Lissan Church of Ireland Parish Church, Churchtown, 1 Lissan Road, Cookstown, Co Londonderry, BT80 8EN

Lissan Church of Ireland Parish Church is a small rural church of modest proportions but considerable historic depth, presenting an interesting mixture of well-proportioned elements and more informal parts. The building exhibits a long process of development spanning from the 17th century through the 20th century, manifested in a structure of considerable visual charm enhanced by its picturesque setting.

The church comprises a nave and undivided chancel, with a long gabled porch projecting to the south and a short gabled vestry and toilet to the rear. It is constructed mainly of roughcast render on a slightly elevated site facing the main road, set back within its own grounds in a rural area. The main entrance faces south.

The south elevation displays a long nave with a slightly projecting rectangular blind stair bay to the left of a deep projecting open porch, and a long wall containing three windows to its right, from which extends a later full-height buttress of raking profile. The roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with aluminium and cast iron rainwater goods. The stair bay is of roughly coursed grey, blue and red rubble with roughly squared sandstone quoins. Its narrow western face contains a low rectangular timber boarded doorway with a segmental red stone relieving arch, surmounted by a semi-circular headed stained glass stair window set in a red brick arch with brick and sandstone dressings to the jambs. The corner of the west gable beyond the stair bay shows exposed stonework comprising red and grey quoins, an inscribed sundial, and a battered base of smooth cement render.

The porch front is of rubble stonework with raised block quoins in smooth cement render at the extremities, containing an open semi-circular arched entrance dressed in moulded sandstone ashlar and a red brick outer arch. The porch sides are roughcast rendered, with a slated roof and timber barge boards.

Windows in the nave are semi-circular headed. Two larger windows contain stained glass in plain reveals, while a third is a narrow slit-like lancet containing simple square pattern leaded panes in timber frame with splayed grey and red sandstone reveals. The west gable of the nave is battered at the base and surmounted by a stone bellcote of ashlar sandstone, constructed in Georgian Classical style with a semi-circular arched opening hung with a bell and a pedimental gable to the two main faces. The nave gable contains a large semi-circular headed two-light timber framed Y-traceried window with lattice-pattern leaded glazing and storm glazing over it. High at the right extremity of the gable is an exposed stone sundial dated 1732, with an inscribed return face also exposed on the south corner of the gable.

The north or rear elevation of the nave is similar in character and materials to the front, with a batter to the base. Two large semi-circular headed three-light windows with transoms contain leaded glazing in timber frames with storm glazing over them. The two low gabled projections forming vestry and toilet are of similar materials with rectangular windows including top-hung vents. The east gable of the nave contains a large semi-circular headed three-light ashlar sandstone dressed window of semi-circular arched lancets and cusped tracery lights containing stained glass protected by storm glazing. A low battered buttress-like projection projects from the right corner of the gable, while at the left side is a broad, bulky full-height buttress with flat slab copings.

The churchyard is mainly grassed with some trees and contains a variety of mainly 19th and 20th century memorials. The church is approached by a broad concrete driveway flanked each side by roughcast rendered retaining walls to the grass burial ground, entered from the roadway through a main gateway set in a roughcast rendered front boundary wall. The rear boundary wall is of rubble stonework. The main gateway comprises a pair of ironwork gates hung between large square piers which are smooth rendered, lined and blocked with broad sandstone caps.

The building's essential form is shown on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map. An 1837 description noted it as "a plain and very ancient structure with an east window of stained glass". The date 1618 is inscribed on the wall just inside the doorway to the nave, and 1685 appears on the font. The east window commemorates Reverend George Walker, Governor of Derry in 1689, who was rector of this parish in 1688-90. A survey in 1693 reported "the walls and roofs of Lissan Church in good repair". The bellcote is in Georgian Classical style suggesting an 18th century date, while some traceried windows are in Georgian Gothic style also suggesting 18th century work. The gallery appears to be of 19th century date and may date from improvements recorded in 1861. The church represents an early 17th century building which has received 18th and 19th century additions to its structure, with later 20th century additions to its furnishings.