Grant helps Carnmoney Parish with work on historic church building

Monday May 8th 2023

Work on the drainage system at Carnmoney Parish Church has been ongoing.

The Church of the Holy Evangelist, Carnmoney, has received a grant of £8,000 from the National Churches Trust to facilitate the replacement of rainwater goods and storm drainage.

This is part of the Treasure Ireland project from the National Churches Trust funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Pilgrim Trust and the Department for Communities. Treasure Ireland grants facilitate urgent repairs and routine maintenance to help support places of worship across Northern Ireland.

Work has been ongoing at the church for several months – in a social media post, Carnmoney Parish outlined that the cast iron guttering had rust away beyond repair and any rainwater in the gullies around the church was slow to disappear as it worked on a soak away system which gave rise to problems with flooding in heavy rain in the boiler house under the church.

In 2022, following discussions with an architect, it was apparent that the gutter would need to be replaced and a new drainage system installed. The total cost of the works was estimated at £37,000.

The grant from the National Churches Trust will help towards these costs. In the social media statement, the parish said: “We are pleased to have been able to have this work carried out at it ensures that our church is continuing to be kept in a good state of repair for future generations.”

The National Churches Trust grant has helped fund essential work at Carnmoney Parish Church.

The Church of the Holy Evangelist was completed and consecrated in 1856 to the design of church architect Joseph Welland. It is believed to be on the site of an early Christian settlement dating back to the 5th century, the time of St Patrick. The cruciform design with a tower at the west end is executed in the Neo-Gothic style popular at the time built in basalt rubble with sandstone dressings. The interior features stained glass by the William Wailes Studio from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and it is noted as having a Caen stone pulpit, a type of stone from Caen in France. The surrounding graveyard contains a number of listed monuments and a well associated with the tradition of St Brigid.
To date 30 churches have benefited from the National Churches Trust’s Treasure Ireland grant support totalling £180,000.