Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/05/137

Address :
St James’ Parish Church of Ireland Lany Road Ballykeel Hillsborough Co. Down BT26 6JR

Townland:
Ballykeel Artifinny

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
23/03/1979 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:
183-4

IG Ref:
J2045 5982

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Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

Free-standing Gothic-revival rendered hall and tower Church of Ireland church, dated 1840, to the designs of Charles Lanyon. Rectangular on plan facing south with lower gabled chancel to the east, vestry to northeast and square-plan tower to the centre of the front elevation. Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and replacement metal rainwater goods to timber boxed eaves. Painted ruled and lined cement rendered walling with cement plinth course, corner piers and rendered weathered buttresses to both nave elevations. Lancet window openings with splayed sills, chamfered surrounds, stained glass and storm glazing. Front south nave elevation, four windows wide with central square-plan entrance tower, extended to the east with a lower chancel, two windows wide. Two-stage tower with crenellated parapet wall and panelled pinnacles with spirelets terminated in poppy-head finials and corbelled out to the base of the parapet with connecting string course. Belfry stage with pair of lancet openings to east, south and west with latticed timber louvers on continuous chamfered string course. Circular stone architrave surround to clock-face to the front. Equilateral-arched sandstone ashlar entrance to the lower stage with sandstone hood moulding and replacement double-leaf vertically-sheeted timber doors. Inscribed white marble plaque stating: ‘Glory to God, Goodwill to Man, This Church by the name of, St. James’s, Lower kilwarlin, was built from contributions of, The Marquis of Downshire, The Early of Hillsborough. The Down and Connor, Church Accommodation Society, and others. By the Ven. Walter B. Mant. M.A., Archdeacon of Down, MDCCCXL.’ Door opens onto concrete step. Gabled west elevation has group of three lancets window openings with leaded coloured glazing. Rear nave elevation abutted by gabled-ended vestry and lean-to having equilateral-arched door and window openings with sheeted timber door, leaded glazing and diminutive equilateral-arched window opening to the lean-to. Gabled east elevation with concrete coping and painted moulded kneeler stones. Decorative equilateral-arched window opening with sandstone hood moulding having foliate label stops and containing stone plate tracery. Tracery comprises; cusped window openings with quatrefoil opening above and stained glass with storm glazing. Setting: Facing south and located on a corner site between Lany Road and St. James Road. Set to the north side of Lany Road, to the west of St. James’s Road on the northwest side of M1. Concrete footpath encircles church on lawned site enclosed to both roads by low brick wall (c.1980). Single-storey redbrick St. James former schoolhouse to the northeast. Roof Natural slate RWG Replacement metal Walling Painted ruled and lined cement render Windows Chamfered lancets / leaded coloured and stained glass

Architects

Historical Information

The church first appears on the second edition OS map 1858. The chancel does not appear until the 1902-03 map, at which stage the church is shown, as it appears at the time of survey. Griffith values the building at £14 10s, which remains the same throughout the following Annual Revisions 1866-1929. Rankin states that the church was erected in 1841, after the old school house used previously for worship, had blown down in the storm of January 1839 (p.142). The church building itself was funded by the “Church Accommodation Society”, an organisation set up in 1838 by Archdeacon Mant, for the purpose of raising money for the provision of new churches. Mant himself was responsible for the building and consecrating of thirty-eight churches, and responsible for seven more completed after his death. (Select Vestry p.1). Rankin states that Mant had insisted that new plans were to be drawn up by Charles Lanyon, who had indeed been donating his professional services, without fee, to the Church Accommodation Society. (p142) The church is stylistic of Lanyon’s buildings of the period, making him the most probable architect. According to the Select Vestry, the foundation stone was laid on 5th September 1839 completed and open for worship on the 11th August 1841, and finally consecrated, by Bishop Mant 30th December 1842. The chancel was added in 1896 with monies raised by Canon Kernan, who is commemorated, along with Canon Matchett in the stained glass window of the Sanctuary, which was installed by the parishioners in 1953 (p.3,5). Brett adds that the clock located on the south face of the tower was installed in 1919. (p.47) Primary References: 1. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – OS Map 1833 2. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – OS Map 1858 3. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – OS Map 1902-03 4. PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – OS Map 1919-20 5. PRONI VAL/2B/3/45B – Griffith’s Valuation 1861 6. PRONI VAL/2A/3/14 A-C – Griffith’s Valuation 1861 5. PRONI VAL/12B/20/14A-E – Annual Revisions 1864-1930 Secondary Resources 1. Rankin F. “Clergy of Down and Dromore” Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996 2. Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002 3. Select Vestry “Parish of Lower Kilwarlin St. James’s Church”, 1990

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

Evaluation

Gothic-revival rendered hall and tower Church of Ireland church, dated 1840, designed by renowned architect Charles Lanyon. The design is unusual in having the tower on the long wall. A modest exercise in Gothic Revival church architecture which despite having cement rendered walling retains most of its internal and external fabric together with its pinnacled tower. It has social interest for the local community.

General Comments

Date of Survey

16 July 2010