St Malachy's RC Church, 15 Ballykilbeg Road, Ballykilbeg, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 8HJ

Simple, two storey gabled RC church of 1837, with rubble façade, pointed arch windows, gabled porch and buttresses. The building is set on the W side of Ballykilbeg Road, c.5 miles W of Downpatrick. The front gable faces E. To the centre at ground level is a gabled entrance porch. To the E and S faces of the porch there is a pointed arch doorway with timber sheeted double doors with brick dressings. The door to the E (gabled) face does not appear to be original as its brick dressings are of a more modern brick than that to the S. Above the E doorway is a small (relatively recent) stone panel which is inscribed ‘St Malachy’s c.1745 1775 1837’ (dates of building work). To the N face is a pointed arch window with brick dressings (all openings have brick dressings) and timber ‘Plate tracery’ frame with stained glass. The porch has granite in / out quoins and a slated roof with stone parapets. Stone cross to gable apex. Above the porch (to main front gable) is a large pointed arch window with similar tracery (but with three lancets). The dressings to the arch are in a more recent brick than those to the rest of the opening. There is a relieving arch above the opening. The N and S facades are largely similar, having four tall pointed arch windows with frames as porch window and buttresses between. Some of the brick dressings to the windows have been renewed and the stonework beneath each window has been repointed, giving one the impression that the windows have been reduced in size (though this seems unlikely). There are relieving arches above the buttresses. The buttress stonework is not tied in with the main walls, almost as if they were added at some point. The rear gable has a large central pointed arch window with geometrical tracery timber frame. At ground level is a small single storey gabled vestry, which extends N (as a gabled bay) beyond the gable itself. To the E face of the gable is a timber sheeted door. To the S face is a small sash window with Georgian panes (6/6). To the right of this (and also attached to the main gable) is a small flat roofed, breeze block-built, boiler house. To the N (gabled) face is a small sash window. The roof of the vestry is slated, with stone parapets to the gables. A rendered chimney stack rises from the vestry roof (against the main rear gable). The entire façade is in snecked fieldstone rubble with in / out granite quoins. The roof is slated and has stone parapets. There is a small stone cross to the front gable apex. Cast iron rw goods.