St Guaire, Aghadowey
St Guaire, Aghadowey
St Guaire’s is a Grade B Church of Ireland parish church on Ardreagh Road, Aghadowey, County Londonderry, in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe: a 1797 rebuild on an early Christian site, later given a Welland chancel.
- Location
- Aghadowey, County Londonderry
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- County
- County Londonderry
- City / town
- Aghadowey
- Address
- Ardreagh Road, Aghadowey, County Londonderry, BT51 4DW
- Postcode
- BT51 4DW
- Built
- Rebuilt 1797; chancel and gallery by Joseph Welland; enlarged 1870
- Architect
- Joseph Welland (chancel, vestry and west gallery); later work planned by John Guy Ferguson, 1870
- Denomination
- Church of Ireland
- Dedication
- Guaire
- Diocese
- Derry and Raphoe
- Parish
- Aghadowey
- Grade
- B
- Style
- Gothic
- Materials
- Coursed squared basalt with sandstone dressings
- Grid reference
- C 858 209
- Opening hours
- The church can be accessed at any time by contacting the Rector or Sexton, contact information is on noticeboard or Facebook. The church is open regularly on a Wednesday and Thursday morning from 10.30am to 12noon via the contact person in the Parish Halls.
- Access
- Accessible toilets nearby. Level access to the main areas
Overview
Stone Database NI and the Northern Ireland listing record HB03/04/004 (Grade B). A church here is associated with St Guaire, said to have founded a monastery in the seventh century (a cell of his house at Agivey). Bishop Montgomery’s survey called it St Jerome. In 1622 the church was in ruins and ordered to be repaired from recusants’ fines. It was repaired about 1760 and rebuilt in 1797 with a tower and octagonal spire at the expense of Frederick Hervey, Earl Bishop of Derry. Lightning destroyed the spire in 1826 or 1828; the surviving tower was embattled with four pinnacles.
The Dictionary of Irish Architects and Gloine attribute a middle-pointed chancel, vestry, west break-front gallery and south-east lobby to Joseph Welland. John Guy Ferguson planned further enlargement in 1870. The building is rectangular basalt with a west tower, a small gallery, and seating for about 150. Cecil Frances Alexander lived in the area. Listing URLs for Northern Ireland are not used in the Gazette list-entry field. No independent parish website was verified; access is by arrangement with the rector or sexton.
Further Information
- Dictionary of Irish Architects: Aghadowey
- Gloine: Aghadowey St Guaire
- Northern Ireland listed building HB03/04/004 (Grade B)