St MacNissi’s RC Church, Agnew Street, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 1RF

St MacNissi's Roman Catholic Church, Agnew Street, Larne

This Roman Catholic church in the Gothic Revival style was originally built between 1857 and 1859, to designs by Robert Young of Belfast, replacing an earlier church on the same site erected in 1831. The building was dedicated on 17th July 1859. It was considerably extended in 1905, when the transepts, sanctuary, and sacristy were added and the church re-dedicated on 3rd September 1905, and has been altered further at various points throughout the 20th century. Although of some local interest and social importance, the alterations inside and the additions outside have, in the view of the original assessors, spoiled its authenticity as an example of Victorian church architecture.

The church is cruciform in plan, constructed of basalt rubble with sandstone dressings throughout. The roofs are covered in Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with ornamental ridge tiles, and moulded cast iron gutters on sandstone corbels at the eaves, with rectangular-section cast iron downpipes.

West Elevation

The principal, ecclesiastical west end faces the main road. The west gable contains a five-light window of narrow lancets. To the left, an end bay is developed upwards as a tall engaged bellcote: the lower stage contains a niche with a moulded string course and carved head label stops, incorporating the base for an intended but never-completed statue; the upper stage contains a lancet opening housing the bell; the topmost stage is built in ashlar sandstone with a weathered stone roof. The belfry has cusped openings at each of its two lower levels. A small lancet window sits lower to the left of the five-light window, and it is cusped. To the right of the gable, a gabled porch projects forward, containing the entrance doorway, with a curved triangular window in the apex above. The basalt rubble walling is laid in rough courses with reticulated pointing. Sandstone dressings are used for the windows and doorway, with sandstone weatherings to a low central buttress and to the buttresses at the extremities. A sandstone weathering finishes the outset plinth of basalt across the front. A string course runs below the main five-light window and terminates in foliated sandstone bosses. All five-light windows are of simple lancet form, storm glazed over leaded work.

The entrance doorway is Gothic arched with chamfered edges, and has a moulded string course with carved head stops. The door itself is of varnished pine vertical boarding and retains its original scrolling ornamental iron hinges, together with an ornamental iron handle and latch. Six steps lead up to the doorway; these are covered in new tiles and flanked by low concrete plinth walls surmounted by tubular metal handrails. The triangular window in the gable of the porch likewise has a moulded string course with carved head stops. Sandstone copings finish the main gable and the porch gable, each surmounted by a sandstone Celtic cross.

North Elevation

The long north flank of the nave is seven windows wide, with all windows being simple Gothic lancets. A two-stage weathered buttress sits between the third and fourth windows from the right. The wall is basalt rubble in rough courses with reticulated pointing, and dressings as described above. A small lean-to projection occupies the angle between the nave wall and the projecting belfry. To the left, a gabled transept projects outward.

The lean-to roof matches the nave roof; cast iron gutters and downpipes are provided as on the nave. To the left of the nave wall, the west side wall of the transept returns, built also in basalt rubble in rough courses with reticulated pointing, but the stone here is noticeably different in quality and colour from the nave walling. A gabled porch projects from this wall with a Gothic arched doorway with chamfered edges; the double doors contain Gothic arched ledged panels, with a modern brass handle, and a glazed Gothic-headed fanlight over. A Celtic cross finial in sandstone crowns the apex of the porch coping. To the left of the porch is a tall lancet with storm-proof glazing over leaded work. At the left extremity of the wall are sandstone quoins, with a modern iron globe light mounted near eaves level.

The north gable of the transept has quoins to its extremities and a sandstone gable coping with a moulded edge. Three lancet windows are set in the gable, the central one taller than the other two, with later storm-proof glazing fitted. The window dressings are finished in grey cement render with a dry dash of fine stone particles; the cills are finished in smooth cement render of a buff colour. An ocular opening at the apex of the gable, dressed with cement render, appears to contain wooden louvres, and has a burglar alarm attached. A Celtic cross stone finial surmounts the gable, and a modern glass globe light on a metal bracket is diagonally mounted at the left-hand corner of the gable wall.

East Elevation

The east elevation shows the east gable of the church with the side walls of the transepts set back to each side, and a low sacristy projecting forwards in front. The east gable walling is basalt rubble, matching the north transept. Three lancets are set in the gable as at the north transept gable, with a scrolling wrought iron Celtic cross finial to the apex.

Below the cills of the lancets, a lean-to hipped roof of Bangor blue slates covers the sacristy. Three rectangular windows are set in the east wall of the sacristy, with varnished hardwood fixed lights with a top-hung vent; most panes are translucent glass. The window surrounds are finished in cement render with a dry dash to match the north transept gable. Modern steel protective grilles are attached, and the cills are in sandstone. A single rectangular ledged door in varnished oak is set in smooth cement-rendered reveals. The north side of the sacristy has a rectangular window with a painted timber fixed light over a top-hung vent, wired glass, and a steel grille; the dressings are sandstone except for a smooth rendered cill. The south side of the sacristy presents a blank basalt wall. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are provided throughout the sacristy.

The short side walls of the projecting chancel each contain a single lancet. The east walls of the transepts each contain two lancets, with moulded cast iron guttering on concrete corbels and a rectangular cast iron downpipe on each wall; however, two windows at the north-east corner are partially hidden by later boiler-house walling of precast concrete blocks, with a conspicuous polished metal boiler-house flue pipe.

South Elevation

The south nave wall contains two lancets to the left of a projecting gabled porch and three lancets to the right, with the gabled south transept projecting to the right and the projecting western porch to the left. The nave and western porch walls are basalt rubble with moulded cast iron gutters and downpipes; nave windows are dressed with sandstone and have storm-proof glazing over leaded lights, with a sandstone weathering to the plinth around the building.

The gabled porch projecting from the nave has basalt rubble walling with sandstone quoins to the extremities of the gable. The gable contains the central doorway with a broad chamfered Gothic arched entrance in sandstone, repaired with smooth cement render of a similar hue; a moulded drip over the archway ends in carved sandstone head label stops, the heads now badly weathered. The double doors are Gothic-headed, ledged timber, with a modern brass handle. Three steps lead up to the doorway, covered in new tiles between low concrete plinth walls surmounted by tubular iron handrails to each side. The projecting western porch has one small lancet in its south wall, dressed in sandstone partially repaired with cement render, with storm-proof glazing over leaded panes. Modern glass globe lights on angled metal brackets are fitted to each corner of the western porch.

To the right of the nave wall, the west side wall of the south transept projects forward. The masonry here is basalt rubble but of noticeably larger stones and a different hue from the nave walling. This wall contains a gabled porch projection to the left of a lancet window. The porch walling matches the rest of the transept, with sandstone quoins to the extremities of its gable, which contains a Gothic arched doorway with chamfered edges. The rectangular double doors are ledged timber, dark stained, with scrolling ornamental wrought iron hinges and a modern brass handle, below a glazed fanlight. Modern red tiles finish the step and the area in front of the door. A sandstone Celtic cross tops the apex of the porch gable. The adjacent lancet window is dressed in sandstone, but the lower dressings have been extensively finished in smooth cement render with surface scratchings, representing a poor attempt to replicate the original chiselled finish of the sandstone. Moulded cast iron guttering sits on concrete corbels.

The gable of the south transept is of similar walling to the sides, and contains three lancets with the central one taller than the other two; the dressings are sandstone with splayed cills, and storm-proof glazing has been fitted. A timber-louvred oculus sits at the apex, with later cement render to the stone surround (where render has fallen away, the original stone is visible). A sandstone Celtic cross tops the apex. Modern glass globe lights are fitted to each corner of the transept gable. Beneath the central lancet, a sandstone cross is set into the wall with the inscription 'In Hoc Signo Vinces' (meaning 'In this sign thou shalt conquer'), above a plain block inscribed with the dates 1831, 1859, and 1905, recording the three significant stages in the building of the church.

Interior and Fittings

The interior is not described in detail in the listing record, though it is noted that alterations inside have affected the building's character. Recorded changes include: a gallery added at the west end in 1895 and demolished in 1993; new Stations of the Cross added in 1906; a stained glass window installed in the south transept around 1906; a new organ installed in the gallery in 1929 and subsequently moved to the south transept in 1994; an oak pulpit installed in 1931 and later removed; the sacristy burned in 1973; a stained glass window installed in the north transept in 1982; and an extensive renovation carried out in 1993–4, which included re-roofing the nave but retaining the original trusses, rearranging the sanctuary with curved triple steps, closing the twin doors from the chancel to the sacristy and replacing them with a new door from the north transept, and ramping the nave floor at the west end.

The font is retained from the 1831 church and was originally recovered from the ruins of a medieval abbey church at Portmuck, Islandmagee.

Setting and Boundaries

The church stands within the built-up area of Larne on a sloping site facing the main road, surrounded by tarmac with a small grassed area to the south. The tarmac to the north extends to a large car park, constructed in 1980 on the site of a demolished boys' school.

Standing beside the south wall of the nave and the west wall of the south transept are four stone Celtic crosses, none of special artistic or architectural interest, commemorating former parish priests. On the lawn to the south, a large basalt rock carries a modern coloured metal plaque to the memory of Bishop McFaul.

The western boundary is a basalt rubble wall with a coping of rough-hewn basalt blocks. At the south corner, an entrance gateway has square piers of squared basalt dressed with sandstone; some stones are new replacements. The original weathered sandstone caps are in three stages. The pair of wrought iron gates appear to be new but are to a traditional pattern. Adjacent to the belfry, a small pedestrian gateway has square piers of squared coursed basalt with a pyramidal sandstone cap, and a pair of original wrought iron gates. Further to the left, giving access to the car park, more widely spaced square piers of the same type carry modern steel gates. To the left of that, a basalt rubble wall with a cement coping is surmounted by a modern steel fence, curving around to form the northern boundary, where the wall is cement rendered. The eastern boundary consists partly of a cement-rendered wall and partly of iron railings dividing the church grounds from the adjacent school grounds. Mounted on the cement-rendered wall within the car park area is a modern polished granite inscription plaque of around 1980, recording two schools formerly on the car park site, now demolished. The southern boundary is a basalt rubble wall, partly rendered, with a plain wrought iron railing lining a tarmac path leading to the adjacent school.

The main entrance gateway was widened and new gates installed during the 1993–4 renovation. The boundary wall and the original wrought iron entrance gates at the pedestrian gateway date from the 1905 additions.