Church (in ruins) — Whitechurch

On the crest of a natural rise in gently undulating terrain, both tillage and pasture in the surrounding fields. The church is positioned close to the road on the N side of a graveyard (TS081-010003-) which may form part of a larger enclosure (TS081-010002-). The church (dims. 18.4m x 8.65m) is aligned E-W and constructed of limestone masonry, roughly coursed. The E gable is in good condition and is fully intact, though ivy clad. The N wall (H 2.2m above int.; H 3m above ext.; Wth c. 1m) is heavily ivy clad, as is the S wall, though a section towards the W end has collapsed. The W wall has completely collapsed, but the wall-footings are visible. In the E gable there are two single-light windows, the heads obscured by ivy, but according to the OS Letters the windows were 'shamrockheaded' which implies a cusped-ogee or trefoil-headed window (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 14). The interior ground level is raised above the exterior. Towards the W end of the N wall there is a broken-out section of masonry (Wth 0.85m), possibly a broken-out narrow single-light window with a crude relieving arch above it. A portion of the S wall near the E gable only survives to c. 0.8m above the interior and there may have been a window at this point. The doorway is likely to have been towards the W end of the S wall, where there is a broken-out gap in the masonry. According to the OS Letters there was a 'rude doorway in the north wall', but this does not correspond to the surviving evidence (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 14). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011