Black Abbey Catholic Church — Abbey Street

Detached two-bay double-height Dominican abbey, founded 1225, with two-bay double-height lean-to lower aisle to south. Extended, c.1325, comprising four-bay double-height transept to south having four-bay double-height lean-to lower aisle to west. Renovated, 1505, with single-bay three-stage tower added to west on a square plan. Renovated, 1527, with single-bay three-stage tower added to crossing on a square plan. Repaired, 1543. Subsequently in use as courthouse, post-1543. In ruins, pre-1778. Rededicated, 1778. Repaired, 1816. Extensively renovated, 1859-66/7, with single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch added to aisle to west. Renovated, 1977-9, with interior remodelled. Pitched slate roofs behind parapets (including to tower to west; lean-to to side aisles; gabled to porch) with clay ridge tiles, cut-stone coping to gable to porch having cross finial to apex, and cast-iron rainwater goods on cut-limestone eaves. Roof to tower to crossing not visible behind parapet. Random rubble stone walls (broken coursed tooled cut-limestone walls to aisle to south and to porch) with squared limestone corner piers to south having cut-limestone chamfered capping, rubble stone Irish battlemented advanced parapets on cut-limestone corbels (forming corbel table), dressed limestone quoins to corners to tower to crossing, Irish battlemented advanced parapet having cut-limestone coping, and battlemented corner 'turrets'. Pointed-arch window openings with cut-limestone surrounds, mullions and tracery (forming bipartite or tripartite trefoil-headed arrangements with decorative overlights to arches), hood mouldings over (some supporting squared limestone voussoirs), and fixed-pane fittings having diamond-leaded glazing or leaded stained glass panels. Pointed-arch window opening (1332?) to south with cut-limestone surround, Y-mullions forming five-part pointed-arch arrangement having trefoils and quatrefoils over to arch, and fixed-pane fittings having leaded stained glass panels, 1892. Trefoil-headed window openings to tower to west with cut-limestone surrounds having chamfered reveals, and fixed-pane fittings. Pointed-arch window opening to tower to crossing with cut-limestone surround having chamfered reveals, hood moulding over supporting squared limestone voussoirs, mullions and tracery forming four-part trefoil-headed arrangement having trefoils and quatrefoils over to arch, and fixed-pane fittings having leaded stained glass panels. Pointed-arch or square-headed slit-style apertures to upper stages with cut-stone surrounds, and fixed-pane fittings. Pointed-arch door opening to tower to west with cut-limestone surround supporting rubble stone voussoirs, and tongue-and-groove timber panelled double doors. Pointed-arch door opening to aisle to south with cut-limestone surround having chamfered reveals, hood moulding over on decorative corbels supporting limestone ashlar voussoirs, and timber panelled double doors. Full-height interior open into roof remodelled, 1977-9, with exposed random rubble stone construction, pointed-arch arcade to aisles on cut-stone columns having moulded capitals, chamfered reveals, rubble stone voussoirs, and exposed timber roof construction on cut-limestone corbels. Set in own grounds with concrete brick cobbled courtyard to west, and landscaped grounds to east having limestone ashlar boundary wall with chamfered coping supporting decorative iron railings.