St. Therese of Lisieux Church, Somerton Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT15 5GF

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Roman Catholic Church is a double-height Gothic Revival gabled nave church built in 1937–38, designed by the Belfast-based architect Patrick (Padraig) Bernard Gregory (1886–1967) and constructed by the local firm J. & R. Thompson. It is built in locally quarried Scrabo sandstone and is listed along with its gate screen, boundary walling, and stone steps.

Historical Background

The Antrim Road and Fortwilliam areas were formerly characterised by a number of wealthy merchant's manors, but large-scale housing development in the 1930s substantially increased the local Roman Catholic population. The Bishop of the Diocese, the Most Reverend Dr. Daniel Mageean, resolved to build a new church to serve the growing congregation in North Belfast. His original intention was to site the church within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace at Chichester Park, but restrictive clauses in the lease prevented construction of either a church or a school on that land. The Diocese instead purchased Lisbreen House on the east side of Somerton Road for £3,000. Lisbreen House had been the former home of architect John Lanyon (c.1840–1900), son of Sir Charles Lanyon, and was also associated with Major-General Edward W. D. Bell, who was awarded the Victoria Cross during the Crimean War. During construction, services were held in the dining room of Lisbreen House. The foundation stone was laid on 25th January 1937, and the church was dedicated in May 1938 at a total construction cost of £12,000, with a further £6,000 spent on furnishings. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936–57) set the rateable value at £350, though as a place of worship it was exempt from rates. Following completion of the church, Lisbreen House became the official residence of the Bishops of the Diocese of Down and Connor. In 1950 the gallery was extended and a new side chapel added, increasing capacity to a congregation of 600. By the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956–72), the rateable value had risen to £768. The church was listed in 1990.

The Architect

Patrick Bernard Gregory was a committed Catholic who operated an independent architectural practice in Belfast from 1906. He is described by the Dictionary of Irish Architects as having designed many Catholic churches throughout Northern Ireland and as being responsible for the original scheme for the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg. He was also the architect of the contemporary Church of St. Antony on the Woodstock Road (1936–38) and carried out numerous additions to St. Malachy's Church on Alfred Street.

Plan and Structure

The church has a rectangular nave plan and was originally built with a simple rectilinear form. It was later extended by a flat-roofed two-storey addition to the north-east corner and a single-storey addition to the south-east corner, giving the building an overall T-shaped plan. The roof is pitched natural slate with raised stone verges and an ashlar stone flush corbel table to the gables. The eaves are similarly dressed with a flush corbel table in a more squat form. Rainwater goods are cast iron ogee guttering with ornate hoppers discharging to rectangular-section downpipes. The walls are Scrabo sandstone laid to squared and pitched coursing on a projecting plinth, with cut-stone dressings throughout.

Principal West Elevation

The gabled principal elevation faces west and is symmetrical, three bays wide. At its centre is a single-storey projecting porch with a raised parapet. The door opening is pointed arch in form, flanked by three-stage diagonal buttresses. Circular Doric columns on a moulded square base rise each side to square moulded imposts that support a pointed arch formed in ashlar stone voussoirs with a stop-chamfer reveal, a hood moulding above, and square labels. The door itself is a double-leaf pointed arch timber panelled door. Above the porch sits a large rose window, which was designed to represent the petals of a flower — an allusion to St. Thérèse's popular title, the "Little Flower of Jesus." Pointed arch trefoil windows occupy the remaining bays at ground floor level. Three-stage angled buttresses are positioned at the north and south gable ends.

South Elevation

The south elevation is seven bays wide with a lower abutment to the south-east that is single-storey with a basement flat-roofed extension. Each bay is separated by three-stage buttresses. A single-storey outshot in the middle bay houses the confessional box, which incorporates small vent slots. The first bay to the west has three stepped windows; the next five bays have paired windows. A pointed arch door opening to the extension facing west contains a square-headed double-leaf timber panelled door with a fanlight above, accessed by a long ramp with a paved surface, Scrabo sandstone walling, and later galvanised railings. The extension has square-headed windows: a three-part window to the central bay at basement level; at ground floor, a stained glass window to the south end, a three-part double-hung timber sash window to the centre, and a two-part double-hung timber sash window to the east end. A smaller three-part window at basement level aligns with the central window above and is encompassed by a stone wall with later railings over to form a light-well.

East Elevation

The east elevation is a double-height gable flanked by two-storey flat-roofed extensions to the north and south. At ground floor there is a square-headed window with a timber casement that appears to have been inserted later, evidenced by the more recent ashlar stonework surrounding it compared to the stonework above. A two-bay wide projection at the south end has square-headed openings: a louvred vent at basement level and a two-part window at ground floor. Immediately adjacent is a square-headed door opening giving onto a flight of stone steps with a stone guarding wall capped with chamfered coping. Above is a large pointed arch tripartite trefoil window with stained leaded glazing, and a small pointed arch window at high level. The gable is flanked by three-stage buttresses. A three-bay wide extension to the north end contains pointed arch trefoil windows with stained leaded glass.

North Elevation

The north elevation is seven bays wide, abutted to the north-east by a single-storey flat-roofed extension. Each bay is separated by three-stage buttresses. The first bay to the west has a pointed arch door opening with a square-headed timber panelled door with fanlight, and a trefoil window with stained leaded glazing at ground floor level. Paired windows appear above this bay and throughout the remaining bays. The extension has a pointed arch door opening facing west with a square-headed double-leaf timber panelled door with fanlight, and square-headed windows.

Interior

The interior contains several notable features, most significantly a series of stained glass windows designed by Daniel Braniff, a Belfast-based stained glass artist who also collaborated with Gregory on St. Mac Nissi's chapel at Garron Tower. The windows depict scenes from the life of Jesus and from the life of St. Thérèse. The rose window on the principal elevation was specifically designed to represent the petals of a flower.

Setting and Boundary Features

The church occupies a lawned and tarmacked site enclosed by a variety of boundary treatments. To the west is random-coursed rock-faced stone walling with dressed stone coping topped by painted cast-iron railings, with a double gate supported on square-plan gate piers with projecting plinth and corbelled coping, each pier having a carved cross to the west elevation. A modern brick wall with railings and a modern gateway stands to the south-west. To the north, a hedge terminates in square stone gate pillars with projecting plinth and corbelled coping, which support a metal gate leading to the adjacent property. Beyond this gate screen, a stone wall extends to meet the north-east abutment of the church. Dwarf red brick walling stands to the east and modern fencing to the south. The stone steps to the rear of the church, together with the gate screen and stone walls to the north, contribute significantly to the character of the setting. Adjacent to the church on the east side of Somerton Road is a two-storey hipped roof former mansion at 71 Somerton Road, which forms part of the same site compound and carries its own listing reference.