The Buildings
Religious Buildings
Saint Anne's Church Shandon
Contact Details
| Address | Church Street, Shandon, Cork. |
| Telephone | 021 4505906 |
| Opening Hours | 11.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. |
St. Anne’s Shandon is a landmark building situated on a hill on the north side of the city centre. This Anglican Church has been a place of worship for over 280 years and is one of the oldest Churches in continuous use in the city of Cork. Dating from 1722 St. Anne’s was originally built as a chapel of ease for the older parish church of St. Mary Shandon. This Norman Church was destroyed during the siege of Cork in 1690 and was rebuilt in Lower Shandon away from its original site.
The imposing tower is faced in cut-limestone on its south and west faces (those visible from the old walled city) and in red sandstone rubble on the north and east faces. The original tower was raised in height in 1750 to accommodate the new bells which were cast in Gloucester by Abel Rudhall. The Bells of Shandon first rang out across the city for the wedding of Mr. Henry Harding and Miss Catherine Dorgan on the 7th December in 1752.
The clock on the tower was made by John Mangan in 1847 and installed by Cork Corporation the same year. It is known as the four faced liar because the minute hands on the east and west faces always go ahead of their companions facing north and south. The inscription on the workings of the clock is as follows “Passenger measure your time, for time is the measure of your being”.
The interior of the church has a number of interesting features including the barley sugar twist communion rail dating from the early 18th century and a Victorian timber barrel-vaulted ceiling. The christening font predates the present church and contains a pewter bowl with wide flanges. There are also many memorials to families associated with St. Anne’s in the past. At the back of the church there is an early 18th century panelled balcony sitting on four carved timber ionic columns.
In 2001, following the closure of St. Luke’s Church and the centralization of parish activities on this site, the Select Vestry commissioned a development strategy for the church including the conservation of its important internal and external features. Work on the building began in 2003 and is ongoing.
