Clonallan Parish Church, Clonallan Road, Warrenpoint, Newry, Co Down, BT34 3QQ

Clonallan Parish Church

A barn-plan church with tower, set in a mature churchyard on the east side of Clonallan Road. The church is aligned roughly east-west.

The pitched natural slate roof features plain bargeboards to the east end and an advanced eaves course carrying half-round cast-iron rainwater goods. All walls are wet cement dashed with a smooth rendered base course.

A two-stage tower abuts the front (west) gable of the church. Its first stage rises to the apex of the nave roof. A dressed granite platband separates the first and second stages. The second stage has clasping ashlar granite piers at each corner with tapering octagonal pinnacles between which are embattled and coped dashed parapets on dentilled corbelled bases. The front (west) face displays a semicircular-headed chamfered doorway with deep painted reveals set slightly right of centre at ground floor. It contains a deeply recessed Gothic-headed tongued-and-grooved sheeted door with a central louvre panel, and a narrow pole-moulded stucco architrave. Above, to centre, is an ogee-headed fixed 3x5 paned window with granite cill; its top three panes curve with the ogee head. The north and south cheeks of the first stage are blank. The second stage (belfry) is exposed on all four sides as it rises above the church roof, with a semicircular-headed louvred opening on each side. The exposed front (west) gable of the main church, to left and right of the abutting tower, is blank. The left (north) elevation of the church is blank, abutted to left of centre by a small porch with pitched natural slate roof and walls matching the church. Its end (north) wall has an infilled semicircular-headed doorway with finely dressed granite jambs and head; both cheeks are blank.

The rear (east) gable is abutted by a low single-storey vestry with a flat leaded roof obscured on all sides by a low slated parapet. Its walls match the church. The east face is blank; the north cheek has a modern six-panelled door and the south cheek has a modern fixed timber window. Above, on the main gable of the church, is a three-paned Gothic-headed window with masonry tracery framing three cusped lancets (the central one taller) with trefoils in the spandrels. All have leaded and coloured glass.

The right (south) elevation of the church has three regularly spaced semicircular-headed window openings. Each contains a pair of semicircular-headed lancets with a common spandrel over, cast-iron frames, and quarry glazing with a hopper window to the middle of the right panel.

The churchyard is enclosed to Clonallan Road and Rath Road by a polygonal granite rubble dwarf wall with pitched dressed granite copings. This wall rises in steps at several points toward the north end and carries cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lis finials and decorative queen posts with urn finials. At centre are granite ashlar pillars with pyramidal copings carrying matching gates. The north boundary is enclosed by a higher rubble stone wall. The ground to the east of the church falls away to bog. The churchyard was extended southward this century.

The graveyard immediately around the church contains numerous memorials in various styles dating back to the 18th century, with the majority facing east. Earlier memorials are typically in local granite, some no more than rounded stones without inscriptions. Later ones are plainly dressed and inscribed. Early 19th-century memorials are in granite, slate, and red sandstone. Late 19th-century memorials are typically in Newry granite, with notable exceptions.

Notable memorials include the Peachey Sowerby memorial (c.1702), a plain granite memorial with steeply curving top inscribed "IN MEMORY of Captain Peachey Sowerby of Whitehaven who died 20th April 1792". The William Ormondy Memorial (c.1734) is a sandstone gravestone with rounded head swept out at each side, inscribed "Here lieth the body of William Ormondy died May 20th 1734". The George Duke Memorial (c.1782) is a sandstone gravestone with swept head inscribed "This is the resting place of George Duke who departed this life the 30th Aug. 1782 aged 69 years." The Felix Corran memorial (c.1790) is a thin granite gravestone with moulded rounded head and chamfered sides, inscribed "Here lieth the body of Cap. Felix Corran who departed this life the 1st day of March 1790 aged 70 years."

The Hugh Savage memorial (c.1843) is a slate memorial with three rounded lobes to top, inscribed with a lengthy tribute describing his service to Roger Hall of Narrow Water and his death at Warrenpoint on June 27th 1853, aged 42 years. The Eleanor Harriet Simms memorial (c.1895) at the northwest corner of the churchyard comprises a chamfered granite plinth supporting a sandstone slab carved to resemble a rocky outcrop. Over its sloping east face the stone is finely carved to form an open inscribed scroll with very delicately carved floral arrangement at bottom right and leaded letters set into the face of the scroll.

The Edward Richards Memorial (c.1883) is a polished granite tombstone with steep hipped top. Its north face is inscribed "EDWARD RICHARDS B.A.CAN. AB. M.A. DUB. CLERK OF HOLY ORDERS 47 YEARS RECTOR OF CLONALLAN AND CHANCELLOR OF DROMORE DIED ON THE 12TH OF FEBRUARY A.D. 1883 AGED 85 YEARS."

The George Gartley Moore memorial (c.1888) is a small gravestone with tapering chamfered sides and trefoil moulded head. At left and right ends of each face are carved quatrefoil flowers with lead letters. The grave is enclosed by heavy chains hung from matching chamfered, flower-carved posts.

The William Watson Memorial (c.1873) at the northwest corner of the churchyard is a red sandstone Gothic Revival-style gravestone in the shape of a gable punctuated with a trefoil hole, on a chamfered base. It has a cusped Gothic inset with an inscribed white marble panel. The sides of the gable have a small colonette at each corner and the gable proper has gabled kneelers and a heavy cruciform gabled finial. The plot is enclosed by a matching pitched Gothic dwarf wall. It is dedicated to William Watson JP of Aughnavilla Lodge and his wife Mary (d.1892).

The William James Hall Memorial (c.1915) is a plain sandstone shield with chamfered edges laid on a large flat polished pink granite tombstone.

The Hall family plot (late 19th to early 20th century) comprises a linear enclosure with low chamfered ashlar granite dwarf wall. Inside are five plots; four have plain dressed granite tombstones with chamfered edges and lead letters. The fifth plot is unmarked. A typical example is the Roger Hall Memorial (c.1939), inscribed "IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROGER HALL OF NARROW WATER CAPTAIN ROYAL FUSILIERS BORN 6 AUGUST 1894 DIED 3RD FEBRUARY 1939."

The Mary Jane Fleming Memorial (c.1942) comprises a large boulder with a recessed circular panel at its top, with painted lead letters reading "TO MY BELOVED MOTHER MARY JANE FLEMING OF THE CRAG, ROSTREVOR PASSED ON OCTOBER 16TH 1942".