Dromore Cathedral
Dromore, County Down
The church was built, destroyed and rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries and was seat to renowned bishops Thomas Percy and Jeremy Taylor in their time.
This church was designed by Henry John Fullerton and built by members of the congregation in the evenings after work from 1885-1887. A split in the congregation regarding whether a new church should be built, or the old one (the ruins of which are situated in the graveyard nearby) should be extended, began a continuing tradition of drift in the church family between here, and Magherally Presbyterian, located 0.25km away in the ‘hollow’ on Kilmacrew Road: the two congregations have remained close ever since. Notable features in St John the Evangelist include its unusual round spire and internal wood panelling, thought to have been designed by Purdy and Millard, Belfast.
Hugh Brunty and Alice McClory, grandparents to novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, married in the older church. Helen Waddell (1889-1965), classical poet, translator and playwright, is buried here, her sister having married into the Martin family of nearby Kilmacrew House. A bible rest dedicated to Ulster travel writer, Richard Hayward (1892-1964) was given by his family in memory of his long friendship with Rector and staunch fellow Orangeman, Michael W Dewar. The church is located on the edge of a wooded, early medieval (6th century) rath / ring fort at the centre of which is the glebe house (listed B1, 1773). The church enjoys a warm and friendly congregation and welcomes longstanding members and newcomers alike.