Saint Nicholas's Catholic Church — COOLBUNNIA

Detached four-bay double-height Catholic church, c.1850. Renovated and extended, 1873, comprising single-bay double-height lower chancel to east having single-bay single-storey lean-to sacristy to south-east, and single-bay three-stage Gothic Revival entrance tower added to west on a square plan having polygonal broach spire. Pitched slate roofs (continuing into lean-to to sacristy) with clay ridge tiles, cross finial to apex to east, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Tooled squared limestone polygonal broach spire to tower on cut-stone cornice with cut-stone dressings including quoins, and wrought iron cross finial to apex. Painted rendered walls. Coursed squared limestone walls to tower with cut-stone dressings including cut-stone date stone/plaque under hood moulding, stepped buttresses (some clasping corners), stringcourses, and horizontal bands. Lancet window openings to nave with cut-stone sills, and fixed-pane timber windows having casement sections. Pointed-arch opening to chancel with cut-stone mullions and tracery forming tripartite trefoil-headed arrangement with quatrefoils and trefoil over, and fixed-pane leaded stained glass panels. Paired elongated lancet window openings to second stage to tower with cut-stone block-and-start surrounds having chamfered reveals, hood mouldings over supporting voussoirs, and fixed-pane diamond-leaded windows. Trefoil-headed openings to top (bell) stage to tower in bipartite arrangement with cut-stone block-and-start surrounds, colonette mullions, hood mouldings over supporting voussoirs, and louvered panel fittings. Pointed-arch door opening with cut-stone chamfered doorcase, hood moulding over supporting squared limestone and sandstone voussoirs, and tongue-and-groove timber panelled double doors with decorative wrought iron hinges. Full-height interior with carved timber pews, decorative cut-stone wall monuments, quatrefoil-panelled gallery to first floor to west on pillars, pointed-arch chancel arch, and decorative reredos to altar. Set back from road in own grounds with random rubble stone boundary wall to perimeter having pair of cut-stone piers with chamfered corners, moulded capping having gas lamp holders over, and wrought iron double gates with foliate finials.(ii) Graveyard to site with various cut-stone grave markers and mausolea, c.1850 – present.(iii) Remains of detached three-bay single-storey rubble stone single-cell church, c.1250. Now in ruins. Pitched roof now gone with cut-stone bellcote to gable to west. Random rubble stone walls with lime mortar, and replacement cement rendered coping, 2001. Pointed-arch door opening with cut-stone chamfered surround, and fittings now gone. Round-headed window opening to gable with no sill, and fittings now gone. Camber-headed door opening to north with rubble stone voussoirs, and fittings now gone.