Upper Cumber Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 5 bay long roughcast rendered hall with gables, natural slated roof and red clay crested roof tiles. Entrance in north west gable centrally placed with decorative plaster architrave (painted )with tall lancet windows on either side with quasi Tudor arch heads. The opposite gable has two similar closer spaced lancets together so as to allow as much light as possible onto the pulput and the minister's lectern. Each of the long walls has five lancets, evenly spaced, four of which, on either side, light the nave.

Each lancet is trimmed with tooled sandstone, now painted, and sandstone cills. Windows are fitted with attractive cast iron patterned glazing bars and coloured glass. Barge stones are sandstone with small gablet at lowest stone. The entrance gable is decorated with plastered flat clasping pilasters with some Tuscan doric detailing. The ogee gutters in PVC and the downpipes square also in PVC. At the pulpit gable a small double pitched roof on return abuts housing the heating boiler. The pulpit gable is smooth rendered.

Siting.

The church is sited close to the Cregg Road with a roughcast rendered and painted boundary wall. Cregg Road is steep rising from the river valley with the church and hall on the west side near the top. The ground slopes from the boundary wall to the front wall of the church. Unfortunately the ground at the north corner is above floor level. Between the boundary wall and the church the surface is covered with round pebbles. Adjoining the church, but seperated from it by a laneway to a farmhouse, is the church hall which is gable end to the road. The hall was designed in sympathy with the church, though of a later date. The laneway to the farmhouse is a picturesque boreen bound by stone and sod ditches planted with thorn on top. Near the entrance gables is a grave with a tall headstone to the memory of Rev & Mrs Gillespie. As the rear hedge is close to the church there are no other graves. Below the church and between it and some derelict car parking is a derelict single storey, slated and hipped stabe building, probably formerly used by the congregation.

Historical information

Built in 1828, date stone on entrance gable. Previous to its building the congregation attended the former T-plan church at Brackfield.

Visited in November 1832 by Lieutenant Edward Viers for the Ordnance Survey Memoirs:' The Presbyterian Meeting House which is in Cregg , is near Claudy and within 200 yards of the Belfast and Derry coach road. It was built in 1830 at an expense of £600, which sum was raised by subscription. It is a plain rectangular building. When pews and galleries are constructed the entire building will accommodate about 500 people. Mr Browne of Cumber House gives the land belonging to it rent free. Before this meeting house was built the Congregation used to resort to Lower Cumber'

The gallery was never built though the disused room at first floor is a standard access to such a construction in buildings of this type.

The building is reported to have been renovated in the 1960's when the historical detailing was faithfully copied.

Reference:

Primary Sources;
Os map Ist Edition Co Londonderry Sheet 22
OS map 2nd Edition Co Londonderry Sheet 22
OS map 1904 Co Londonderry Sheet 22

'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland' Vol28 Parishes Of Co Londonderry IX, West Londonderry. Ed Angeleque Day and Patrick Mc Williams (QUB 1995)

Date stone on gable.

Secondary Sources;

Current Congregation

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A fine, simple,well proportioned, late georgian Presbyterian church, with typical plan of double aisle and sloping floor and with tudoresque window head deatailing, The building is picturesquely situated at the western edge of the settlement of Claudy.