Survey Data
Reg No
41307005
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1855 - 1920
Coordinates
271728, 320771
Date Recorded
13/03/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding limestone-built Roman Catholic church on steeply sloping site, erected 1857-9 to designs by George Burnett, tower added 1877 to designs by William Hague Jr., and remodelled 1915 to designs by John McGahon. Cruciform plan consisting of four-bay nave with slightly lower chancel and side aisles, lower single-bay transepts, sacristy to north-east, and with three-stage tower to north-west with spire. Recent porch to south-west re-entrant corner of transept and chancel. Pitched artificial slate roof with cut-stone copings and cross finials to gables, recent rooflights to side aisles, replacement rainwater goods, and rebuilt brick chimneystack to sacristy. Rubble walls with dressed sandstone quoins and plinth course, and having stepped buttresses to corners of plan and between nave openings. Tower has sandstone string course and tapering spire with lucarnes. Pointed arch window openings with cut sandstone block and start surrounds throughout, bipartite to nave and clerestory, lancet openings to gables and to tower, with triple lancets to top stage of tower and to lucarnes of spire, latter with hoods and louvres. Clock to each face of top stage of tower. Stained glass to church proper. Pointed order arch entrance doorway to west side of tower, with colonnettes, hood-moulding terminating in carved head stops, and having double-leaf timber battened door approached by flight of steps. Shouldered doorway to sacristy with timber battened door. Interior has pointed arcade with round-plan columns, timber open scissors truss roof to nave, with timber panelling to side aisles. Carved marble reredos and altar to south end of nave, with timber gallery to rear accessed by cast-iron spiral staircase. Square-pan cut limestone piers to entrance gateway with pointed caps and cross finials, and wrought-iron double-leaf gates, set to rubble limestone boundary wall to west of site. Lawns to west of church and cemetery to north.
Appraisal
The elevated setting of this large Gothic Revival church makes it a prominent landmark in Ballybay town. It displays all the usual architectural details associated with such high-status churches. The variety of roof heights and gables enhance its appearance and the tall spired tower helps offset the strongly horizontal nature of the building. The relatively plain interior is lightened by the pointed arcade and the stained glass.