Survey Data
Reg No
13008012
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Previous Name
Saint Mel's Diocesan Seminary
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1860 - 1870
Coordinates
213692, 275486
Date Recorded
01/09/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Attached five-bay single cell chapel associated with St. Mel’s College (13003002), built c. 1865, with apsidal sanctuary to the northeast, side aisle to the northwest side and extended two-bay single-storey sacristy to west. Pitched natural slate roof to main body of building with cast-iron rainwater goods, rendered chimneystack to the northwest pitch and cut stone verge to the northeast end having cut stone finial to apex. Semi-conical natural slate roof to apsidal sanctuary and hipped natural slate roof to attached sacristy. Painted roughcast rendered walls over dressed limestone plinth with dressed limestone quoins to the northeast end, smooth render plinth to side aisle and to sacristy extension. Round-headed window openings with chamfered tooled limestone block-and-start surrounds and having stained glass windows. Situated within the grounds of St. Mel's College (13003002) and to the east of Longford Town centre.
Appraisal
The round-headed window openings lend this chapel a subdued classical feel that compliments the architectural style of the main St. Mel’s College building (13003002). The plain exterior facades are enlivened by the good quality tooled limestone surrounds to the openings, the apsidal sanctuary and by the stained glass windows. This chapel was probably built to designs by John Bourke (d. 1871), the architect responsible for St. Mel’s College, and is likely to have been constructed at the same time. It forms part of an interesting group of related structures within the St. Mel’s College complex and it represents an integral element of the built heritage of Longford Town.