Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church, Steelstown Road, Londonderry, BT48 8EU

An ‘A’ form asbestos slated church with decreasing ridge levels gabled and mainly top lit in the modern style. The main entrance is in the N gable where the porch projects beyond the main gable plane. The double doors are placed off centre on the porch gable with one way sloping head which is in sympathy with the barge pitch. Doors, softwood, diagonally sheeted, stained dark blue. The gable is sheeted with timber stained red. The deep barges finished in horizontal courses of slates which carry down to within 150mm of paving level. There is a slight overhang. The main gable is similarly treated. The vertical stained timber cladding stops 150mm from paving level and creates a recessed plinth. The west elevation consists of 3 planes of roof with the ridge stepping down from S to N and the building receding in width in the same direction. The slating stops short of ground level by approximately 800mm (top of pew level) and continuous low level windows run the length of the church. Insitu concrete bases slope outwards to the pitch of roof and have a depth to the plane of the low level windows. These bases act as supports and counter the thrust of the inclined steel structure. The intervening area between glass and outer extent of bases is filled with loose cobbles, though originally intended to be sheet of water so that reflections would be seen within the nave. The step between each plane of the roof is slated. The long rooflight on the higher plane allows daylight to be reflected to the nave. The top ends of the concrete bases are decorated with paired volutes. The S gable (sanctuary end) is both splayed and inclined and entirely slated with a mitred joint where the inclined planes meet. A single exit is placed towards the S E corner. The E side of the church is more or less concealed from view. It consists of one single roof plane with a series of inclined rooflights providing reflected light to the E side of the nave. At both ends the roof continues downward to the low level windows as on the W side. The sacrament chapel and sacristies intervene to break the run of glazing. Since the church was opened a meeting room has been erected with a single pitch roof picking up the angle used on the church nave. A connecting passage joins the two. Originally the rooflights were formed of a plastic material called Filon but because of discolouration tinted double glass in aluminium frames was substituted. The church is sited close and parallel to the Steelstown Road. The ground rises a little above the footwalk and a low retaining wall is formed. Broad steps lead through an open steel portal arch, sloped to match church roof. The site enjoys a back cloth of mature planting formed in adjacent house gardens. Beyond the church is a Parochial House erected some 10 years ago.