Survey Data
Reg No
40901203
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1850 - 1860
Coordinates
254533, 443312
Date Recorded
24/09/2008
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding gable-fronted four-bay single-storey Church of Ireland church, built 1856, with stone bellcote to west. Pitched slate roof with grey clayware ridge tiles, ashlar gable-copings and springers; ashlar limestone bellcote having feathered coping and surmounted by Celtic cross; cast-iron rainwater goods. Snecked rough-dressed green rubble limestone walls with tooled ashlar limestone block-and-start quoins, diagonal corner-buttresses to three corners and limestone ashlar plinth course. Pointed-arch window openings with chamfered tooled ashlar surrounds, having diamond-shaped cast-iron quarries and coloured-glass windows. Y-tracery window with hoodmoulding to west gable. Tripartite lancet window flanked by lower lancet windows to east gable. Pointed-arch door opening with chamfered tooled ashlar surround and studded battened timber double doors with decorative cast-iron hinges. Graveyard surrounding with Victorian memorial stones; cast-iron grave-surround on square-plan to rear. Roughcast rendered wall to west with slightly recessed gateway comprising of cast and wrought-iron gates mounted on tooled monolithic green limestone gate posts with pyramidal caps. Gleneely Rectory (40901218) directly to south-east.
Appraisal
A simple gothic church, attributed to Joseph Welland and said to have been funded by Miss Catherine Ball of Grouse Hall, a significant landmark and an attractive addition to the largely rural landscape of the area. The blocked arch to the east gable suggests that it was intended to add a chancel. Its high quality finishes, fine proportions and scale combine to create a most handsome structure. The retention of all its architectural fabric and details, recently repaired with appropriate conservation philosophy, make this a valuable addition to the architectural heritage of the area. Having long served as an important part of the area’s religious and social life, this building and the associated Rectory (40901107) form an integral part of the area’s identity, whilst associations with the oldest building in the area Grouse Hall, give added interest.