Ballywillan Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A free-standing rock-faced blackstone Presbyterian church in the Gothic-Revival style, built 1889 and located to the east side of Atlantic Road south of Portrush. Rectangular plan with transepts to ecclesiastical north and south, three-stage square tower to southwest corner and series of modern extensions to ecclesiastical east.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and cross finials to gable; raised stone verges with Gothic kneelers having cusped gablets. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting sandstone eaves. Walling is uncoursed rock-faced blackstone with sandstone dressings and angled buttresses rising to sandstone offsets; string course to apex of gable and above first stage of tower. Windows are a variety of leaded-and-stained glass lancets, generally dating from the twentieth century, (two are original); all with sandstone surrounds and chamfered sills; hood moulds to windows of transepts and tower.

West principal gable with adjoining tower. Gable has three staged lancets and slender blind opening at apex. Tower comprises buttresses rising to corner Gothic pinnacles flanking crenellated parapet. Third stage has mock machicolations above paired cusped louvered openings to belfry. Second stage has lancet at each face. To ground floor is a lancet to north face; modern tripartite window insertion to former entrance at west in original surround comprising staged moulded archivolt with hood mould and semi-engaged colonettes having round capitals at impost level.

The north elevation has three lancets divided by buttresses; at left is the north transept lit by paired tall lancets to gable.

The east gable has a round-headed replacement leaded-and-stained glass window with hood mould and is abutted by modern gabled extensions at left and right (see later).

The south elevation is detailed as the north, with entrance to left having modern slated porte-cochere over replacement double-leaf timber doors in chamfered ashlar sandstone reveal. Modern brick pavior to entrance door.

Setting:

Situated in rural surroundings, set back from the road and accessed via a long tarmacadamed avenue leading to carpark at south of building. Site is enclosed by hedge and mature trees with roughcast rendered walls, having concrete coping, to north and south. Accessed to east from Maclevennon Road via modern partially roughcast rendered entrance walls with square piers and concrete coping. The church has a variety of modern single-storey extensions to rear, including a large gabled hall, all with artificial slate roofs, roughcast rendered or pebbledash walls and uPVC windows. Polygonal extension to north has modern leaded and stained glass windows.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Uncoursed rock-faced blackstone
Windows: Generally replacement leaded and stained glass casements, some original
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The first Presbyterian congregation in the parish of Ballywillin was formed in the late-17th century; the current church is the third meeting house to have been constructed in the area. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs note that the original 17th century meeting house was replaced in 1828 by a ‘rectangular building 54 feet long by 30 feet broad ... two-storeys in height ... lighted by eight windows on each side with an entrance door in each gable.’ This second church on the current site was built at a cost of £600, predominantly raised by subscription, and could accommodate 450 parishioners; the 1831 census noted that within the parish of Ballywillin there were 554 Presbyterians out of a total population of 897. The memoir writer also noted that the design was by a Mr. Angus Cameron of Ballymoney although no further information concerning this architect is known (Ordnance Survey memoirs, p. 35; p. 45; Dictionary of Irish Architects). Ballywillin Presbyterian Church appears on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in 1830 where it was depicted as an oblong building within the townland of Ballymaclevennon West, simply captioned ‘Meeting House.’ The contemporary Townland Valuation of the area valued the meeting house at £10 12s.

There was no alteration to the layout of the site by the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map in c. 1860 and only a slight increase in the value of the site to £10 15s. by Griffith’s Valuation in 1856. There was no further change to the site until 1891 when the value of the church was greatly increased to £48 15s. as a result of the replacement of the late-Georgian meeting house with the current church which was erected in 1889. The latter editions of the Ordnance Survey maps record that the new church occupied the same site as the previous edifice, although the building possessed much larger dimensions than its predecessor; there was no further change to the value of Ballywillin Church by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930.

The congregation at Ballywillin was original formed after the dismissal of the Rev. Gabriel Cornwall from the local parish church at Crossreagh Crossroads in 1661; Cornwall established the first Presbyterian meeting house in Ballymaclevennon West and ministered to the local congregation until his death in 1691 (Kirkpatrick, p. 184).

Girvan states that in 1887 plans for a replacement to the Georgian church constructed in 1828, a Gothic style building presented by W. J. Given, were rejected. The preferred design of Ballywillin Presbyterian Church was presented by William J. Anderson who also preferred a Gothic approach carried out in basalt and sandstone; Anderson was a civil engineer and architect who was active in Coleraine during the 1880s and 1890s whilst the builder contracted to carry out his design was a Mr. James Kennedy (Dictionary of Irish Architects). The foundation stone of the new church was laid by William Young J. P. in August 1888 and was opened on 14th July 1889. Later additions to the building include the addition of the church hall in 1934 at a cost of over £1,700 and the installation of the current pipe organ in 1959 in memory of local parishioners, a Mr and Mrs Hutchinson (Girvan, p. 39; Ballywillin Presbyterian Church website).

Ballywillin Presbyterian Church was listed in 1977 and since that time has continued to be utilised as the primary place of worship for Presbyterians in the area. In 2003 extensive restoration work was carried out on the church during which the roof of the tower was replaced, the masonry repointed, and the interior of the church redecorated and repaired. Kirkpatrick states that membership of Ballywillin Presbyterian Church has more than tripled in size over the past 50 years and currently stands at around 475 families (Kirkpatrick, pp 184-85).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/3/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/3/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map c. 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/5/3/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/3/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1922-32
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/541B – Townland Valuations c. 1830
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/5/3 – Townland Valuations Map c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/15B – Griffith’s Valuation 1856
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1862-1864
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1865-1880
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1881-1889
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1890-1898
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1911-1929
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22D – Annual Revisions 1925-1930
15. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Londonderry, Vol. 33 No. XII (1835)
16. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1837)
17. First Survey Record – HB03/07/006 (1973)
18. First Survey Image – HB03/07/006 (1973)

Secondary Sources

1. Girvan, W. D., ‘Historic Building in North Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.
2. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006.
Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - www.dia.ie
2. Ballywillin Presbyterian Church website - http://www.ballywillanpci.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Free-standing rock-faced blackstone Presbyterian church in the Gothic-Revival style, built 1889 and located to the east side of Atlantic Road south of Portrush. Altered and refurbished in the mid-twentieth century to include modern glazing, large porte cochere and modern extensions to east. Despite this, the church remains an important example of late-Victorian ecclesiastical building in the area, adding to the architectural character of Portrush and its surroundings. The church is also of significant social importance and local interest to the surrounding community.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; and S - Authenticity also apply.