Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 3 bay wide gabled front in Gothic style with 3 bay deep hall meeting house set behind a decorative railing and gates on a low boundary wall.

The gabled entrance front has a central pointed doorway with moulded hood having decorative stops and two orders. On either sidethere are tall two light pointed windows with tracery and moulded hood with plain block stops. At the gable corners diagonal shouldered buttresses are carried up above the gutter line to form gabled pinnacles and the bases of these are joined across the gable with a decorative string course which wraps round the pinnacles. Above the string course and centred on the gable a group of 3 small lancets unified by an ogee shaped hood moulding. On either side there is a panelled pilaster with flat pedestal and these pierce the crenellated barge to form octagonal pointed pinnacles surmounted by small spheres. The crenellations between the corner and centre pinnacle are vertical with ridge tops while between the centre pinnacles they change to pierced arcading. The gable wall is finished in rusticated cast coursed blocks while the mouldings are in smooth rendering. The base of the wall has a plinth.

The side walls are 5 bays deep with round headed windows with plain painted sandstone architraves in short and long work. Windows are fitted with coloured glass. A projecting string course forms the plinth. A smooth plaster band makes a frieze at the top of the walls and under the minimal overhang with half round gutter. Walls are smooth rendered and painted. Gutters round. Roof pitched with natural slates. The rear gable is plain and across it there is a flat roofed single storey structure with single square headed door on each side.

The building is set back about 3 metres from the footpath of New Street.There is a neat low coping wall with good cast iron railing on top having panelled gate piers and gates to match. On either side of the long walls there are small strips of lawn. It is a tight site with buildings to side and rear though on the north there is a small river with good tree cover.

Historical information

The present Presbyterian church in New Street is an amalgamation of 1st and 2nd Dungiven. First Dungiven was established in 1835, a small congregation at first, on a site liberally granted by Robert Ogilby. During the building a gable was blown down in a storm just before the ordination of the first minister, the Reverend William McHinch. The church was 4 bays long. In 1849 the 1st and 2nd congregation amalgated. The church was renovated in 1864 and again in 1887 when the interior was gutted and old fashioned high pews were replaced.Also the plaster ceiling was replaced with wood. An end gallery was added to seat 100 and a minister’s room added to the rear of the church. A heating system was installed with underground stoves causing warm air to rise through ornamental grilles in the passageways. William Barker was architect and James Wray of Limavady the builder.

In 1909 the church was enlarged and a new vestibule added costing £720, the architect being Samuel McCartney. Builder R Colhoun of Derry. In 1971 a new suite of rooms were added to the rear of the church and a new heating and lighting system installed. A new heating system was installed in 1923 and a committee room added. The church suffered bomb damage in 1972 which badly damaged the stained glass on either side of the pulpit. This had been installed as a war memorial of W.W.I. Fortunately the same design had been used in the Portstewart church and the windows reinstated as before. The other decorative glass windows in the nave were installed at this time. Recently the church has been redecorated and the main façade cleaned as there was much lime staining from the joints.

The front boundary wall and railings and gates were probably carried out in 1887. The railings and gates in cast iron were supplied by Brown of Derry.

The 1st Survey of 11/9/70 states “A rectangular church with rendered side walls containing 5 semi-circular headed windows in long and short work surrounds. Glazing is by means of square and lozenge frames and coloured glass. The crenellated and pinnacled façade has been refaced in stucco with rock faced art stone in regular courses above a recticulated base. The entrance recessed in a moulded 2 centre arched opening is flanked by 2 light stained and coloured glass leaded light windows in openings similar to the entrance.
Church records: Refronted in 1909. Enlarged in 1971”.

References

Primary Sources
1. Griffith Valuation, Union of Newtown Limavady 1858 Parish of Dungiven
2. O.S map Dungiven 1859 Val. map 60” to incl. Val 2D/5/12

Secondary Sources
1. Mullan The Presbytery of Limavady p93 – 103
2. Bunn Dungiven Days 1978 p36 and 37.
3. Thompson & Young Presbyterianism in Dungiven 1835-1856 p. 56 ill. p. 57

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

With its eclectic front and rusticated ersatz building blocks this building is the only one of any note in New Street. It has an intimate interior with a successful internal vestibule extension of 1909. The exterior is typical of dissenting meeting houses. The interior has good joinery detail of the early 20th cent. Its relatively recent date and the extent of alteration and new building precludes listing.