St. Malachy’s RC Church, Carrickmannon Road, Carrickmannan, Ballygowan, Co. Down, BT23 6JJ

Single storey church with three storey tower and ‘transepts’, set on the E side of the Carrickmannon Road, c.2 miles S of Ballygowan. This church was originally built in 1807 as a simple ‘barn’ structure, with the tower and the ‘transepts’ later additions. The building has been renovated in recent times and has a sharp, almost new, appearance. The entrance is located on the S face of the tower, which itself is attached to the W gable, and consists of double timber sheeted entrance doors set in a pointed arch recess with Y-tracery fanlight and label moulding above. High above the entrance is a simple moulded course which continues around all faces of the tower. Above this (to all faces at 2nd floor level) is a pointed arch recess, louvered within. At first floor level on the W face of the tower is a pointed arch window. The tower is topped with an Italian looking shallow hipped roof with overhang. The roof has a cross pinnacle. At a high level on the exposed sections of the W gable (to either side of the tower) is a small, crude, pointed arch window opening. The N and S elevations of the nave have three large pointed arch windows with Y-tracery and fairly simple stained glass. At the E end of the nave are ‘transepts’. That to the N is larger and contains a large semicircular arch headed door to its W face with double timber sheeted doors with large semicircular fanlight. To the immediate right of this doorway is a small lean to projection with a window (similar to those on the nave) to its W face. The N gable of this ‘transept’ has a series of modern looking flat arched window openings. The S ‘transept’ has a pointed arch window (as nave) to its short W face. To its gable are three similar windows, however, between the 2nd and third windows a large ‘boiler house’ projection has been added. To the right of this ‘transept’ (on the ‘apse’ as it were) is another pointed arch window. There is a similar window to the N face of the ‘apse’. The rear (E) gable is blank. To the S elevation of the nave, and set at a high level to the left, is a small pointed arch opening beside which is a ‘plaque’ inscribed ‘Built 1807 Reverend Hugh Green Pastor’. The church is finished in lined render and painted. Eaves course to nave. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with decorative red clay ridge tiles. Slight over hang to roof. Metal [?aluminium] rw goods. Late Victorian looking iron gates to roadside to W of church. Graveyard to N.