Ardtole Church, September 2010

Ardtole Church (Ulster Scots: Ardtole Kirk)[1] is a 15th-century ruined church standing on a hilltop overlooking the Irish Sea and the Isle of Man, 0.75 miles (1.2 km) north-east of the town of Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland, at grid ref: J564382.[2] It was formerly the parish church of Ardglass and is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.[3][4][2][5]

History

Dating to the 15th century, it has been in ruins since at least 1657 when it was described as "only old walls".[6] The church and graveyard are set in a very prominent position at the North end of a ridge. The graveyard is a substantial earthwork, now rectangular in plan, 52m E-W x 42m N-S. The East gable of the church stands to the original height, while the West gable is reduced to foundations. A cross slab of Early Christian type from the site is now built into the gable of the porch of the Catholic church in Chapeltown nearby [7]

The site also contains a stone-built souterrain.[8]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ardtole Church.
  1. ↑ Jordan's Castle – Department of the Environment
  2. 1 2 Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. pp. 96–97. ISBN 9780337081804.
  3. ↑ Donnelly, JP; Donnelly, MM (1980). Downpatrick and Lecale. A Short Historical Guide. p. 54.
  4. ↑ O'Neill, Brendan (2002). Irish Cathedrals, Churches and Abbeys. London: Caxton Editions. p. 63. ISBN 9781840674163.
  5. ↑ Harbinson, P (1992). Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 105. ISBN 9780717119561.
  6. ↑ Roulston, William (2019). "Church of Ireland Places of Worship in Lecale in the seventeenth century". Lecale Review. 17.
  7. ↑ NISMR. "Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record". NISMR.
  8. ↑ NISMR database - SMR Number DOW 045:018 - Souterrain, Ardglass

54°16′06″N 5°35′49″W / 54.26833°N 5.59694°W / 54.26833; -5.59694

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