St Judes Church (C 0f I), Oldstone Road, Muckamore, Antrim, Co Antrim

St Jude's Church is a Gothic Revival Church of Ireland building dating from 1839–41, designed by Charles Lanyon — the most important architect of his generation in Ireland — and built as a chapel of ease known originally as Muckamore Grange Endowed Chapel. The site was given and the church largely paid for by John Thompson of Muckamore Abbey and other members of the Thompson family, supplemented by a grant from the Down and Connor Church Accommodation Society. The building was completed in 1841 but, owing to delays, was not opened until 18th September 1842 and was consecrated later that same year. Before this church was built, local members of the Church of Ireland had to travel to Antrim town to worship. The church was renovated and modernised in 1876, at which point the stained glass east window was presented by William Ewart MP of Glenmachan, Belfast, in memory of his sister Mrs Maguire. Despite some minor inappropriate alterations and additions, it is a building of local and social importance as well as wider national interest as a fairly substantial work by Lanyon.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, western entrance tower, and a small vestry. The main entrance faces north, through the tower. The walls are built of snecked hammer-dressed basalt with Tardree granite quoins, a projecting granite plinth, and an eaves course. The main walling has been newly pointed. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with a dark tiled ridge set between gable upstands, and two cylindrical metal ventilators with conical caps sit on the ridge.

The nave's north elevation is four windows wide. The windows are Gothic arched lancets set behind painted cast iron frames with cusped heads, recessed in chamfered surrounds of smooth cement render that has been colour washed, with deeply splayed sandstone cills, all set within Gothic arched block surrounds of smooth cement render. Recessed basalt panels sit below the cills. The glazing consists of later leaded quarries incorporating stained glass vesica piscis medallions, and there is a modern aluminium ventilator at the base of each window. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are fitted throughout. The windows are set in recesses rising from the plinth, and the dressings to the nave windows are of painted render, while those to the tower windows and door are of Tardree granite. The south elevation of the nave mirrors the north.

The square entrance tower is set back to the right-hand end of the nave and rises in two stages of the same snecked basalt walling. The lower stage contains the main doorway, which is Tudor arched, of two chamfered stages, with sandstone steps and a moulded sandstone drip. The doors are rectangular timber double doors, flush panelled, set in a moulded timber frame, with an arched and panelled tympanum panel integral with the doors. The west face of the lower stage has a tall narrow Gothic lancet of stained glass set in a timber frame, recessed in a granite block surround with a moulded sandstone drip. The south face of the lower stage is a blank wall. Above an angled projecting weathering, the upper stage of the tower is set back and is topped by angled crenellations above a moulded cornice, with corbelled pinnacles to each corner. The pinnacles have sunken Gothic panels to each face and floriated crockets to the apex. The north face of the upper stage has a pair of tall narrow Gothic lancets in block surrounds containing patterned timber louvres, with moulded sandstone drips and a plain projecting cill. The west and south faces have similar louvred openings; the west face additionally bears a circular datestone below the cill, with a moulded sandstone surround and the date 1841 in raised numerals.

The east elevation presents the east gable of the nave with a lower gabled chancel projecting centrally from it. Both gables are of snecked basalt with granite quoins, shaped granite kneelers, angled stone copings, and lead dressings turned down over the verges. The chancel roof is slated to match the nave, and the chancel's side walls are of plain stonework with cast iron gutters and downpipes. A modern metal flue pipe is fixed to the nave gable to the right of the chancel, rising from a low modern boiler house built in the angle between the nave and chancel. The boiler house has red brick walls painted dark grey, a hipped slated roof with dark ridge tiles, a timber fascia left unpainted, PVC guttering and a PVC downpipe fixed to the north wall of the nave. There is a timber louvre in a rectangular opening in the east wall and a rectangular sheeted timber door in the south wall. The east gable of the chancel contains a large two-light Gothic arched stained glass window with a raised sandstone surround and sandstone tracery, set within a slightly raised cement rendered outer surround, and fitted with modern steel mesh protective grilles.

In the angle between the chancel and the nave gable wall to the left is a gabled single-storey vestry, roofed with slates to match the rest of the building. Its walls are of roughly coursed basalt rubble with granite quoins and a projecting granite plinth and eaves course, with cast iron gutter and downpipe. The north gable is blank. The east wall contains a rectangular timber vertically hung sliding sash window, one over one, with horns, in a smooth cement rendered surround of two chamfered stages with a deeply splayed sandstone cill, and iron bars over the window. The south side of the vestry projects slightly beyond the south wall of the nave and is gabled, with shaped granite kneelers, granite copings, and down-turned flashing over the verges. The walling here is of two qualities: rock-faced basalt for the main part, with a hammer-dressed face to the left above the doorway. The doorway is Gothic arched with a smooth cement rendered raised surround and contains a rectangular timber flush-panelled door — original — with an iron knob handle, surmounted by a Gothic arched fanlight containing reeded glass, above a sandstone step. A cast iron downpipe to the left of the doorway is broken and retains a moulded cast iron hopper.

The church stands in a rural setting with its west end facing the main road, set well back from it within its own grounds. It is approached by a rough tarmac driveway that extends around the building as a parking area, bordered by concrete kerbing. Immediately to the west of the tower is a gnarled tree surrounded by concrete kerbing. To the north of the church there are grassed areas, partly laid out as a memorial garden bordered by beech hedges and timber fencing, which contains a granite Celtic cross of around 1921 commemorating various members of the Thompson family.

To the south of the church stands a single-storey gabled building with a Neo-Grec entrance façade in granite, originally constructed as a mausoleum for the Thompson family who built the church. It contains a rectangular eight-panelled door and the entrance is flanked by twin yew trees. The sides have been smoothly cement rendered in new work, with timber fascias, PVC guttering and downpipes, and a roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. There is a modern rectangular metal-framed window in the west side, and the east side is blank. Connected to the rear of the mausoleum is a later gabled church hall of similar walling with an asbestos slated roof, a rectangular sheeted door and flush doors, and rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents to the rear wall. The mausoleum is now used as a gardener's store.

The entrance to the front driveway is formed by a pair of square sandstone piers with chamfered edges and broad capstones, fitted with new replacement ironwork gates with spear finials. The original ironwork archway that sprang from the tops of the piers and the original iron gates have been removed and are currently dumped behind the front boundary wall. The front boundary is formed by a basalt rubble wall with rock copings. The driveway is bordered by low hedges, with mature trees surrounding the site. The eastern boundary of the site is marked by a modern ranch-style timber fence, with agricultural land beyond. The extent of the listing covers the church, the gate piers, and the former vault.