Survey Data
Reg No
30325008
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1870 - 1895
Coordinates
66017, 250724
Date Recorded
15/07/2008
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding gable-fronted Roman Catholic Church, built 1875-91, facing west and comprising four-bay nave having four-bay side aisles, two-bay transepts, chancel with clerestory addition to north-east side, side chapels to north and south sides of chancel, three-stage bell-tower to south-west corner of west front, double-height porch to north-east, gable-fronted porches to west side of transepts. Pitched artificial slate roofs to nave, aisles, transepts, clerestories and porches, hipped roof to chancel and tooled stone octagonal spire to tower. Tooled stone copings and cross finials to gables and porches. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble limestone walls built to courses, having chamfered limestone block-capped plinth, rubble limestone buttresses with limestone quoins and capping, and tooled limestone recesses to transepts. Tooled limestone string courses to upper stages of tower with tooled limestone walls to top stage with shoulders and dripstones, iron clock faces with carved hood-mouldings to all but north elevation of second stage. Lead-lined latticework windows to rest of building. Two-light pointed arch openings to nave and transepts, with chamfered stone sills and surrounds, polychrome voussoirs. Bipartite openings to aisles, porch and nave gable elevations with oeil-de-boeuf lights over to aisles with quarter and cinquefoil openings to porch and nave, having tooled limestone sills, plate tracery and shouldered hood-mouldings with polychrome voussoirs. Pointed arch openings to bottom stage of tower having stone sills and surrounds, polychrome voussoirs. Multifoil rose windows to west front, north porch and transepts with tooled limestone plate tracery and groups of five pointed arch openings to transepts below rose windows. Bipartite pointed-shouldered openings to chancel and clerestories having quatrefoil openings over, stone sills and surrounds having shouldered stone hood-moulding and polychrome voussoirs. Bipartite openings to north-east clerestory having square-headed shouldered openings with quatre-foil over, tooled limestone surrounds and plate tracery to quatrefoil window with some timber casement windows to shouldered openings. Square-headed shouldered openings to nave and north facing buttress of tower having tooled limestone sills, surrounds. Pointed arch openings to entrances to nave, tower and porch having tooled limestone recessed surrounds, hood-mouldings and polychrome voussoirs (south and west), rubble stone voussoirs to porch, with battened timber double and single-leaf doors. Square headed openings elsewhere having battened timber doors. Square-headed, shouldered openings to transepts (east) having tooled stone surrounds, quatrefoil overlights and stone stepped approaches with cast-iron bootscrapes. Interior has barrel-vaulted timber ceiling to nave, panelled vaulted ceiling to chancel, panelled ceiling to porch with moulded plaster work, having tooled limestone supporting piers to aisles, and sculpted marble reredos of 1907 to chancel with marble altar. Timber-framed organ gallery to west end of nave, and ornate painted decorations to walls of chancel.
Appraisal
Situated overlooking the town this church, designed by J.J. O'Callaghan, is perhaps the most recognisable landmark on the Clifden skyline. Its grand scale and design qualities mark it out as a structure of outstanding architectural and artistic merit. Its stonework has varied treatments, from rubble work to carved work, good detailing and the use of polychromy to window arches adds further colour. Its interior has a notable sculpted reredos and its chancel hads fine gold-leaf decoration.