Altedesert Church of Ireland Parish Church, The Diamond, Pomeroy, Dungannon, Co Tyrone

Altedesert Church of Ireland Parish Church, Pomeroy

This is an impressive stone-built Victorian church in Gothic Revival style. It was constructed in two main phases: the nave was built in 1841, and the south aisle, western tower, and spire were added in 1877. Both phases are architecturally significant—the nave for its unusual masonry patterning and distinctive west gable arrangement, and the tower and spire for their bold and vigorous proportions. Together, these elements demonstrate a historic development that, while externally presenting a curious mixture, forms an important visual accent in the town square. Despite some internal modifications, the building retains interiors of considerable interest and quality, enhanced by typically High Victorian ornamented fittings and furnishings.

The church stands at the centre of the town square within its own grounds, comprising a nave with a south aisle, a western tower with spire, and a small vestry on the north side.

The south elevation displays the tower set slightly back to the left of a three-bay south aisle. The aisle walls are constructed of roughly coursed sandstone rubble with ashlar sandstone dressings to windows, plinth, and block quoins at the extremities. Gothic-shaped sandstone corbels support the eaves. A small rectangular perforated cast-iron vent punctuates the plinth. The roof is laid with Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with moulded cast-iron guttering and circular downpipes. Three sets of coupled arched windows, set in irregular block surrounds, contain iron latticework glazing.

The three-stage tower is constructed of snecked sandstone rubble with ashlar sandstone dressings, crowned by an ashlar sandstone spire. Diagonal buttresses rise to tall corner pinnacles flanking small gables at parapet level. Moulded string courses mark each tower stage. The main entrance, positioned in the tower base, comprises an arched timber-sheeted door with decorative ironwork hinges, set within two recessed orders with circular stone colonnettes and a relieving arch. An inscribed datestone of 1877 sits above, set in a small arched surround. The second stage contains a small trefoil window with leaded glazing. The belfry stage features a triplet of openings divided by colonnettes and containing timber louvres. A circular clock face is set within the gable above. The spire is decorated with ocular openings and imbrications, topped by a scrolling ironwork finial. The remaining tower faces are similar to the front, except their gables contain cusped circular blind panels rather than a clock face, and the west face includes a Gothic lancet window at ground floor level.

The west gable of the nave comprises three bays, with a narrow blind lancet on each side of a pointed-arched entrance, with another lancet above it set into a larger blind Gothic arch. This is surmounted by a twin-pinnacled rectangular bellcote, which no longer contains a bell. The walling displays a distinctive pattern of regular courses of squared rubble alternating with small stones. Coarser rubble surrounds the doorway, suggesting that section has been rebuilt later. A diagonal buttress on the north-west corner rises to a sharp pinnacle. The bellcote and dressings are of ashlar sandstone, except around the doorway which lacks dressed stone. The doorway itself contains a rectangular timber-sheeted door and an arched tympanum.

The north wall of the nave exhibits the same patterned walling, with a projecting ashlar plinth, eaves course, and dressed surrounds to four windows. These windows now contain uPVC frames with imitation diamond leading. The north vestry is of lean-to form, constructed of rough coursed rubble, with a shouldered rectangular doorway and a pair of small coupled Gothic windows containing lozenge glazing. Roofs and rainwater goods on the north elevation match those of the aisle.

The east elevation comprises the two gables of the nave and aisle side by side, with the aisle slightly set back. Both are of roughly squared rubble with ashlar dressings to the windows.

The churchyard grounds are mostly laid in tarmac, with small lawns to the south and west. The site is enclosed by boundary walling of rubble sandstone, partly rendered on the interior faces, with rough stone copings except at the front where modern railings have replaced the upper courses. Access is gained through a pair of modern steel gates mounted on square sandstone piers.

The original church was consecrated on 7 April 1841. The additions of 1877 were erected on behalf of John and Armar Lowry, members of the local land-owning family, described as "a tribute of attachment to their birthplace". A font was erected in 1869 and the pulpit in 1877.