Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/06/001

Address :
Donagahdee (Cof I) parish church Church Place Donaghadee County Down BT21 0DB

Townland:
Donaghadee

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
20/12/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
132/4

IG Ref:
J5893 7987

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Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

Complex single storey gothic cruciform church, with off centre four storey tower, originally constructed c.1626 possibly from the remains of a medieval church, with tower largely rebuilt c.1833 and substantial (slightly Hiberno gothic) additions to the nave / transepts of c.1878-81 by Timothy Hevey. The building sits on a commanding rise overlooking Donaghadee town centre and surrounded by graveyard. To the left E side of the N (gabled) end of the nave is the four-storey tower. To the centre of the ground floor is the main (double door with strap hinges) timber sheeted entrance which is set within a sandstone dressed semicircular arched opening with drip moulding and label stops. An inscribed sandstone panel set in the tympanum records ‘This church was rebuilt by Hugh, Viscount Montgomery A.D.1626 (this stone commemorates the tercentenary service held 1926). The base of the tower is believed to be medieval. It has been suggested that its off centre positioning in relation to the gable of the nave is a result of the difficulties the site posed for the early 17th century builders. To the centre of the first floor is a very small slit window. The S face of the ground and first floors are obscured by the N gable of the nave. The E and W faces each have a small central slit window to the ground and first floors, as before, with a further slit window to left on the first floor to E. The second and third floors (which date from c.1833) are reduced. Each face is identical. To each corner is a plain (‘clasping buttress’) ‘pilaster’. To each floor of the pilaster is a blind arrow loop and has a more decorative balistraria to the upper section of the second floor. Each pilaster is surmounted with a tall pyramidal finial with castellated battlements between. To the centre of the third floor is a plain lancet window with deeply incised reveals. Between third and fourth floors is a white faced [?enamel] clock with roman numerals (installed 1890). To the fourth floor is another lancet (similar but larger) opening with louvered in fill. To the right of the tower one half of the N nave gable is exposed and this has a centred pointed arch headed window. The W face of the N end of the nave has a right of centre pointed arch window with drip moulding. The N face of the W transept has one similar right of centre pointed arch window. The W gable of this transept has one centred pointed arch window with in-out sandstone dressings. To the base of this gable is a small double door set in a semicircular arch headed opening. This door give access to a crypt which is the burial place of the Delacherois family. Inscribed marble plaques to either side of the door and an inscribed plaque set within the tympanum record the names of those interred. The gable has in-out sandstone quoins. The gable is surmounted by a ‘Celtic cross’ finial and has shallow sandstone parapets. The S face of this transept is blank. The W face of the southern portion of the nave (and chancel) is completely obscured by a clutter of 1878-81 additions. There is a lean-to potion (side on) to the left, a lean-to portion to the centre (face on) and a tall gabled bay to the right. The lean-tos each have a lancet window with in-out sandstone dressings and drip moulding. The gable has a paired lancet surmounted by a quatrefoil set in a circular recess. The whole arrangement has in/out sandstone dressings. Whilst all walls of the nave previously described are finished with plain render, this face is finished with (mainly) blackstone squared rubble with sandstone banded dressings at sill and eaves level. The S (gabled) end of the chancel has a triple lancet surmounted by a cinquefoil all with sandstone in-out dressings and banding as before. To the left (W) is the side of a small ‘transept. To the centre of this is a shouldered timber sheeted door set within a pointed arch recess with a decorative inscribed panel which notes ‘Restored 1881. Rev. R.H. Coote A.B. Rector. James Delacherios D.L. William Wright Church Wardens. The right side of the main gable merges with a circular (in plan) projection with a conical roof. There are three lancet windows and in/out sandstone dressings and banding, as before, a s well as a doorway with timber sheeted door set in a pointed arch opening with decorative carved panel to ‘tympanum’. The circular projection obscures the S face of the small transept. The E face the chancel matches the W face and has lean-to projections and a small transept gable, all as before ((but handed). To the left of this is a tall chimneystack. The E face of the main transept is as per that to the W face of the W main transept. The N and S faces of the main transept are blank. To the right N. of this the E face of the main nave is obscured by a projection the left of which is gabled and the right side is formed as a lean-to. To the left, within the gable is a semicircular arch headed door with a small lancet window while to the right, within the lean-to section is a similar lancet window. All openings have in-out sandstone dressings and, as before. The right side of this projection abuts the S face of the tower. To the ridge of the gabled section is a stone chimneystack. The roof is covered with natural slate and rw goods are cast iron. The church is surrounded by an extremely crowded graveyard, with headstones dating back to the 17th century. The whole site is bounded by a wall, part rendered part rubble. To the front is the main gateway with simple rendered piers and relatively plain wrought iron gates with cast iron spear heads. The piers are topped with decorative carriage lamps.

Architects

Hevey, Timothy

Historical Information

This church largely dates from 1626 when Hugh Montgomery, Lord of The Ards, added a new cruciform structure to an existing tower. The tower itself probably belonged to a mediaeval church, though some have suggested that it was actually part of a medieval stronghold, with the original church located elsewhere. Montgomery’s new building, which was originally thatched, is shown in a pictorial map of 1700 with a spire, however it is not known whether this is a fanciful notion of now a church should look, or whether it does reflect the actual structure. A description of 1788 refers to it as ‘a decent church which though an old building, is in good repair and erected in the form of a cross, with narrow gothic arched windows. At the west [actually north] end is a square steeple not so high as the church and never seems to have been finished’. This suggests either that the 1700 map is indeed fanciful and the tower never had a spire, or that much of the tower was demolished at some time earlier in the 1700s. There is little evidence to support a demolition theory however. The church, squat tower and all, is shown in a drawing of 1817 by Samuel Louis Delacherois. The tower was restored in 1833 when the then landlord, Daniel Delacherois, adapted a design which had actually been drawn up in c.1780 by Dublin architect Thomas Cooley. Tower notwithstanding, the church remained in its 17th century form until 1878 when substantial additions were added to the nave and chancel, and the interior remodelled, to plans by Timothy Hevey. Hevey died shortly after work commenced and his designs executed (with slight modifications) by Armagh Diocesan architect, John Henry Fullerton. The clock was added to the tower in 1890. References- Primary sources 1 Map of Donaghadee c.1700. [In possession of Mrs. Stone / Mr Day of the Manor House, Donaghadee.] 2 ‘A map of the town of Donaghadee...’, c.1771-90. 3 Design for a tower for Donaghadee parish church by Thomas Cooley (c.1780) [In possession of Mrs. Stone / Mr Day of the Manor House, Donaghadee] 4 ‘The compleat Irish traveller (Dublin, 1788) [Contains description of the church.] 5 View of Donaghadee by Samuel Louis Delacherois (1817) [In possession of Mrs. Stone / Mr Day of the Manor House, Donaghadee] 6 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.7 ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), p.47 7 PRONI VAL 1B/32 p.3 1st valuation, Donaghadee, c.1834-6. [The valuation for the town of Donaghadee (unlike others of this period) does not provide the dimensions, nor give an indication of the age of the buildings.] 8 PRONI VAL/1D/3/16 First valuation town plan of Donaghadee 9 PRONI OS/8/8/1/1-9 OS town plan of Donaghadee, 1859 10 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee, 1863. 11 PRONI VAL/12E/121/1/1-9 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1864-1908 12 PRONI OS/8/8/2//1-3 OS town plan of Donaghadee, 1901 13 PRONI VAL/12E/121/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1908-35 14 PRONI VAL/3G/69/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1932-56 15 PRONI VAL/3G/69/1/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1934-43 Secondary sources 1 ‘Archaeological survey of Co Down’ (Belfast HMSO 1966), p.324 2 W.G. Pollock, ‘Six miles from Bangor- The story of Donaghadee’ (Belfast 1975) 2 Hugh Dixon, Ken Kenmuir and Jill Kennett, ‘Historic buildings…Donaghadee and Portpatrick (Belfast, 1977), pp.9-13

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Complex single storey gothic cruciform church, with off centre four storey tower, originally constructed c.1626 possibly from the remains of a medieval church, with tower largely rebuilt c.1833 and substantial (slightly Hiberno gothic) additions to the nave / transepts of c.1878-81 by Timothy Hevey. The building sits on a commanding rise overlooking Donaghadee town centre and surrounded within a now somewhat ‘overcrowded’ graveyard.

General Comments

Date of Survey

07 February 2001