St Mellan's Parish Church, Aghaderg, Loughbrickland, Co Down, BT32 3NH

St Mellan's Parish Church, Aghaderg

St Mellan's is a Church of Ireland building of Grade B+ importance, comprising a double-height church dating from the late 17th century with 19th century Gothic style alterations and a tower constructed in 1821. The church sits elevated on the southern part of its site on the west side of the junction between Scarva Street, Main Street and the Banbridge Road, overlooking Scarva Street.

The building has a rectangular plan form with a later chancel added to the east. The pitched roof is finished in natural slate with clay ridge tiles; the chancel features scalloped courses and weather copings with gablets. Rainwater goods are modern uPVC replacements.

The main body of the church is constructed in galleted rubble masonry, with rubble masonry to the chancel finished with sandstone dressing. The tower employs rubble masonry with granite dressing and a dressed stone spire. The windows throughout feature Gothic tracery with granite cills and rubble voussoirs. Gothic-arched windows display cusped sandstone Y-tracery with centre trefoils, long-and-short surrounds with chamfered cills, and hood moulding with moulded stops. The principal entrance comprises a double-leaf timber panelled door with a gothic-arched over-light incorporating intersecting glazing bars, set within chamfered granite surrounds.

The principal west gable is asymmetrically arranged with a single cusped lancet window to the left and an infilled square-headed opening to the right. A three-stage symmetrical tower abuts this gable centrally. The tower features projecting corner piers surmounted by plain pinnacles and is crowned with an octagonal stone spire bearing a copper spherical finial.

The west elevation of the tower contains a blank gothic-arched recess with granite surrounds at ground level. The second stage displays a rhombus plaque centrally inscribed "ERECTED A.D. 1821. RIGHT REV. JAMES SAURIN DR. LORD BISHOP OF DROMORE. JOHN P. GORDON OF WOODWILLE ESQ AND WILLIAM FIVEY OF UNION LODGE ESQ CHURCH WARDENS". The third stage comprises a gothic-arched opening with Y-tracery timber louver and crenallated parapet above. The south elevation of the tower matches the west, except that the first stage is blank and the second stage contains a square-headed bipartite lattice window. The north elevation is similar but has a door at first stage level. The east elevation of the tower is largely abutted by the nave at first and second stages, with the third stage matching the west elevation.

The north elevation of the nave slopes on an incline and presents an asymmetrical arrangement of three windows. The left window is a sandstone intervention; the centre and right windows are lattice windows. The right corner has been reinstated with squared granite quoins. A two-stage buttress stands to the left with details matching the later chancel. The east gable is blank and abutted by the subservient chancel, which sits at a lower ridge level and is constructed in a different stone type.

The chancel's east elevation features a large gothic-arched stained-glass window with sandstone geometric tracery and surrounds, crowned by a quatrefoil oculus. Sandstone coping includes kneeler stones with moulded apex and shoulders. The north and south cheeks of the chancel each display a single gothic-arched sandstone cusped window positioned centrally and a two-stage buttress flush with the east gable. A single-storey lean-to boiler house abuts the south face, accessed by steps, with a replacement door set into a camber-arched granite surround. The south elevation presents an asymmetrical arrangement of four windows: two gothic sandstone windows to the far right and left of centre, a lattice window right of centre, and a narrow lattice window to the far left. A two-stage buttress stands to the right; the left corner displays a distinct bow to the masonry.

The church grounds comprise a graveyard bounded by rubble stone walling with wrought and cast iron railings. The main gate consists of a pair of robust masonry piers with granite copings supporting wrought and cast iron gates detailed with arrowhead motifs. Adjacent to the wall at the northern part of the site is a telephone kiosk. St Patrick's Church stands to the north-east.