Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB10/03/002

Address :
St. Mary's RC Church, (Dreglish Parish) Drumlegagh Road Envagh, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone BT81 7PL

Townland:
Envagh

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
07/09/1989 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:
103-16

IG Ref:
H3473 8002

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Owner Category

Church - RC

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached Roman Catholic Church, dated. 1846, built on the site of an earlier church, located to the south side of Drumlegagh Road, Castlederg. Rectangular-on-plan nave aligned north-south with single-storey entrance porch at north, built c.1930; sacristy and supporting accommodation at south, built c.1990. Roofs are pitched natural slate, blue/black clay ridge tiles; flat stone verges; replacement cast-metal rainwater goods supported on projecting eaves course. Walls are roughcast rendered with droved finished stepped ashlar quoins. Pointed-arched-headed curvilinear tracery windows with chamfered mullions, stained glass and external secondary glazing contained within chamfered droved finish painted surround and splayed cills. Principal elevation faces north and is abutted at centre by single-storey entrance porch; exposed section contains three windows; outer windows diminished. Bellcote to apex surmounted by stone cross finial; bell contained in central round-arched-head opening; Entrance porch is detailed as nave with shouldered gable and projecting smooth rendered plinth. Entrance at east is via replacement off-centre square-headed double-leaf vertically sheeted timber doors contained within plain smooth rendered surround. North gable contains datestone to apex which reads; ‘IN HONOREM SANCTISSIMAE TRINITATIS/ FUNDATUM EST HOC TEMPLUM/ SUB PATROCINIO BEATAE MARIAE/ VIRGINIS BEOTOKOU/ PRID. KAL. NOV./ MDCCCXLVI.’ In translation; ‘In honour of the Most Holy Trinity/ This Temple was built/ under the protection of Blessed Mary/ Virgin Mother of God/ 31st October 1846’. West gable contains central pointed-arched-headed stained glass window with smooth rendered banding and projecting masonry cill. East elevation is four windows wide; mason’s mark to quoin at north corner. South gable is ruled-and-lined rendered and is abutted at centre by single-storey extension containing sacristy; detailed as nave; exposed section contains cross finial to apex, otherwise blank. Extension is detailed as nave; access is located at right of east elevation through replacement timber glazed door; timber casement window at left. South gable is blank with roughcast rendered chimney to apex; west elevation has louvred timber door at right and extension at left with cat-slide roof; Extension west elevation contains single casement window. West elevation is four windows wide. Set on a roadside location with church graveyard to west containing a range of early nineteenth century grave markers; the site is bound at north by random rubble wall with segmental coping. Vehicular access via replacement cast-metal gates supported on random rubble square plan piers with pyramidal capping and ball finial with cat-metal overthrow with lettering. Church adjacent to St. Eugene’s Hall located at north. Roof Natural slate Walling Roughcast rendered with droved finished stepped ashlar quoins Windows Pointed-arched-headed curvilinear tracery windows with chamfered mullions; stained glass. RWG Replacement cast-metal

Architects

Historical Information

This church is dated 1846, and is built on the site of an earlier church, located to the south side of Drumlegagh Road, Castlederg. A plaque located on the north wall of the entrance porch translates, ‘In honour of the Most Holy Trinity/ This Temple was built/ under the protection of Blessed Mary/ Virgin Mother of God/ 31st October 1846’. The first map to show the present church is the 1854 OS map which records an ‘R C Chapel’ with a ‘Grave Yard’, shown as a square building with a projection to the south elevation. The previous OS map (1833) records an earlier‘R C Chapel’, T-shaped in plan. From 1907, the OS maps record ‘St Mary’s R C Church’ and the 1947 map records the church as it appears today, with a porch added on the north side. The Townland Valuation (1828-1840) records the ‘Roman Catholic chapel and yard’ as having a value of £2.8s. The Annual Revisions (1860-1929) record a substantial rise in value to £15.15s, presumably linked to the change of building. The OS Memoirs record that there were three Roman Catholic Chapels in 1835, including one in Envagh. At that time they were noted as having no pews, though any description would relate to the earlier building (p.11). The exterior of the church is largely intact; with the exception of the south extension which because of materials used and style appears to have been added recently, replacing a structure which was present in the 1850’s; Modern finishes such as casement windows and replacement timber panelled doors and modern internal furnishings support this. The porch can be dated to c.1930.The interior of the church has been largely refurbished c. 1990; as a result much of the original detailing has been replaced. References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/6/25/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833) 2. PRONI OS/6/6/25/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1854) 3. PRONI OS/6/6/25/3 Third Edition OS Map (1907) 4. PRONI OS/6/6/25/4 -Fourth Edition OS Map (1947) 5. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/7A-F -Annual Revision Records (1860-1925) 6. PRONI VAL/1B/637A -Townland Valuation Map (1828-40) 7. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/25A -Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64) 8. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/25 -Griffith’s Valuation (1856-1925) Secondary Sources 1.Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Tyrone I, 1821, 1823, 1833-36, Vol. 5.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1990. 2.Lewis, S. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Vol. I.” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837. 3.Rowan, A. “North West Ulster: Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.” Dublin: Penguin Books, 1979.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building J. Setting

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

Simple Roman Catholic Church, dated. 1846, built on the site of an earlier church, located to the south side of Drumlegagh Road, Castlederg. The building exterior has suffered slightly due to cosmetic changes when the south extension was added, but remains largely intact. The interior detailing has been largely changed during refurbishments; however some important original details remain including original Y-tracery windows. The church despite much refurbishment to the interior remains a fine example of rural vernacular church architecture and makes a positive contribution to the built heritage of the local area.

General Comments

Date of Survey

04 July 2009