Christ Church (Fahan Lower)

Freestanding Church of Ireland church on a roughly cruciform-plan, built c. 1804 and enlarged in 1816 and in 1836, renovated in 1867, with chancel added 1902. Comprises two-bay nave to the west, single-bay shallow chancel to the east, three-bay transept to the north having single-storey sacristy addition to the east elevation, shallow single-bay transept to the south, and having four-stage tower (on square-plan) to the west entrance front having corner pyramidal finials or pinnacles to the corners at parapet level. Pitched natural and artificial slate roofs with projecting cut stone eaves course to nave (brought around tower and west elevation of nave forming stringcourse), raised cut stone verges to gable ends, terracotta ridge cresting to transepts, ashlar chimneystack (ion octagonal-plan) to transept to the north, and with cast-iron rainwater goods. Raised cut stone verge to the east gable end of nave having cut stone gabled features at intervals with incised trefoil motifs, cut stone kneeler stones (sandstone) at eaves level, and with profiled cast-iron gutters supported on moulded sandstone corbels. Stone coping to parapet of tower and stone stringcourses delineating stages. Roughcast rendered walls to tower, nave, and transepts; roughly squared and coursed rubble stone walls to chancel with tooled ashlar block-and-start quoins to corners. Pointed-arched window openings to side elevations of transepts and nave having cut stone block-and-start surrounds, timber Y-tracery, chamfered stone sills, and leaded coloured glass windows. Pointed-arched window opening to the north elevation of transept to the north having chamfered ashlar surround, timber intersecting tracery and leaded coloured glass windows. Triple-light window opening to the east gable end of chancel having ashlar sandstone block-and-start surround, chamfered ashlar sill, curvilinear sandstone tracery, cut stone hoodmoulding, and figurative stained glass windows; paired square-headed window openings to the side elevations of chancel (north and south) having cusped cut stone tracery, ashlar sandstone block-and-start surround, and leaded coloured glass windows. Pointed-arched openings to tower at second and third stage level having timber louvers; clockface (on circular plan) to the east face of tower at fourth stage level. Pointed-arched door opening to south side of tower having ashlar cavetto architraved surround, and flush timber double-doors. Pointed arches doorways to the east elevation of sacristy and transept to the north having replacement timber doors. Interior with coved ceiling supported on bracketed trusses, and wall monument to Rear Admiral Gorge Hart (d. 1812). Set back from road in extensive grounds to the centre of Buncrana. Graveyard to site with collection of mainly nineteenth-century gravemarkers of upstanding, recumbent, and table types, some with railed enclosures. Some commonwealth graves to site. Former school (see 40814043) to the west. Site bounded on road-frontage to the east by rendered boundary wall having rendered coping over, and with sections of decorative cast-iron railings over. Rubble stone boundary wall to the west and north-west boundaries having cut stone coping, and with sections of decorative cast-iron railings over. Rubble stone boundary walls to the north and south site boundaries. Gateway to the east comprising a pair of squared and coursed rubble stone gate piers (on square-plan) having pyramidal coping over, and with a pair of wrought-iron gates with cast-iron fluer-de-lys finials over. Gateway to the north-west of site comprising a pair of rendered gate piers (on square-plan) having pyramidal coping over, and with a pair of wrought-iron gates with cast-iron fluer-de-lys finials over.