Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/20/011

Address :
St. Colman's Church of Ireland Church Avenue Dunmurry Lisburn County Antrim BT28 2DT

Townland:
Dunmurry

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
03/12/1990 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:
146-15

IG Ref:
J2945 6876

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Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

A cruciform plan Gothic-style Church of Ireland church with tower built 1908 to designs by Arts-and-Craft architect Percy Morgan Jury; located on Church Avenue off Dunmurry Lane. Pitched Westmoreland Green slated roof with red clay ridge tiles; intermittent roof vents located along the ridge level and chamfered sandstone corbel course; cast-iron ogee moulded gutter with circular downpipes, painted black. Sandstone rock faced rubble walling with cementatious ribbon pointing; ashlar surrounds, mouldings, string courses and moulded details. The windows are leaded equilateral-pointed-arched Y-tracery and stained glass embedded into irregular sandstone long-and-short surrounds. The doors are diagonal timber sheeted equilateral arched with long-and-short sandstone surrounds with cast-iron ironmongery. The principal elevation faces west and comprises gable with tower to right. The tower is square plan form with clasping buttresses; central entrance accessed by a single stone step, set in ashlar sandstone surround with chamfer stop; hood moulding over with large foliated label-stop mouldings. Over the front entrance at belfry stage is a timber louver arched opening. The tower rises to cornice level (lower than the principal ridge level) and terminated by a shallow pitched pyramidal slate roof. The stone work is notably different at high level. The gable has a central window over a projecting baptistery, with offset lean-to sandstone roof, flanked by gableted piers inset with cusped panelling. Three square windows divided by stone mullions to baptistery, single square window to either side. Reticulated tracery embraced by an equilateral arch with inclined apex with hood moulding over and large foliated stop-mouldings. Gable terminated with inclined apex stone, coping falling to pier with cavetto cornice and cusped motifs over left buttress. The left elevation is asymmetrically arranged; nave to right is 3 windows wide, each divided by two staged offset buttress, breaking eaves. The shallow projected north transept is gable ended and has a large leaded light embedded into sandstone tracery. Diagonal buttress with mid-offset to right. Kneeler stone at the gable shoulder. Left hand side abuts the gable ended organ chamber; matching details; no buttresses; no openings. The rear elevation is composed by a series of diminishing gables projecting eastward. The outer two gables have matching details and diagonal buttressing to the transepts. Centrally located over a modern single-storey lean-to vestry room (of no interest), is the stained-glass east window, embedded into sandstone tracery. The right elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a small single storey gable-ended robing room projecting from the right hand side; central single rectangular windows located on south and east face. The heating chamber accessed by stone steps is located under robing room. Tall stone chimney stack projects from eaves level of the chancel. The secondary entrance is located on the west cheek of the robing room; single leaf, no hood moulding. The south transept and elevation of the nave match the left elevation. Left is the tower, paired rectangular stained glass windows on south elevation with louvered openings at high level. Setting: The church sits elevated on a raised site, located midway along a suburban thoroughfare linking Dunmurry Lane to Kingsway. The surrounding buildings are large detached two-storey 20th century dwellings. The church is accessed by a narrow gated vehicular entrance located to the left of the principal elevation with a smaller stepped pedestrian gated access located to the right. The perimeter of the site is lined by hedges with a row of trees lining the left elevation, obscuring the view of the church. The rectory is located adjacent to the right. To the rear of the church there is a memorial garden and lawn. Roofing: Westmoreland green slate Walling: Rock face sandstone Windows: Leaded stained glass RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Historical Information

St. Colman’s Church, first appears on the OS maps of 1925, although was built earlier. The Annual Revisions 1862-1930 first record the building in 1909, identifying the owner as the Representative Church Body and valuing it at £85. The valuer’s notebook VII (p.69) records the construction cost as £3200 and that the site was purchased for £140. Rankin (p.107) states that St Colman’s Church was built in 1908 as a chapel-of-ease of Drumbeg, with the entire parochial district taken from Drumbeg. This was a result of unhappy residents of the fast growing village of Dunmurry, wishing to have their own place of worship, rather than travelling to Drumbeg (Rodgers p.3). Neill cites the minutes taken at the Drumbeg Select Vestry meeting, 28th December 1903: “We the undersigned members of the Church of Ireland resident in the neighbourhood of Dunmurry, respectfully request the Select Vestry of Drumbeg to take into their earnest consideration the question of providing church accommodation in this village.“ (Neill) Eventually passed in 1906 by the Select Vestry, two possible sites for the proposed new church were identified, one being land offered up by Mr Victor Coates of Rathmore free of charge, and another being the alteration of Dunmurry Hall (Neill). The hall, known as the ‘Assembly Rooms’, was built in 1874 for religious and community purposes, with monies raised from the villagers headed by Miss Charley and her sister Mrs Stevenson. (Rodgers p.3) However neither site was selected due to a disagreement over the location and the desire to have a new building exclusively for worship. A site eventually selected close to the centre of the village and acquired from the Northern Bank. (Neill) After the Bishop of the Diocese had given his consent, architect Percy Morgan Jury was appointed to produce plans for the church that were subsequently approved in 1907. The foundation stone was laid by Rev A.J. Cash and the church was eventually consecrated on St Mark’s Day, 25th April 1908 by Rt Rev John Baptist Crozier, Lord Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore. It was Dr Gaussen, a leading figure in the initial petition for the new church that proposed the new church would be called ‘St Colmans Church of Dunmurry.’ (Rodgers p.5) The organ was installed following a donation from Mrs Andrew Carnegie who in 1909 offered to pay half of its cost with the other half to be collected by the congregation. Further monies obtained from the Marshall Beresford Fund in 1910 where given for the installation of the spire and bell, although it would appear that the spire was never erected. (Neill) The church remained as a chapel-of-ease until 6th January 1932 when the parish of Dunmurry was created with the Revd. R.C. Ellis appointed as rector (Rodgers p.5) A later addition to the church was made c.1950 with the installation of a new vestry room to the rear of the church. Further restorative work to the roof and stone was carried out in 2010. Primary References: 1. PRONI OS/6/1/64/4 – OS Map 1925 2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/6 – OS Map 1938 3. PRONI VAL/12B/8/15A – Annual Revision 1862-1930 4. PRONI VAL/12D/1/64K – Annual Revision Field Map c.1907 5. PRONI VAL/12E/28/2/2 – Annual Revision Town Map c.1911 6. PRONI VAL/12A/1/102 – Annual Revision Note Book VII pg.69 Secondary References: 1. Rankin F. “Clergy of Down and Dromore” Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996 2. Rodgers, Canon J.T.R. “The Birth of a Church, St Colman’s Parish Church Dumnurry” 2008 2. Neill, M. “Recollections of the Parish of Drumbeg” c.1996. Available at www.lisburn.com

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity V. Authorship X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A Gothic-style church with tower built in 1908 to designs by Percy Morgan Jury of the established and much respected practice, Blackwood & Jury. Located midway along a surburban thoroughfare in the village of Dunmurry. Proportionally robust and modest, this church illustrates its excellence through the subtlety of detail and quality of the materials, which adds to the unique character of the building. Externally and internally the church has retained much of its original character and historic fabric. A small single-storey vestry built c.1950 to the rear of the church, detracts from the rear elevation. The church is of considerable social importance.

General Comments

Date of Survey

27 July 2010