St Mary's R C Church, Leitrim, Ballyward, Banbridge, Co Down, BT31 9TH

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Leitrim

A double-height Gothic Revival Roman Catholic church dated 1871, designed by Timothy Hevey, with the tower completed in 1874. The building stands prominently on the Dromara Road at the centre of Leitrim village, directly adjacent to the junction with Ballydrumman Road.

The church follows a rectangular plan comprising a nave with side aisles, an apsidal chancel, and a tower. It is constructed from squared un-coursed granite with battered plinth to the sides and rear, and a projected plinth with plain course to the front. Granite dress stone and plain string courses run throughout. The pitched natural slate roof features a scalloped course with crested terracotta ridge tiles, and painted aluminium ogee moulded rainwater goods are fixed to exposed decorative rafter-ends.

The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrically arranged. The front entrance is centrally positioned on the gable, set into a moulded voussoired pointed arched opening with hood moulding and foliated stops, with cross motifs to the impost stones and a label course. The surround features long-and-short granite ashlar with polished granite half-columns on enlarged base and plinth block. The entrance is accessed by steps with replica cast-iron handrails and lamps. Three equally sized lancet-arched windows with chamfered reveals, cills, and granite voussoirs are positioned on the front elevation. Above these sits a rose window in the gable head, comprising a central quatrefoil surrounded by eight trefoils with moulded surround, beneath an apex cross. A three-stage gabletted angle buttress abuts the right side, whilst the left side is abutted by the tower with spire.

The four-stage tower with angled buttresses is surmounted by a broach spire with trefoil detailing and moulded lucarnes with timber louvers. The first stage contains a double-leaf replacement timber-sheeted door set into a pointed arched opening with moulded archivolt and label course, with moulded chamfered jambs and plinth stops to the south face. The east face comprises three inclining arrow-loop windows. The second stage south face features a cusped niche with chamfered long-and-short surrounds embracing a moulded pedestal, with no statuette present. A blank oculus above bears an inscription reading "D.O.M. SUB. INVO. E.M.V.J. [Indecipherable portion] REV. AR.J. FINNEGAN, PAROCHUS, A.D. 1871". A cinquefoil window appears to the north face. The third stage contains lancet windows to the south, east and west faces. The fourth stage comprises paired round-headed arched openings with timber louvers, dress stone surrounds and decorative colonette mullions on all sides.

The nave to the left of the tower is five bays wide, each marked by paired lancets. Two-stage buttresses distinguish each bay. A cusped tripartite window appears to the far left bay, with a slight projection below cill level to the central bay featuring a trefoil light. An enlarged six-foil window appears to the west gable. Clerestory glazing to the nave comprises alternating cinquefoil and quatrefoil windows. A lean-to side aisle abuts the ground floor level.

The west gable is symmetrically arranged. The apsidal chancel features a hipped roof with leaded hips, terminated by a finial cross. Each face of the chancel contains a plate-tracery window comprising paired round-headed lights terminated by a cinque-foil rose light, set into a pointed arched opening with chamfered long-and-short surrounds and continuous plain impost and cill courses. West-facing rose windows flank each side aisle. A bowed sacristy with slate conical roof terminated by a finial cross abuts the left angle. The sacristy contains three square-headed 1/1 timber sash windows with horns and dress stone surrounds facing west. A flat-roofed porch to the north features a moulded parapet and a single timber-sheeted door to the left with corbelled lintel.

The right elevation is asymmetrically arranged, matching the nave and side aisle configuration of the left elevation. A hipped roof bay with enlarged footprint projects beyond the line of the aisle, abutting the left gable. It is fully buttressed with single pointed arched windows to the north and east faces.

The replacement timber-sheeted double-leaf doors throughout feature decorative strap hinges. Generally, lancet-arched windows have long-and-short granite ashlar surrounds with chamfered reveals, cills, and granite voussoirs.

The church grounds are bounded to the east by replacement decorative iron railings fixed to a squared masonry wall with chamfered coping. Access from the road is via gates matching the railings, fixed to square-plan masonry piers displaying diminutive buttresses to each face, terminated by gabletted caps with trefoil motifs. A decorative iron arch displays "DOM SUB INVO MARIAE IMM". Modern buff-coloured stone sets pave the front of the church.

Immediately south of the church stands a rubble masonry grotto with Virgin Mary statuettes. An inscribed stone reads: "THIS GROTTO WAS ERECTED BY MR AND MRS PATRICK OWENS BELFAST FORMERLY BACKADERRY AND SOLEMNLY BLESSED BY MOST REV DR. MULHERN ON THE 26TH MAY 1929. THE REV E. McGIVERN BEING PARISH PRIEST."

Burial grounds occupy the north and west, with an adjacent complex of outbuildings featuring corrugated-iron roofs. The south is further bounded by a partially rendered rubble masonry wall with decorative iron gate matching the front gates in detailing.