Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB18/08/041

Address :
Old Court (C of I) Chapel Old Court Strangford Co Down

Townland:
Strangford

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
15/12/1978 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:
Yes

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OS Map No:
206/12

IG Ref:
J5879 5016

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Small scale, single storey stone-built mildly eclectic C of I chapel with gothic details and an overall loose ‘Arts & Crafts’ feel, which gradually evolved into its present form between 1848 and 1909 when the original 1629 chapel ‘of the plainest construction’ was greatly altered and extended with the addition of an unusual ‘reducing’ round tower / chimney (1848), chancel (1857), vestry (1874), transept (1882) and north aisle (1908). The chapel is set within secluded grounds to the N end of Old Court, on the northern outskirts of the village of Strangford, and backs on to a low, wooded cliff-face overlooking Strangford Lough. It is approached from the SW by means of a narrow, beech-lined lane which passes over a very small stone bridge near its NE end. To the N and S of the church is a small graveyard, with discernible headstones dating by to at least 1725, low stone-built boundary wall (to which some of the headstones have been attached) and some large yew trees. The asymmetrical front elevation of the chapel faces W. This elevation consists of the crow-stepped gable of the nave in rubble stone, and the short W face of the N aisle to left of this, in a similar stone. The gable itself is symmetrical with a small projecting porch to the ground level and a large pointed arch window directly above this. The E face of the porch is in dressed stone and consists of a crow-stepped gable with hipped coping (as main gable) and a pointed arch open doorway with concave reveal and moulded archivolt. Just above the doorway there is a small cross-shaped recess. Both the short N and S faces of the porch are finished as front but are both blank. The porch has a reducing bevelled base and a shallow gabled stone roof . Within the porch is a pointed arch dooway with moulded reveal, label moulding with rose-shaped stops and a studded timber door. The inner walls of the porch have large plain recesses and the porch floor is in brick-like tile. Directly above the porch is a large pointed arch window with (stone) panel tracery topped with a quatrefoil, bevelled dressed stone reveal and plain label moulding. The window has pictorial stained glass (see interior description). Some of the actual crow-steps to the gable appear to be partly formed in brick, whilst the short (N and S) sides of all of the crow-steps appear to be rendered. The short W face of the N aisle is has regularly arranged (but roughly ‘in-out’) dressed stone quoins, a moulded string course (just above the window) and a sloping (lean-to profile) parapet with a plain string course and dressed coping above. It has a (relatively) large single window with panel tracery, dressings and label moulding all similar (but not identical) to the previous window, whilst the plain glazing is arranged in small lattice panes. The N elevation of the chapel consists of a small portion of the chancel to far left, then the N face of the vestry (which is attached to the chancel in lean-to fashion), then the large gable of the transept and, to far right, the N aisle (the latter two sections set further forward). The very E end (i.e. left hand side) of this elevation sits on the sloping ground at the top of the cliff face. All of these portions, except the very small section of the chancel to the far left are in rubble stone similar to the front elevation (though the rubble used for the vestry is generally larger in scale). The short portion of the chancel is blank, finished in render and has a diagonal reducing buttress. The N face of the vestry is blank also. The large gable of the transept is similar to that of the nave, but with the front (N) faces of the actual crow-steps in brick. The gable has a single large pointed arch window with panel tracery bevelled reveal and stained glass (see interior description). To the left hand side of the vestry portion there is pointed arch doorway with bevelled stone reveal, in-out dressings, angular label moulding with ‘leaf’ stops, and foliage mouldings as spandrels. The timber door is badly weathered (stain / polish worn off etc.) To right of this are three small, high level cross-shaped windows with stone dressings and plain leaded glazing. This face of the N aisle has quoins and a parapet as E face. The S elevation as a comparatively plain appearance. The elevation is dominated by long the S face of the nave. To the right hand (E) edge of this there is a small scale tower (actually an artfully disguised chimney). To right of this (and set back) is the S face of the chancel attached to which is a small lean-to which presumably houses the boiler. The nave and the tower are entirely in unadorned rubble stone, the chancel and boiler house rendered. The nave has two relatively small pointed arch windows with paired lancet timber frames with plain lattice panes, brick-dressed archivolts and plain stone sills. The chimney / tower is round and reduces in telescopic fashion. It is topped with a conical dressed stone cap with opening to the apex. The S face of the chancel (whose upper half only is exposed) and the boiler house lean-to are both cement rendered and blank. Due to the sloping cliff, the E elevation is difficult to see in close up. It consists of the crow-stepped gable of the nave, which is largely obscured by the similar styled gable of the chancel, with the boiler house to left (S) and vestry to right. This whole elevation is finished in cement render (no doubt due to weathering on this seaward side). To the apex of the gable of the nave there is a small pointed arch opening with louvering. To the chancel there is a relatively large window with panel tracery (similar to transept window), label moulding with decorative stops and stained glass. Diagonal reducing buttresses to chancel. The boiler house lean-to has a flat arch window whose frame could not be seen clearly. The vestry has small pointed arch window largely filled with lattice panes. The rubble stone used for most of the building appears to be greywacke (undoubtedly dug out from local fields) with the dressings and porch in a light-coloured sandstone. The roofs of the nave, transept, chancel, boiler house and vestry are all natural slated, with the porch roof in stone. The N aisle roof could not be seen behind its considerable parapet, but one presumes it is lean-to, (internal evidence suggests it is), and probably also slated. The rw goods are cast iron and lead, with some downspouts round and others square. To the N elevation, where the gable of the transept meets the N aisle there is a square lead downspout attached to the wall with decorative brackets and topped with a prominent lead hopper with the date ‘1908’ and a fleur-de-lis moulded thereon.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The building we know today as Old Court chapel is believed to have been constructed around a considerably smaller plainer structure, built in 1629 by Valentine Payne (or Pain), the agent of George Fitzgerald,16th Earl of Kildare, the then owner of the Strangford. Little is known about the early history of the building, the next notable ocurrence in c.1740-44 when contemporary writer and historian Walter Harris tells us that it was ‘repaired and beautified’ by Robert the 19th Earl, and the next in 1814 when Lord Henry Fitzgerald is said to have repaired the roof and paving. The chapel is shown as a small rectangular structure on the OS map of 1833-34 and described in the contemporary OS Memoirs as ‘a very small church…of the plainest construction’ with a congregation of ‘generally 100’, the Memoir also describes a church bell which was inscribed ‘“Valentine Payne Esquire, who hath to wife Elizabeth L.F. [shape of the cross], who builded this chapel and gave this bell in anno domini 1629” ; underneath of which there is a drawing representing a coat of arms, being 3 scallop shells, 3 crosses and a half moon. 3 beasts and three birds below with something like a cup with a half moon in it’. In 1835 the chapel was repaired throughout by Henry, Lord De Ros (the De Ros’s being Strangford’s new landlords). The following year the building is recorded in the valuation as an old but well maintained slated structure (grade 1C+) measuring 38½ x 24 x 9.’ Henry’s successor, William Lord De Ros appears to have taken considerable interest in the building, carrying out repairs to the walls and roof in 1840, making general repairs to the roof and interior in 1847, raising the walls, replacing the roof and adding the tower / chimney in 1848 and replacing the pews in 1849. In 1855 he altered the pulpit, adding the chancel and enlarging the west window in 1857. William’s final significant alterations were executed in 1866 when a cornice and bracket were added to the chancel and further work carried out to the tower. In 1874 (the chapel still in De Ros hands) the present reading desk and lectern were installed, the transept was built and new seating introduced in 1882, the east window enlarged in 1891, and the pulpit removed and choir seats added in 1894. In 1908 the chapel took on the its current form when the north aisle was constructed, the interior lined with dressed stone and stained glass added to the transept and east windows, all of these new alterations dedicated in November of the following year by the then Bishop of Down, Rev. J.B. Crozier. Apart from the addition of some memorial panels no major changes have been made to the chapel since, however, in 1940 many of the older headstones within the surrounding graveyard were placed against the boundary walling. References- Primary sources 1 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the County of Down’ (Dublin, 1744), pp.41-42 2 PRONI OS/6/3/31/1 OS map, Co Down sh 32, 1833-34 3 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17, ed Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (Belfast, 1992), p.27 [1836] 4 VAL/1B/370 First valuation, Ballyculter parish, 1836 5 PRONI OS/6/3/31/2 OS map, Co Down sh 32, 1858-60 6 PRONI VAL/2B/3/14 Second valuation, Strangford village, 1860[-63] 7 PRONI VAL/12B/18/25A-F Annual valuation revision books, Strangford village etc., 1864-1929 Secondary sources 1 Information on plaque within chapel [compiled c.1908-c.1940] 2 Thomas McErlean, Rosemary McConkey, Wes Forsythe ‘Strangford Lough- An archaeological survey of the maritime cultural landscape’ (Belfast, 2002), pp.229-242 [A section on the general history of Strangford.]

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

Small scale, single storey, stone-built, mildly eclectic C of I chapel with gothic details and an overall loose ‘Arts & Crafts’ feel, which gradually evolved into its present form between 1848 and 1909 when the original 1629 chapel ‘of the plainest construction’ was greatly altered and extended with the addition of an unusual ‘reducing’ round tower / chimney (1848), chancel (1857), vestry (1874), transept (1882) and north aisle (1908). This is an unusual and well detailed church with a good setting..

General Comments

Date of Survey

10 January 2003