Forkhill Parish Church, Church Road, Forkhill, Newry, Co. Armagh, BT35 9SX

A converted mid 18thC barn church with entrance porch to W. It is aligned W-E on the W side of Church Road. Constructed in granite with sandstone dressings. Pitched natural slate roof with leaded stone verges. There is a modern skylight to N pitch. To E gable is a chimney with moulded concrete coping. To W gable is a finely dressed bellcote with stone coping supported on moulded kneelers and topped by a trefoil finial. The bell is contained in a Gothic-headed voussoired opening and is inscribed ‘No 2 / 392 / Naylor Vickers / C1 1837 / E. Riepes / Sheffield / Patent’. The bell has been restored to working order. Half round metal rainwater goods are supported on an advanced moulded stone eaves course. Walls are random rubble (unless otherwise stated) over an advanced chamfered base course. All windows are lattice-glazed lancets set within stepped and chamfered dressed sandstone reveals with decorative Gothic arches over (unless otherwise stated). W gable is squared and snecked stone, and abutted to centre by a projecting entrance porch. The exposed sections are blank. Porch is detailed as church; its N face has a central pair of Gothic-headed wood-grained timber sheeted doors with wrought-iron strap hinges. W face has a lancet window to centre. S face is abutted by a narrower boiler-house with cat slide roof; its W cheek contains a small timber door and its S cheek is blank. N and S elevations are identical. Each has three paired lancets; those to W-end of N elevation are plainly glazed with obscured glass. S elevation is abutted by a lean-to vestry (see later) to extreme E-end. E gable is almost completely abutted by a slightly projecting sanctuary. The exposed section is blank (apex is squared and snecked granite). The sanctuary has a pitched natural slate roof with a stone verge (with lead flashings) supported on moulded stone kneelers with a trefoil finial. It has three central lancets (that to centre is taller). Vestry is of squared and snecked granite with a monopitched natural slate roof with granite kneelers. W face has a shouldered timber door with strap hinges set within a stepped granite reveal with granite lintel. It is accessed by two granite steps. S face has a central rectangular window set in a sandstone reveal with sandstone lintel. E face has a pair of squat lancets, as before. Setting The church is set within a churchyard containing a number of 18thC and 19thC memorials, all facing E. It is enclosed on all four sides by a rubble-stone wall with field stone copings. It is accessed from the road at NE corner by a vehicular entrance to left and pedestrian entrance to right. Both have a pair of square-in-section gate piers supporting wrought-iron gates. The vehicular entrance has a pair of dressed granite carriage bollards and the pedestrian entrance has three bowed granite steps.