Our Lady'S R C Church, Church St., Rostrevor, Co.Down

Our Lady’s Roman Catholic Church, Rostrevor, was designed in 1848 by Thomas Duff of Newry. Duff died shortly after laying the foundation stone on 24 April 1848, and the subsequent construction was overseen by Patrick Byrne of Dublin. The church was consecrated on 15 October 1854 by Dr. Cantwell, Bishop of Meath, and a spire, including a bell cast by John Murphy of Dublin, was added in 1859. The church replaced a previous structure of 1774, a lower, cruciform building described in an 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir as a plain stone building oriented east to west, measuring 69 feet long and 49.5 feet broad, that could accommodate up to 900 people. This earlier church was constructed at a cost of £200, raised through subscriptions, with further £230 spent on repairs in 1806. Around 1815, Rev. James Gilmore added a belfry and planting. In 1922, the building reportedly underwent repairs, with new Stations of the Cross installed in 1925, redecoration in 1932, and confessionals replaced in 1936. The exterior stonework was sandblasted around 1981, and the sanctuary was extended and a new altar fitted in 1990, accompanied by four new stained glass windows to the rear. A new tabernacle was also installed. A schoolhouse previously stood to the north of the church, shown on an 1834 Ordnance Survey map, and later replaced by a convent school building designed by William Joseph Barre in 1866-67. The church sits within a conservation area and the listing includes the associated walling, railings, and steps.