The remains of the old church at Ballykelly, County Derry, a building which suffered from successive assaults – it is known to have been badly damaged in both the 1640s and the 1690s – but continued to be used for religious services until 1795 when a new church was built not far away. Internally its most significant remaining feature is the sandstone semicircular arch presumably added in 1719 when the church was extended by the addition of a chancel. More peculiarly in 1848 the south wall of the church was taken down to accommodate one end of a large neo-classical mausoleum dedicated to the Cather family, with its oversized anthemion acroteria at each corner. Unfortunately this monument’s poor condition suggests it could soon go the same way as the adjacent ruined church.
I just love each and every one of the posts.
Thank you, too kind…
How splendidly eccentric, the subject mausoleum.
Love your caption “Accommodating the Dead” for the Ballykelly Mausoleum. I am presently photographing and recording the Mausoleums of Ireland,to quote the late Dr. Maurice Craig :Mausoleums were built by the few to separate them from the many!
Thank you, and what a fascinating project – will you eventually produce a book of Irish mausolea?
Hopefully I will have the photographs and research completed by the end of 2017 and a publication sometime in 2018.
I look forward to it…