Ardtole Church

Ardtole Church, September 2010

Ardtole Church (from Irish Ard Tuathail, meaning 'Tuathal’s height'; Ulster Scots: Ardtole Kirk) 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. It was formerly the parish church of Ardglass and is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.

History

This location was probably a pre-Christian sacred site. The present ruins date to the 15th century, it has been in ruins since at least 1657 when it was described as "only old walls". 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

The site also contains a stone-built souterrain.

Architecture

Ardtole Church is a roofless medieval church located northeast of Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland. According to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the church measures approximately 19 metres by 7 metres. It is constructed of local stone with thick walls and contains architectural elements such as lancet window remnants and a pointed-arch east window, consistent with late medieval Gothic design.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jordan's Castle". Department for Communities, Northern Ireland. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-0-337-08180-4.
  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 978-1-84067-416-3.
  5. ↑ Harbinson, P (1992). Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-7171-1956-1.
  6. ↑ Meehan, Cary (2004). Sacred Ireland. Somerset: Gothic Image Publications. p. 215. ISBN 0 906362 43 1.
  7. ↑ Roulston, William (2019). "Church of Ireland Places of Worship in Lecale in the seventeenth century". Lecale Review. 17.
  8. ↑ "Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record". NISMR.
  9. ↑ NISMR database - SMR Number DOW 045:018 - Souterrain, Ardglass
  10. ↑ "Ardtole Church". Department for Communities, Northern Ireland. Retrieved 5 July 2025.

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