St James’ Parish Church of Ireland, Lany Road, Ballykeel, Hillsborough, Co. Down, BT26 6JR

Free-standing Gothic-revival rendered hall and tower Church of Ireland church, dated 1840, to the designs of Charles Lanyon. Rectangular on plan facing south with lower gabled chancel to the east, vestry to northeast and square-plan tower to the centre of the front elevation. Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and replacement metal rainwater goods to timber boxed eaves. Painted ruled and lined cement rendered walling with cement plinth course, corner piers and rendered weathered buttresses to both nave elevations. Lancet window openings with splayed sills, chamfered surrounds, stained glass and storm glazing. Front south nave elevation, four windows wide with central square-plan entrance tower, extended to the east with a lower chancel, two windows wide. Two-stage tower with crenellated parapet wall and panelled pinnacles with spirelets terminated in poppy-head finials and corbelled out to the base of the parapet with connecting string course. Belfry stage with pair of lancet openings to east, south and west with latticed timber louvers on continuous chamfered string course. Circular stone architrave surround to clock-face to the front. Equilateral-arched sandstone ashlar entrance to the lower stage with sandstone hood moulding and replacement double-leaf vertically-sheeted timber doors. Inscribed white marble plaque stating: ‘Glory to God, Goodwill to Man, This Church by the name of, St. James’s, Lower kilwarlin, was built from contributions of, The Marquis of Downshire, The Early of Hillsborough. The Down and Connor, Church Accommodation Society, and others. By the Ven. Walter B. Mant. M.A., Archdeacon of Down, MDCCCXL.’ Door opens onto concrete step. Gabled west elevation has group of three lancets window openings with leaded coloured glazing. Rear nave elevation abutted by gabled-ended vestry and lean-to having equilateral-arched door and window openings with sheeted timber door, leaded glazing and diminutive equilateral-arched window opening to the lean-to. Gabled east elevation with concrete coping and painted moulded kneeler stones. Decorative equilateral-arched window opening with sandstone hood moulding having foliate label stops and containing stone plate tracery. Tracery comprises; cusped window openings with quatrefoil opening above and stained glass with storm glazing. Setting: Facing south and located on a corner site between Lany Road and St. James Road. Set to the north side of Lany Road, to the west of St. James’s Road on the northwest side of M1. Concrete footpath encircles church on lawned site enclosed to both roads by low brick wall (c.1980). Single-storey redbrick St. James former schoolhouse to the northeast. Roof Natural slate RWG Replacement metal Walling Painted ruled and lined cement render Windows Chamfered lancets / leaded coloured and stained glass