Survey Data

Reg No

40909801


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Architectural, Social


Previous Name

Killaghtee Catholic Parish Church


Original Use

Church/chapel


In Use As

Church/chapel


Date

1910 - 1915


Coordinates

174829, 377102


Date Recorded

23/11/2007


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Freestanding Catholic church on cruciform-plan, built 1913, having six-bay nave elevations, double-pile two-bay transepts to the north-east and south-west, single-storey over basement sacristy attached to the south-west side of chancel, single-bay single-storey entrance porch to the south-east gable of the nave, and with single-bay single-storey porches to the south-east elevation of transept, adjoining nave. Pitched natural slate roofs having rendered corbel eaves course, raised render verges to gable ends having moulded render kneeler stone detailing at eaves level, and with Celtic cross-style finials to gable apexes of transepts and cross finials to gable apexes of main body of building. Some surviving sections of cast-iron rainwater goods. Steeped rendered chimneystack to the north-west elevation of sacristy. Pitched natural slate roof to front porch having raised render verge with kneeler stone detailing at eaves level and cross finial over gable apex. Smooth rendered walls over chamfered plinth course having raised rendered block-and-start quoins to the corners. Round vents below gable apexes of nave and transepts having cross motifs. Round-headed window openings, paired to the side elevations of nave (north-east and south-west) and to gable ends of transepts, having chamfered sills, leaded coloured glass windows, and with continuous hoodmouldings over (forming part stringcourses over nave window openings). Roundel window openings over paired round-headed window openings to gable ends of transepts and to side elevation of side porches. Round-headed window opening to the chancel gable (north-west) having triple-light window with simple (cut stone?) tracery, chamfered sills, and with figurative stained glass windows. Octofoil rose window to entrance gable, set in round-headed recess with moulded circular motifs to spandrels to base, having moulded cut stone tracery, leaded stained glass windows moulded surround, and with hoodmoulding over. Square-headed window openings to sacristy having stone sills and two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows. Round-headed doorway to the front face of main entrance porch to the south-east having timber double-doors with timber panel over, engaged colonnettes to either side with decorative capitals with over, and with moulded render hoodmoulding over. Segmental-headed door openings to transept porches having timber double-doors with timber panel over, and with render hoodmoulding above. Timber arched braces to roof with plaster ceiling; gallery to the south-east end of nave, over main entrance, supported on cast-iron columns and having carved timber balustrade; marble altar, arcades of round-headed arches to transepts supported on columns with decorative capitals. Set back from road in extensive grounds to the north-west of Dunkineely, and adjacent to the north-east of Bruckless/south of Milltown. Freestanding four-stage round tower belfry (see 40909836) adjacent to the south-east. Graveyard to site having collection of mainly late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century gravemarkers, mainly upstanding. Rendered boundary walls to site; gateway to the south-east having a pair of rendered gate piers (on square-plan) with wrought-iron gates.

Appraisal

This substantial but well-proportioned early twentieth-century cruciform-plan Catholic church retains its early form and plan. The round-headed window and door openings and the corbelled eaves course lend it a muted Norman or Romanesque architectural character. The extensive render detailing to the exterior helps to lighten the rather austere plain render facades. The retention of the natural slate roof to the main body of the church adds a pleasing patina of age, while the Celtic cross and cross finials add interest to the roofscape. The attractive figurative stained glass window to the chancel gable adds artistic interest to this elevation, and helps flood the chancel with attractive coloured light, while the good-quality octofoil window to the south-east gable adds interest to the entrance gable. The open spacious interior is noteworthy for the large gallery over the entrance that is supported on cast-iron columns and has an attractive carved timber balustrade, the marble altar, and the arcades of round-headed arches to the transepts which have intricately carved capitals. This church was built to designs by Edward Toye (1857 – 1932) of Derry, an architect who carried out extensive works for the Catholic Church in the north-west of Ireland, including the construction of a number of new churches in Donegal (Ardara, Burtonport, Mountcharles, and Glenties) built in the first decade of the twentieth century. Toye usually preferred the round-headed arches of the Norman or Romanesque idiom, which is the case here at Bruckless. The present church replaced an earlier Catholic church on or close to the same site, which was described as ‘a large chapel is in course of erection' by Lewis in 1837. This church later burnt to the ground in 1912 resulting in the construction of the new chapel. The new church was dedicated in October 1914, and was built for the then parish priest, a Canon John Sweeney. This fine church, located in a prominent position adjacent to the main road and dominating the local landscape, is a local landmark and an important part of the architectural heritage of the Bruckless area. It forms a notable pair of related structures along with the unusual freestanding belltower to site (see 40909836). The graveyard, boundary wall and the gates add to the setting and context, and complete this appealing composition.