Derramore Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A small neo-gothic hall church four bay long with porch in entrance gable facing road. Bays are defined by pronounced smooth rendered buttresses with steeply weathered tops reaching ¾ up the walls with two at each quoin. The porch is treated similarly. Pitched gabled roofs, natural Bangor blue slates with painted barge stones. Walls rendered with white roughcast and smooth plinth matching buttresses and defining floor level. Each bay has a pair of pointed windows trimmed with narrow band of smooth render. Gutters supported on minimalist corbels and the gable apexes crowned with a tiny orb. A small side return forms the minister’s room.

The church is close to the road and elevated above it and to one side of it separated by a smooth rendered low wall there is the graveyard. Behind is a lecture hall.

Historical information

Derramore or Bolea as originally named started as a united charge with Myroe and the first minister was Mr David Lynch ordained in 1825 and who had been licensed by Glasgow Presbytery on last day of December 1822. Mr Lynch farmed at Drumalief. The first church was sited on the other side of the road where the car park now is and was described as a plain rectangular building 60 feet by 24. The present church was built when Dr Orr was minister and opened on 19 July 1896 and shortly afterwards the manse (HB02/11/027) was rebuilt and a school, lecture hall and stables provided. The old covenanting church in Derrybeg was sold in 1882 and bought by the Caskie family and recreated as a farm building in their yard at Broad Road. The present church was originally heated by two stoves under each aisle, the warm air rising up through floor grills. After replacement electric heating proved inadequate a new heating system was installed in the church in 1988.

References
J E Mullin, The Presbytery of Limavady 1989
Ordnance Survey Memoirs Vol. 11

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A simple unpretentious neo-gothic edifice with characteristic straightforward interior..