St John's Church of Ireland, Strand Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3DD

St John's Church of Ireland is a plainly detailed, free-standing, double-height Victorian Neo-Gothic church erected in rubblestone in 1830 and extensively remodelled and extended in 1875 by the architect John Guy Ferguson. It stands on a prominent elevated site on the western bank of the River Bann, between Killowen Street and Strand Road, to the south-west of Coleraine town centre, in a largely residential area. Together with the neighbouring St John's Roman Catholic Chapel to the south-west, it makes an important contribution to the immediate streetscape and the wider townscape of Coleraine. Despite a number of additions made across the 20th century and more recently, the overall character of the building has been largely retained, and its various alterations reflect the changing needs of the congregation over time. The site itself carries additional significance, as there has been a history of church buildings here stretching back to the Middle Ages.

Architectural Description

The church is rectangular on plan, with a steeply pitched and slated saddleback roof fitted with terracotta angled ridge-tiles, sandstone coping and kneelers. A number of stone and slated abutments are attached, including a chancel, a vestry, and twin gabled aisles. Rainwater goods are largely half-round cast-iron or replacement metal, mounted on plain timber fascia to overhanging eaves. The walling throughout is squared black rubblestone, roughly built to courses, with sandstone dressings and quoins, and a projecting rubblestone plinth to the north elevation and the south twin-gabled abutment. Window openings are generally pointed-arched, three-light, with geometrical foiled tracery and voussoired rubblestone heads, sandstone stepped surrounds and sills. Windows are a combination of leaded and latticed or stained glass, with a number of modern replacements; the majority have storm glazing in place.

An offset ashlar sandstone bell-cote rises from the east gable, surmounted by an ornate iron finial and pierced with a Gothic opening in which a bronze bell is hung.

West (Principal) Elevation

The principal elevation faces west and is dominated by a four-light window with a hood moulding and decorative stops, set above a modern flat-roofed extension. A further gabled two-storey extension abuts the north-west corner, incorporating the roof of a previous, smaller return. Both extensions have modern timber-framed stained glass windows and are executed in a style similar to the church, though they are of little architectural interest.

North Elevation

The north elevation shows the roughly coursed rubblestone wall of the original 1830 church, lit by three two-light windows with voussoired sandstone heads. Below these are three large vents in square sandstone surrounds fitted with iron bars. To the left is a small studded timber and metal door with vents and a stone step to the basement. The left kneeler stone has been remodelled with an ashlar chimney vent inserted, dating from the mid to late 19th century.

East Elevation

The east elevation is abutted by a lower double-height chancel containing a three-light window similar to that on the west front, set over a battered undercroft with three diminutive square-headed openings fitted with replacement uPVC lattice windows. The right cheek is abutted by a full-height gabled extension of early to mid 20th century date, pierced by pointed-arched openings to east and west sealed with modern metal gates. Within this entry is a pointed-arch doorway to the basement beneath the chancel, with a braced and sheeted timber door retaining its original furniture. The north elevation of this extension has a single lattice-paned window in stepped sandstone surrounds; the left cheek is blank above the archway; the right cheek has a modern metal stair and landing leading to a timber-sheeted door set in chamfered sandstone surrounds with a carved stone piece to the upper corners. The left cheek of the chancel has a mono-pitched abutment of approximately 1927, accessed via a stone stair and containing a similar double-leaf door with ornate hinges; the east elevation of this abutment contains a pair of cusped lancet window openings with elongated sandstone heads.

South Elevation

The south elevation is completely abutted by twin-gabled single-storey aisles of mid 20th century date at the centre and right side, each with a central window. The left re-entrant angle is abutted by a lower side chapel of late 19th century date, with some uPVC rainwater goods and a pair of cusped and elongated lancet windows containing recent stained glass insertions.

Setting

The church sits within a mature graveyard on the elevated western bank of the River Bann. The site slopes downward from west to east and is enclosed by a black rubblestone wall of similar character to the church. Within the churchyard stands a two-storey hall to the north, dating from approximately 1960, along with a number of historic graves. Directly to the north-east of the church is the John Dunlop burial vault, dating from approximately 1731. The entrance from Strand Road is formed by square stone-capped piers supporting painted cast-iron gates, leading to a bifurcated tarmac path. The main entrance gates to the west have been recently replaced with modern metal gates and railings.

Historical Notes

The church first appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1830, captioned "New Church", having been erected that year to replace an earlier church located a short distance to the north. Built to the designs of an unknown architect at a cost of £988 10s, the Gothic-style building was unembellished by either a tower or a spire, and comprised a simple rectangular plan with a western door and pointed windows to the east, north and south. It could accommodate 200 people. Funding was raised through subscriptions, a number of sizable donations, and a loan from the Board of First Fruits.

The building was first valued at £18 in the Townland Valuations of the 1830s. By 1856, in Griffith's Valuation, this figure had risen to £25, reflecting the completion of the interior in 1835 as recorded in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, and the addition of a porch to the west visible on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1849. Around 1834 the erection of a gallery and a new aisle to the south had been proposed, and in anticipation of this, an arch was made in the south wall to allow it to be easily opened up in future.

The church was reopened in October 1867 following extensive repairs and the addition of a double transept to the north. It was then extensively remodelled in 1875 to the designs of John Guy Ferguson — work carried out by McClelland and Co. with furnishing by A.D. Williams and Co. — and these alterations are illustrated on the Town Plan map of 1882. The works included the addition of the bell-cote and a side entrance porch to the south-west, the lowering and partial rebuilding of the walls to increase the pitch of the roof, the insertion of new windows, and the enlargement of the east end with a new robing room and chancel. Despite these considerable works, the valuation of the church increased by only £1 in the General Revisions of 1885 to 1892.

A vestry executed in a similar style to the existing building was added in 1927 by the architects Blackwood and Jury, and contained a brick Gothic archway beneath. Further extensions were added during the mid 20th century, including a twin-gabled transept to the south and additional work to the south-east and west entrance, as recorded on the first edition Ordnance Survey Irish Grid map of 1967 to 1968.

The previous church to the north, on the site where the church hall now stands, was a building of considerable antiquity. The first church on that site was established around 1248 as a place of worship for English soldiers garrisoned at a nearby castle. It had fallen into decay by the early Plantation period and was renovated in 1616, with further renovation works in 1690 and 1767, before it was replaced by the present building in 1830.