Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Derry Road, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82 8DT

The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church is a brick and rendered building dating from 1937, located on the west side of Derry Road in Strabane. It was dedicated on 29th October 1939 by the Lord Bishop of Derry. The church represents the third Roman Catholic place of worship established in the town and reflects the early twentieth-century development of Strabane. It retains most of its original detailing and fabric both externally and internally, and holds significant social interest for the local community.

The church is rectangular in plan with a two-storey vestry to the west end, flat-roofed single-storey confessional outshots to either side, and a secondary single-storey porch to the east. The roof is pitched natural cement slate with angled ridge tiles. The exterior is characterised by Romanesque and classical references enlivened with distinct twentieth century ornamentation. A raised lead-capped gable to the east features a cross finial at the apex with an upright section extending downward to a stepped motif, terminating at either end with raised semi-circular kneelers also decorated with stepped detail. The west gable has raised cement rendered verges on moulded kneelers with a plain cross finial. Rainwater goods are ogee cast-iron on a moulded cornice, with decorative box hoppers to the confessional outshots.

The walling is Flemish bonded red brick to the east gable with projecting V-channelled quoins, a rendered plinth, and a moulded sill course. The remainder is painted ruled-and-lined rendered. Windows are round-headed with leaded coloured glass, hood moulds, and painted masonry sills; those to the east gable have stepped rendered reveals. The east gable is dominated by two semi-circular plan projections. The central projection frames the main entrance and is surmounted by a narrower statuary niche containing a plaster statue of the Sacred Heart. Each projection has a half-dome copper roof over a deep cornice. The entrance canopy features a plain frieze and is supported on two rendered columns with half-engaged responds over two semi-circular concrete steps. The doors are double-leaf painted timber with bronze pull handles, each with four diamond-pointed panels. The entrance is flanked by circular windows in painted stepped surrounds at lower level, with tall round-headed windows above and a large marigold window to the apex.

The south elevation is seven windows wide, with each window separated by two-stage rendered buttresses featuring a decorative arcade motif and moulded quadrant offsets. The outshot to this elevation is plainly detailed with a deep roundel to the south. The west gable is abutted by the two-storey vestry, with the exposed section remaining blank. The vestry roof is hipped natural slate with angled clay ridge and hip tiles. Windows are 2/2 timber sashes with horns and plain reveals. Each elevation has an opening at each floor level, including a four-panelled timber door with a brass knob to the left cheek. The west elevation also has a basement door accessed by concrete steps.

The north elevation is detailed as the south, with the addition of a flat-roofed single-storey porch offset to the right. This porch has double doors accessed by a concrete ramp.

Like the exterior, the interior contains references to several architectural styles, which contribute positively to the building's character. The floor is finished in terrazzo and the seats are of pitch pine. The church was furnished with three altars.

The church is set back from the road with a tarmac forecourt and carpark. A churchyard to the north contains twentieth-century gravemarkers and is separated from the road by hedging. Access from the road is via a pair of ornate vehicular wrought-iron gates flanked by matching pedestrian gates, all supported on reconstituted stone gableted gate piers with brick panels. The gates are contained within an alcoved entrance bounded by brick plinth walls with cast-iron railings. Grass and hedge boundaries define the north and south boundaries of the property.