Survey Data
Reg No
40902531
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1800 - 1865
Coordinates
195440, 432675
Date Recorded
07/03/2014
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding Church of Ireland church, built 1803-4, with three-bay nave and gabled porch to west gable, having vestry and aisle added 1862-4 to north long wall. Pitched artificial slate roof with raised eaves course with open-bed pediment detail to gable ends, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Lean-to roof to side aisle, with rendered copings to parapets, kneeler stones and cast-iron rainwater goods. Painted roughcast rendered walls, smooth-rendered to porch, and lined-and-ruled smooth-rendered to north aisle with dressed quoins. Pointed-arch window openings, having cusped lancets to short walls of side aisle, two-light to long walls and three-light to east gable, all with chamfered sandstone surrounds, decorative tracery, integral sills, hood-mouldings to two and three-light windows, and stained glass and cast-iron quarries. Pointed-arch window opening to porch gable with timber fitting and plain surround. Pointed-arch doorways with ovolo-moulded tooled ashlar surrounds with stepped moulded heads and hood-mouldings, timber battened doors, bootscrapes recessed into jamb(s), and with three steps to doorway of side aisle. Church set back from road in graveyard, with rubble stone boundary wall to south with rendered square-plan piers and decorative recent metal double-leaf gate.
Appraisal
This small church serves the rural parish of Ráith [Raymunterdoney]. Its original, simple three-bay rectangular form was extended and upgraded by architects Welland and Gillespie, who added a side aisle to one long wall and installed the fine decorative sandstone windows. The church reopened in early 1865. The quality of workmanship in the windows is notable and the building is further enhanced by the pediment detail to the gables. It forms an important group with the nearby former rectory.