St Donard's Church of Ireland Church, Bloomfield Road, Belfast, BT5 5DU

St Donard's Church of Ireland Church

St Donard's is a Gothic-revival church built in 1911, designed by London-based architect Edward Henry Lingen-Barker. The building is constructed in Scrabo sandstone and is sited on its own grounds at the junction of Bloomfield Avenue and Beersbridge Road in Belfast.

The church is a single-storey double-height rectangular structure set on an east-west axis, with a monopitch outshot narthex and a square-plan three-stage tower positioned at the west elevation. The building is roofed in natural slate with red-clay angled ridge tiles, raised stone verges with chamfered coping stones, and three gables serving the nave and aisles. A single-storey lean-to outshot connects to a porch at the west, both with slate roofs. The walling is laid in coursed rock-faced Scrabo sandstone with a stone-cut plinth course. A coursed rock-faced Scrabo sandstone chimney with corbelled coping and a single black-clay pot rises from the structure. Cast-iron ogee-moulded guttering sits on projecting eaves with circular cast-iron downpipes, though the rainwater goods to the southwest end have been replaced with uPVC. Windows throughout feature geometric tracery with pointed arch hood mouldings and carved head stops, incorporating stained leaded glazing unless otherwise stated.

The principal west elevation displays gables at the ends of the nave and south aisle. A single-storey five-bay lean-to outshot abuts this elevation, with a single-storey porch to the southwest side and the square-plan tower at the northwest end. The main gable features a large four-part tracery window with quatrefoils above. The south aisle gable has a small trefoil window, and trefoil windows also appear to the outshot. The tower is embellished with pinnacles and a parapet at the belfry stage, which contains two trefoil louvred openings on each elevation. The second stage has three small square-headed openings, while the west elevation displays a painted metal clock face. A double trefoil window with quatrefoil above appears at ground floor level. The tower has single-stage angle buttresses and a three-stage stair tower with blind tracery on each face in the third stage. A pointed arch door opening with cut-stone surround and pointed-arch hood moulding on carved head stops leads into the tower; the replacement vertical-sheeted timber door features decorative iron door furniture and opens onto two stone steps. The porch features a pointed arch door opening facing north with chamfered surround, a vertical-sheeted double-leaf timber door with decorative iron door furniture, opening onto a concrete paved platform.

The north elevation is five bays wide, each separated by two-stage buttresses. A single-storey lean-to entrance porch with natural slate roof abuts the west end of this elevation. A pointed arch opening with hood moulding leads to a pointed arch door with chamfered stone surround, vertical-sheeted double-leaf timber door and decorative iron door furniture, opening onto a tiled platform. Double trefoil windows with quatrefoils above and stained glazing light the main body of the church along this elevation.

The south elevation is four bays wide, each separated by two-stage buttresses, with a lower four-bay outshot to the east. Double trefoil windows with quatrefoils above and stained glass appear in the aisle. Lancet windows with chamfered jambs and sills, cut-stone surrounds and stained leaded glazing light the outshot. A modern rendered corridor connects the church to a modern parish centre to the southeast.

The east elevation features three gables with single- and two-stage buttresses. The main gable displays a large stained glass tri-partite trefoil window with quatrefoils above and a small square-headed window at a higher level. The north gable has a two-part tracery window with stained glazing and quatrefoil above, a small square-headed window at a higher level, and a square-headed window with cut-stone surround and replaced frosted glazing. A square-headed door opening in the north gable with vertical-sheeted timber door and decorative iron door furniture leads to the ground floor; another square-headed door leads to the basement. The south gable, a gabled outshot to the south aisle, is recessed and embellished with a lancet window with chamfered jambs and sill, cut-stone surround and stained leaded glazing.

The church occupies its own grounds with the adjoining parish centre and a hall to the southeast, and a large car park to the rear. The site is lawned around the church with concrete paving to the remainder, enclosed by a rock-faced stone wall with coping topped by original cast-iron railings. Square stone gate piers support original gates at the southwest, west and north entrances.