Ardtole Church

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]

Ardtole Church, September 2010

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. 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

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