Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB10/11/006

Address :
St Mary's RC Church, Cloghcor Road, Artigarvan, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 0BE

Townland:
Cloghcor

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
06/07/1990 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:
60-5 NE

IG Ref:
C3745 0373

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Owner Category

Church - RC

Exterior Description And Setting

A Roman Catholic church, built 1823, repaired 1896 (datestone), located at the north side of Cloghcor Road. Rectangular on plan with single-storey gabled porch to south, erected c.1920, and vestry to east, built c.1840. Roof is pitched natural slate with angled clay ridge tiles; sandstone verges on moulded kneelers with gablets to ends and at mid-level; foliated cross finials to all gables. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods. Walling is painted roughcast with straight channelled quoins over a rendered plinth. Windows are lancet-headed timber stained glass (unless otherwise stated) with hood moulds, tooled painted stone chamfered reveals and flush splayed sills. Entrance gable faces south and is abutted at centre by porch. Porch has hipped natural slate roof with crested terracotta ridge tiles. To south is a lancet flanked by sidelights; there is a gothic arched entrance to each cheek with replacement timber sheeted door with decorative bronze pull-handles; fixed tympanum. Stone trefoil panel inset to porch apex. Two datestones are located above the porch: the upper one reads: “Built A.D.1823 by The Revd. W. O’Kane RR / Repaired A.D 1896 / by the Revd S. Connolly RR”; the lower one reads: “Built A.D 1823 / By subscriptions collected / By the Revd. William O’Kane PP / and Francis O’Neill Esq.” West elevation is four windows wide. North gable is blank. East elevation is abutted by vestry and has three windows to its left. Vestry has a hipped roof. There is a paired lancet to north and east; south elevation has a shoulder-arch-headed reveal containing square-headed door, with a small rectangular window to either side. Setting: The church is set on an elevated site above the road in a churchyard with gravemarkers dating from the early nineteenth century to the present. There is a tarmac car park to west, and the churchyard is bound by a roughcast boundary wall, stepped to southern slope. The church is accessed at south by a pair of modern steel gates on square piers with pyramidal coping. Directly to west is a freestanding belfry consisting of a decorative cast-iron frame with bronze bell and wheel: maker’s mark ‘M.Byrne / Dublin’. Roof: Pitched natural slate Walling: Painted roughcast Windows: Lancet-headed with hood moulds. RWG: Cast-iron ogee

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The church appears on the first three editions of the OS map (1832-3, 1853 and 1905), captioned “R.C. Chapel” on the first two editions and “St Mary’s R.C. Church” on the third. On the latter edition, a graveyard and schoolhouse are also captioned. A vestry has been added to the east elevation by the second edition OS map (1854) perhaps replacing an earlier vestry which has disappeared by the 1906 map. The present day porch is not shown on the 1906 map. It is listed in the 1833 Townland Valuation Record as an “R.C. Chapel and yard,” valued at £8 14s 0d and 10s for the yard. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-1864) gives measurements for the main church building (64x35x14), the new vestry and another projection visible on the map which has now gone (16x13x6.6) and (14x13x6.6). A detached stable is also listed. It is all valued at £13 10s. Revisions (1860-1929) record the Marquis of Abercorn as leaseholder of the church and the Rev. Bernard McKenna as leaseholder of the schoolhouse. Bradley et al. state that, “A church was erected [in Cloghcor] in 1823 on land provided by the Abercorn family and said to be adjacent to the open air site, the ‘altar green’, where mass had traditionally been celebrated. References were made in the Abercorn letters to a mass house at Clochcor and it is likely that the church in 1823 replaced this building rather than bringing the congregation in from the open air. This Clochcor church would have served both the northern parts of Leckpatrick parish and also the more northerly parts of Donagheady; parish priest at the time was Fr William O’Kane and he also had charge of the Donagheady parish. Evidence suggests that the early chapel building was basic and that the altar area and porch had to be added to or repaired as early as the 1840s. The church itself had to be substantially renovated in 1895 when Fr Sam Connolly appealed for urgent support to prevent the roof collapsing” (p.325). References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/6/2/1 First Edition OS Map (1832-3) 2. PRONI OS/6/6/2/2 Second Edition OS Map (1853) 3. PRONI OS/6/6/2/3 Third Edition OS Map (1905) 4. PRONI VAL/1A/6/2 – Townland Valuation Map 5. PRONI VAL/1/B/640 – Townland Valuation Records (1828-40) 6. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/43A – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/5A-G – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929) Secondary Sources 1. Bradley, J et al, “The Fair River Valley – Strabane Through the Ages”, Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast: 2000 2. Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate, Market, and Post Towns, Parishes, and Villages, With Historical and Statistical Descriptions; Embellished with Engravings of the Arms of the Cities, Bishopricks, Corporate Towns, and Boroughs; Of the Seals of the Several Municipal Corporations.” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837

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

Evaluation

A simple early nineteenth century church which dates from before Catholic Emancipation and is significant for the local community for this reason. It was extensively remodelled before the end of the nineteenth century, and while the 1896 works no doubt transformed the external and internal appearance of this church, the light-handed Gothic detailing are noteworthy. Vatican II changes during the mid twentieth century resulted in the loss of most altar furniture and fittings, with the remainder of the interior retaining its late nineteenth century details and atmosphere. The elevated site with its unusual exposed bell mechanism and varied grave markers make this a prominent feature in this rural setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey

11 March 2009