Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A simple hall church built of basalt walls, pitched natural slated roof , three bays long with round headed windows widely spaced. It has a bell tower which pops up through the roof at the entrance gable. The church measures approximately 23 metres by 11½ externally. The entrance gable consists of central entrance door which is also the centre of the bell tower which has tall shouldered buttresses. On either side is a round headed window trimmed with painted sandstone after the Gibbsian fashion but the sandstone is flush with the random rubble basalt walls. The three stage square tower pierces the roof ridge with a tall belfry punctuated on four sides with slender round headed openings, trimmed again with white painted sandstone as are the quoin stones.The tower is crowned with crenellations and four pinnacles. The four corners of the church are likewise decorated with painted quoin stones. Plain simple moulded sandstone barge stones (fortunately not painted) trim the roof ends. Gutters and downpipes are cast iron. Each large round headed window is divided into eight panes.

Beyond the church is a single storey ministers room which forms a link with the Magilligan Lecture Hall behind of 1923 and a former school of pre 1911. The building is sited close to the Seacoast Road with graveyard on three sides and on the road side a low boundary wall and cast iron railing. There are two sets of gates. Along the side of the graveyard there is a row of mature trees separating it from a laneway.

Historical information

A first church was established on this site in Magilligan in 1803 and it “measures 52 feet by 25 feet with 5 windows on one side and one in the end. There was a door at the side and one at the end. There were 34 pews”. The church being in very bad repair a new church was erected, foundation stone laid in 1863 by Sir F W Heygate and the architect was Samuel Kilpatrick of Coleraine and the builder Richard Gaily of L’Derry. The new building enclosed the old so that it could be used until the new was completed. The church cost £600. It is said the church had a “graceful belfry”. In 1934 a tower containing bell was built donated by Miss Cather in memory of Rev. H Butler. During its construction the ceiling fell and it was replaced by a pitch pine ceiling.

Memorials: Marble slab to the Hamilton sisters who gave £300 for ground maintenance
Marble slab erected by Sir Frederick Heygate in memory of his land steward Gavin Craig who came from Maybole
Scotland. His great grandson was later moderator of the General Assembly in 1980.
Brass plaque 1914 1919 war memorial.

References: The Presbytery of Limavady by J E Mullin
Ordnance Survey Memoirs Vol 11
Lewis Topographical Dictionary Vol. II

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A sturdy mid 19th century simple hall church with later bell tower.