Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church, Victoria Avenue, Whitehead, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38 9QF

Ddouble-height Hiberno- Romanesque revival Roman Catholic church, built 1909 to designs of E & J Byrne, located to the west side of Victoria Avenue. Rectangular nave with engaged round tower to north-east corner; porch and sacristy to north side. Roofs are pitched and natural slated; fretted clay ridge tiles; stone verges; masonry cross finials to gables. Walling is squared-and-snecked rock-faced basalt over projecting plinth with brick dressings; sandstone machicolation moulding to eaves. Windows are round-arched-headed with sandstone voussoirs, stepped brick surrounds and chamfered concrete sills. Principal elevation is gabled (facing east) and contains, central round-arched-headed entrance with chamfered brick surround; moulded brick archivolt rests on cavetto moulded impost supported by sandstone colonettes; original double-leaf timber diagonally sheeted doors with decorative strap hinges; flat-arched drip mould with label stops encloses pair of square brick relief panels above. At upper level, group of three windows (larger to centre) are surmounted by central louvred oculus to apex. Abutted at right by three-stage round tower containing window to first and second stage; stone belfry with Ionic columns supporting round-arch-headed colonnade, surmounted by conical roof and ironwork cross. South elevation has six pairs of windows, each set within a recessed bay with machicolated head and separated by pilasters with brick quoins. West gable comprises grouping of three windows (larger to centre) surmounted by louvred oculus to apex flanked to corners by pilasters with brick quoins. Abutted at left by sacristy. The north elevation has six pairs of windows, as the east elevation. Second bay from left is abutted by gabled porch with corbelled eaves; brick two-order rebated round-arched-headed entrance with brick hood-moulding containing double-leaf timber diagonally sheeted doors surmounted by brick relief panel; accessed by concrete steps; window to east and west elevations. Bay at right abutted by gabled sacristy containing pair of square-headed windows; pair of square-headed windows to east; replacement square-headed door and window to west. Abutted at left by tower. The church is situated on an elevated site within a modern churchyard with hall and primary school to west within the grounds. Bounded to Victoria Avenue to east by brick walling with masonry saddleback coping. Modern steel gates to north supported on brick piers. To front of church, pair of cast iron gates and to north, square rendered pillars support further cast-iron gates. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Rockfaced squared-and-snecked basalt Windows: Round-arched-headed leaded stained glass RWG: Cast-iron ogee gutters and round downpipes