Billy C of I Parish Church, 1 Cabragh Road, Glebe TD, Bushmills, Co. Antrim, BT57 8UD

Billy Church of Ireland Parish Church, 1 Cabragh Road, Bushmills

Billy Church of Ireland Parish Church is a simple, rubble-built, single-storey Gothic parish church of 1815, built in the so-called 'Commissioners' style, with a three-storey pinnacled tower. A hipped-roof chancel was added in 1890. It is a good, well-conserved example of its type, and the importance of the site through its associations with both the Early Irish and Anglo-Norman ecclesiastical periods adds to its significance.

Setting and Grounds

The church sits on an isolated rise to the south of Cabragh Road, close to its junction with Haw Road, approximately one and a half miles south of Bushmills. A graveyard lies to both the north and south of the church, and to the south also stand the ruined remains of the original medieval parish church. The whole complex is enclosed by a rubble-built boundary wall, which is fairly low to the north, west and east, but considerably higher to the south, where it separates the present church from the original church and graveyard. Some headstones have been set into this southern section of the wall. To the southwest there is a pedestrian entrance with a well-worn wrought iron gate, likely dating from the early to mid 19th century. To the northwest the wall is chamfered, and within this section there is a carriage entrance with slightly more ornate wrought and cast iron gates set between octagonal sandstone pillars with splayed caps. The east wall is faced with breeze block on its outer side. Built into the south end of the east side of the east wall is a two-storey gabled outbuilding, also in rubble. A recent timber walkway stretches from the church grounds to a doorway on the upper floor of the north gable.

The Tower

The tower stands to the west side of the building and is entered on its south face. The entrance consists of a timber-sheeted double door set within a pointed arch recessed opening with a chamfered sandstone reveal and drip moulding above. To the first floor of the south face is a window-like pointed arch recess with the same reveal and drip moulding over. To the second floor is a taller pointed arch opening with a similar reveal and drip moulding, fitted with a Y-tracery frame — that is, a double lancet — and louvred. The first and second floor openings are set within a tall, shallow recess. A string course runs between the first and second floor levels and again just below the parapet above the second floor.

The west face of the tower mirrors the south face, but with a window at ground floor level and another at first floor level. Both windows are set in pointed arch openings with reveals and drip mouldings as elsewhere. Both have Y-tracery frames; the ground floor window has small lattice panes while the first floor window has horizontal glazing bars. The north face of the tower is similar to the west face, but both the ground and first floor openings are blind. The first floor opening contains a well-worn carved stone panel set into the recess. The east face of the tower is only exposed at second floor level, where there is a louvred opening matching those on the other faces at that level. The tower is topped with a battlemented parapet and tall octagonal corner pinnacles set on square bases.

The Nave

The north façade of the nave has three evenly spaced, tall, pointed arch windows, all with sandstone dressings, sandstone Y-tracery, and small lattice panes, with recent protective glazing fitted over them. The south façade repeats this arrangement. The walling of the original section of the church is basalt rubble with a tall chamfered base course; at the west gable and tower, this base is itself set on a further chamfered base. Eaves courses run along the north and south façades of the nave. The gabled roof of the nave is covered in natural Bangor blue slate. Cast iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout.

The Chancel

The chancel, added in 1890 to the rear gable of the nave, is built in snecked basalt with red sandstone for quoins, string courses and dressings to openings. It is five-sided in plan, like half an octagon, with a projecting lean-to vestry section to the north. The chancel is set on a tall plinth topped with a sandstone course, and the windows to the south, southeast, east and northeast faces sit on a sandstone cill course. A sandstone eaves course and lean-to parapets finish the chancel at roof level, with decorative tympanum ends to the parapets.

The south face of the chancel has two high-level pointed arch windows with cusped lights containing pictorial stained glass, possibly by Michael Healy, with drip mouldings over and decorative stops. There is a single similar window each to the southeast, east and northeast faces. The lean-to vestry section to the north projects beyond the line of the north façade of the nave. On its east face, a set of steps leads to a timber-sheeted pointed arch doorway set in a reveal matching those of the other chancel windows. The steps are enclosed to the north by a basalt parapet topped with sandstone. To the right of the steps, at semi-basement level, is a low doorway leading to the boiler house, and immediately to its right is a window similar to those on the other chancel faces but shorter and with patterned stained glass. The north face of the lean-to has a pair of windows similar to those on the east face but slightly shorter and set at a slightly lower level. A potless chimney stack, also in basalt and sandstone, rises from the roof of the lean-to against the main east gable. The chancel roof is also covered in Bangor blue slate, with some slates cut to shaped profiles.

Historical Background

The parish of Billy was created in the 12th century as part of the reorganisation of the Irish church following continental reform movements and the Norman invasion of Ireland. A church almost certainly stood on this site long before the 1100s, however, since the name 'Billy' derives from the Gaelic word 'bile', meaning a large tree of religious — that is, pagan — significance. Like many such sites, it was almost certainly adopted when Christianity reached the area. The old church of Bile is listed in the 1306 taxation rolls of Pope Nicholas with the surprisingly high valuation of 54 marks (£36). Its fate during the later medieval period is unclear, but it appears to have escaped the destruction visited on many such buildings during the 16th century, as it is described as being in good repair in the Ulster Visitation Book of 1622. The medieval church continued to serve the parish, presumably in much modified form, into the early 19th century and is shown on Taylor's and Skinner's map of 1777. Its ruined remains still survive in the old graveyard.

The present church was built in 1815 at a cost of £1,300, of which £800 was provided by the Board of First Fruits. A bell was added in 1821 at a cost of £21, and the roof was repaired in 1827. The chancel was added and a new pulpit installed in 1890. An organ followed in 1893, a font in 1897, the bell was replaced in 1914, and a boiler was installed in 1917. Electric lighting was provided in 1952.