Carnmoney Parish Church, 75 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 6DJ

A double-height basalt Church of Ireland church, built c.1820, located to the north side of Church Road, Carnmoney. Cruciform on plan, facing west; three stage square tower to west, diminished chancel to east, vestry to NE, porch to SW. Pitched natural slate roof, terracotta ridge tiles, ogee cast-iron rainwater goods on corbel blocks; stone verges on kneelers. Walling is random coursed squared basalt over tooled dressed plinth with similarly detailed diagonal buttresses and quoins (irregular quoins to nave). Windows are Gothic cusped Y-tracery with chamfered blocked sandstone reveals flush chamfered sills (unless otherwise stated). West gable is almost completely abutted by three-stage tower. The tower is detailed as church with stringcourses; double-height first stage, third stage stepped in. Castellated parapet; spiked pinnacles with gablets and fleur-de-lys finials to corners. First stage has a replacement window to west and a single diamond lattice loop to north; the right cheek is abutted by the choir room. Second stage has lancets to each side; third stage belfry has paired Y-tracery cusped louvred openings with hood moulds. The north elevation is two windows wide (with clamp buttress between) with north transepts lit by a single three-part decorated tracery window with hood mould. Lucarne window to west end with verge and kneelers as main gable, diamond lattice glazing. Vestry abuts the north-east corner, detailed as main body of church with shoulder-headed arched sheeted door having rivets and strap hinges to north; window to exposed right cheek. East gable is abutted by chancel, lit by a four-part decorated tracery window. South elevation is abutted by south transept, as north, and double-pile vestibule and choir room. The exposed central section is one window wide. Vestibule has pointed arched door opening to right and cusped Y-tracery window to left, divided by a small clamp buttress. Each opening is surmounted by a diamond lattice paned quatrefoil in sandstone reveal. Door is replacement timber with strap hinges, accessed by two tiled steps and set in a two-order chamfered stone reveal. Set to wall between pitches at valley level is a gargoyle spout (disused). The left and right cheeks each have a diminished in size window. Setting The church is set on an elevated site in an ancient churchyard containing a number of memorials and grave markers dating from the seventeenth century. (HB21/16/001B-H) To north is St Brigid’s well (HB21/16/001K). The church is bound to the road by a stone retaining wall, enclosing a steep grassed bank plated with trees. Access is at west via a pair of cast-iron gates on stop-end chamfered ashlar sandstone piers with diamond pointed caps. Roof: natural slate Walling: Random coursed basalt Windows: stained glass Rainwater goods: cast-iron