Scrabo sandstone surround having a diagonal sheeted timber door. Small pointed arch opening to second stage and large pointed arch louvred opening to belfry stage having continuous moulded string course to impost level. Overhanging eaves to roof and metal finial.
The two-bay wide SE block has a gabled end with round arch window opening at high level and single storey projecting porch to front with two round arch windows to gable. SW elevation to porch has two pointed arch door openings having square headed diagonal sheeted timber door opening with fanlight; NE elevation is windowless.

West elevation:
The W elevation consists of a double-height two bay elevation abutted by the tower to S end and two single-storey lean-to extensions to N.
Pointed arch windows to the double height elevation. Two smaller lancet windows, a square-headed window and a square headed door opening with a modern flush timber door to the extensions.

North elevation:
The N elevation consists of a single three-part canted bay with three pointed arch windows.

East elevation:
Four bay elevation to E.

Setting:
The church is located within its own grounds with a graveyard to W, including the Hamill Vault (listed under HB26.20.004 B), a rectangular double storey pitched roof Hall to SE and a T plan form two-storey gabled Hall to S. Large tarmaced car park to SW. A statue of St Joseph stands on a plinth to the front of the main entrance. The site is located to the E side of Hannahstown Hill.

Materials:
Roof natural slate
RWG uPVC
Walling rendered wall
Windows leaded stained glazing

Historical information

Though generally known as Hannahstown, the church is located in the townland of Englishtown (though right on the boundary with Hannahstown townland). According to O’Laverty (p. 353), a school-house was built by Fr O’Donnell in 1792 which was used as a church. A small portion of it remains in the present graveyard. In 1826 a new church was built by Rev. Charles Hendron and consecrated by Dr Crolly on 30 September 1827. The new church was built on a site provided by John McCance, a Presbyterian landowner and businessman, who is also said to have contributed £20 towards building the church.

The church is shown (but not named) on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map as an oblong structure with an addition on its north side. It is represented as an oblong building with an L-shaped rear return. The First Valuation fieldbook of c. 1835 provides the following dimensions for the church: 50 feet long, 28½ broad and 18 feet high to the eaves. The return measured 12½ feet long, 25 feet broad and 11 feet high. The fieldbook include the comment that the church was ‘neither floored or ceiled’.

On the 1857 Ordnance Survey map ‘R.C. Chapel’ is marked within a graveyard. In Griffith’s Valuation (1861), the church was valued at £16 10s. The 6-inch Ordnance Survey map of 1901 named the church as ‘St Peter and St Paul’s RC Chapel’, though would appear to be an error. On subsequent maps it is referred to as St Joseph’s. A photograph of the church in Fulton (p. 8), taken in 1989 shows the church as a rectangular structure with a porch attached to the west gable and a tower with spire adjoining the west end of the north wall. In 1998 the church was refurbished and extended to the south. A new parochial house was also built.

References

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
First Valuation fieldbook, c. 1835 – VAL/1/B/128A
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1832/3 – OS/6/1/60/1
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1857 – OS/6/1/60/2
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1901 – OS/6/1/60/3
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1920-31 – OS/6/1/60/4

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
First Survey Record – HB/26/20/004

Published sources
James O’Laverty, An Historical account of the diocese of Down and Connor, vol. 2 (Dublin, 1880)
Ambrose Macaulay, Down and Connor: a short history (no date)
Eileen Fulton, History of St Joseph’s, Hannahstown, Co. Antrim, 1826-1993 (1993)

Online sources
Parish website: http://hannahstownparish.com/hannahstownhistory.html

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A gabled church dating from 1826. L-shaped plan form with square tower to NW. The church is located within its own grounds with a graveyard to NE, including the Hamill Vault (listed under HB26.20.004B) and two modern halls to S and SW. The site is located to the E side of Hannahstown Hill. The church has been extensively refurbished and modernised; it is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.