Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB08/11/025

Address :
St Columba's Church Sixtowns Road Straw Draperstown Magherafelt BT45 7BD

Townland:
Straw

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
25/06/2015 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
77/13SE

IG Ref:
H7676 9343

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A stone church with pitched natural slate roof in Gothic Revival style built in 1852-53 (architect unknown), located in Straw, a small village approximately one mile to the south-west of Draperstown in Co. Londonderry. St Columba’s Church is located within its own grounds on the south side of the Sixtowns Road. A graveyard sits between the church building and the main road and the site is enclosed by stone walling on the north, east and west boundaries. St Columba’s Primary School is located to the immediate west of the church. A large graveyard is located at the rear of the church, on the south side. The rectangular plan form comprises seven-bays to the north and south sides and a three-bay principal entrance elevation facing west comprising a central breakfront rising to a three-stage tower with pinnacles. The eastern elevation is abutted by a single-storey return, a small flat-roofed extension and a small single-storey porch. The four corners of the main church building each have a three-stage angled buttress rising to pinnacles. Walls are constructed of squared and pitched stone with sandstone dressings, all on a projecting plinth. Windows have stained or plain leaded glazing and those in the main body of the church have had external storm glazing fitted. The roof is of pitched natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles and raised stone verges. Cast iron ogee guttering discharges to circular section downpipes. The symmetrical principal elevation is comprised of three bays and faces west. A central shallow breakfront to centre rises above roof level to form a three-stage tower and is flanked on each side by a plain gable end. A Gothic-style sandstone arch with stone voussoirs above forms the main entrance opening, located in the central breakfront section. Recessed within the arch is a pair of replacement mahogany six-panelled doors beneath a stained glass window with storm glazing fitted over. A lantern-style light fitting is located at the apex of the arch. The second stage of the breakfront section includes a tall stepped triple lancet window with plain sandstone dressed cills and surrounds which sits above a round-edged projecting stone string-course. The central window of the three is wider and taller than the two either side and the whole group sits within a Gothic-style arch formed by flush stone voussoirs. Another round-edged stone string-course projects above the windows forming the third and final stage and where the shallow breakfront becomes exposed, allowing the tower to be visible on all four sides above the roof of the church. There is a central lancet opening with slightly projecting stone surround and cill with louvered panel. The tower is topped by a band of dentilled corbelling with square gablets with pinnacles on the four corners and a shallow curved coping stone to each side of a central stone cross. Each elevation of the exposed tower is identical in design and detailing. The north facing elevation is seven bays wide, the first bay on the right side includes the square tower protruding from the pitched roof above. Each of the seven windows is a tall lancet with a sandstone surround and cill. Storm glazing has been fitted over all openings. The east gable elevation has a centrally placed small lancet opening at high level with stone surround and cill and a louvered panel within. The apex of the gable is topped with a stone cross. A single-storey pitched roof return abuts the gable wall of the church; the return is comprised of a blank gable end to the east with slightly projecting soldier quoins on each corner rising to stone kneeler stones with gablets. The stone coping to the verges is continuous from slope to slope with a central horizontal section. Above the flat section is a stone chimney with a stone coping stone and two hexagonal clay chimney pots. The north elevation of the return has a lancet leaded window with stone surround and cill on the left hand side. To the right the arched top of a window opening is visible above a flat-roofed single-storey coursed stonework extension built in recent years which abuts the east gable of the main church building on the right hand side. The east elevation of this extension has two windows to the left of a flush timber door; the window to the extreme left side is a square opening with a chamfered stone surround and cill and a leaded light within and the one to the right of this is a small timber casement window with a concrete cill and surround. A similar timber casement window is located on the north elevation of the extension. The south side of the return has a lancet leaded window with stone surround and cill on the right side. Abutting this elevation and the main gable wall of the church is a single-storey porch with a natural slate pitched roof. The east side of the porch has a door opening with a shallow Gothic-style arch. The door is four-panelled with the top panels having the same shallow arch shape as the stonework above. A wide concrete step sits in front of the door. The opening is formed with stepped stone quoins and stone voussoirs to the shallow arch. A stone hood mould tops the opening. The same stone quoins are used at the corner of the porch, rising to a stone kneeler stone and stone coping stone above. The south elevation of the porch has a centrally placed leaded glass window with a shallow Gothic-style arch with stone surround, cill and voussoirs. A stone hood moulding sits over. The stone quoins on the corner rise to a kneeler stone and gablet. The south elevation of the church is a mirror image of the north elevation apart from the addition of a single-storey porch which was built in 1980 and which is located between the fifth and sixth windows from the left. The western side of the porch has a pair of six-panelled replacement mahogany doors. The porch gable wall is symmetrical with a centrally placed stained glass lancet window with sandstone surround and cill and stone voussoirs above. The east side of the porch is blank. A stone coping stone tops the gable wall. Materials: Roof natural slate RWG cast iron Walling squared and pitched natural stone with sandstone dressings Windows stained and plain leaded glazing Setting: Located in Straw, a small village approximately one mile to the south-east of Draperstown in Co. Derry, St Columba’s Church is located on the south side of the Sixtowns Road. It is situated between St Columba’s Primary School to the immediate west and Dean McGlinchey Park GAA grounds to the east. The church sits back from the main road with a graveyard on its north side, which is bounded to the road by a low stone wall with a stone coping. The church grounds are accessed from the north-west side of the site, via a set of cast iron gates and adjacent pedestrian gate with roughcast rendered pillars with a stone onion-topped coping stone with chamfered edges. The gates and pillars are set back from the boundary wall. A low stone wall either side of the access leads to the entrance to the church, the west elevation. A large graveyard is located at the rear of the church, on the south side. A random-rubble stone grotto is located to the southern end of the entrance elevation of the church. It is constructed to a semi-circular plan and incorporates a stone statue of Mary set within a niche with a stone Gothic-style arched surround. A kneeling statue of St Bernadette is located on the ground to the right hand side. The grotto is enclosed by a low metal railing. On the east boundary wall there is a single-storey boiler house with mono-pitched roof with pebble-dashed walls and a natural slate roof of little historic interest.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This church was built in 1852-53, the foundation stone laid on 1st August of the former year and with the consecration ceremony taking place in the latter. The architect is not known. Between 1926 and 1928 the building underwent ‘structural improvements’, overseen by architect William James Doherty of Londonderry. According to a c.1985 parish history [secondary source 2], these ‘improvements’ were extensive and included: the repointing of the stonework; replastering and repainting the internal walls; major works to the roof (which may have amounted to a virtual reconstruction); the installation of a new beam to support the gallery and new stairs to the same; and the installation of electricity, a new floor, pews, altar, confessionals and Stations of the Cross. The altar was fitted by John McAfee of Coleraine at a cost of £900, whilst the Stations were acquired from Germany for £294. Whilst this work was being carried out, a temporary place of worship was established in a factory building in Draperstown, with the original pews and timber altar from the church itself re-used for the purpose. The present church is the third to have occupied this (general) site. The first was erected in 1753 and was known as White Water Chapel and was replaced by another in 1809 which is described in the OS Memoirs of 1836 as ‘a plain rectangular building 94 feet by 25 feet from out to out...It is plain on the inside with an earthen floor. There are broad galleries all around, fitted up with narrow wooden forms. The body of the building is fitted up in the same manner also, and the whole contains accommodation for 1,184 adults. The altar stands at the eastern wall. The interior is lighted by 8 rectangular windows and a few skylights in the roof for the galleries. The side walls are 12 feet high. The roof is slated; all is in good repair.’ Although it is not certain, the previous two buildings are thought to have stood in roughly the same position, which (judging from the OS map of 1831) was slightly north of that of today, closer to the roadside. The aforementioned history of the Ballinascreen parish states that Bishop Francis Kelly officiated at both the laying of the church’s foundation stone and the consecration; however, Kelly does not appear to have become Bishop of Derry until 1864. Thus, if he did indeed attend on both occasions, it must have been in the capacity as an auxiliary. The present church underwent further alterations in 1980 which included the addition of the single-storey porch on the south elevation, the re-design and refurbishment of the sacristies and installation of a new marble ambo, marble chair and confessional. References – Primary sources 1 PRONI OS6/5/40/1 (1832) 2 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland Vol.31’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1995) (1836) 3 PRONI OS6/5/40/2 (1853) 4 PRONI OS6/5/40/3 (1906) 5 Irish Builder, 15 May 1926 Secondary sources 1 Rowan, Alistair, ‘North West Ulster’, (Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1979), p.249 2 ‘Ballinascreen Parish Bulletin’, (Local publication, ND c.1984-5)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A seven-bay Gothic Revival style stone church built in 1852-53 (architect unknown) with sandstone detailing and a pitched natural slate roof, located on the south side of the Sixtowns Road in Straw, a small village south-west of Draperstown, Co. Londonderry. Graveyards are located within the church grounds, to the immediate north and south and the site is entered through piers with distinctive stone onion-topped coping stones. The main entrance faces west and is comprised of a central breakfront rising to a three-stage bell tower with pinnacles. Internally the sanctuary has retained an elaborately detailed marble reredos, main altar and side altars, with Gothic-style blind arcading on the east wall behind. A continuous horizontal moulding resembling a line of tulips runs around the walls at window cill level, above which are lancet windows designed by W.F. Clokey. Despite the small flat-roofed extension to the east (rear) elevation, much historic fabric and detailing remains both internally and externally. The church is of significant social importance to the surrounding community.

General Comments

Date of Survey

18 December 2014