Portrush Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A free-standing Gothic-Revival style basalt Presbyterian Church fronted by a two-stage square tower with pierced stone spire, built 1843 to designs by John Williamson and situated to the west side of Main Street in Portrush town centre. Cruciform-plan with north and south aisles, chancel (later) to west and abutted to rear by church hall.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles, raised sandstone verges and corner sandstone pinnacles to façade. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on projecting stone eaves. Walling is squared basalt built to courses with sandstone ashlar plinth, quoins and dressings; cement rendered to rear; tower has offset string-course dividing stages. Windows are a variety of replacement leaded lattice casements and leaded-and-stained glass lancets in chamfered sandstone surrounds with chamfered sills (unless otherwise stated).

The principal elevation faces east and is fronted by a two-stage square tower with tall leaded lancets to either side. Tower has stone broach spire with lucarnes and corner pinnacles; second stage has louvered oculus over slender rectangular opening to east face and multi-paned timber-framed sash lancet with hood mould to north and south face. Ground floor has tall leaded lancet window to north and south face, opens to east with a replacement double-leaf timber-sheeted door having leaded lights and pointed-headed leaded transom light, accessed via a single stone step. Three centred arched doorway in moulded sandstone reveal surmounted by hood mould, stone voussoirs and inset carved sandstone quatrefoil plaque. Tower accessed to three sides by four stone steps with modern handrails.

The south elevation has two windows to right; projecting south aisle is flush with the south transept; gable has tall lancet to gallery and replacement panelled-and-glazed timber door at right. South elevation has camber-headed lattice window to gallery and ground floor left; double-leaf timber-sheeted door with leaded lights in sandstone surround to right. Gabled south transept has three windows to gallery and ground floor; two windows to west cheek.

Original west gable is flush with the transepts; now abutted by chancel (lower). Chancel has tripartite staged lancet window; north elevation has three lancet windows to gallery level and is abutted to a flat-roof single-storey link block to hall with two leaded lattice rectangular windows. Single-storey extension is abutted to west by a single-storey hipped roof hall, accessed to east corner by a timber-sheeted door with two glass panels and brass door handle.

The west (rear) elevation is abutted by the chancel (lower) with tripartite staged window.

The north elevation mirrors the south with the exception of replacement panelled-and-glazed door accessed via ramp to far left.

Setting:

Situated to the west side of Main Street in the town centre on a shared site with associated Manse (HB03/10/025B). To south is a much altered four-storey Victorian terrace, separated by an alleyway. Bounded at road to east and manse to north by a staged smooth rendered wall topped by cast-iron railings; to centre are two tall square piers with pointed caps supporting original cast-iron gates. Lawned and shrubbed garden to front with stone steps to tarmacadamed concourse. Two-storey church hall in similar style as the church to west; connected to the church via a modern extension and the hipped roof single-storey hall; church hall is street-fronted onto Mark Street with car-park to south. Rendered wall enclosing car-park to south is topped by an ornate cast-iron lamp standard (lantern missing).

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Squared basalt with sandstone dressings
Windows: Replacement leaded lancets and leaded-and-stained glass lancets
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Portrush Presbyterian Church was built in 1843-4 to designs by John Williamson, a builder-architect who was also a member of the congregation. The church was enlarged in 1861 and again in the 1920s. (Brett; Irish Builder)

Portrush became a congregation in 1841 following some years of seasonal services as the town began to grow into a popular bathing destination. (History of Congregations) The foundation stone of the church was laid on 23rd June 1842 and in reporting the event the Belfast Newsletter extolled the virtues of the site that had been chosen which ‘commands one of the finest prospects in the world…Besides affording a fine view of the town and harbour…from it is seen not only the boundless ocean but on the south the Skerries, the White-rocks and the Headlands at the Giant’s Causeway, present a scene of unrivalled beauty…The site was chosen by Thomas Davison Esq, the kind agent of the Earl of Antrim and has been granted to the infant congregation with the usual liberality of that exalted family.’ The building was to be 70 feet by 40 with a tower in the Gothic style. A sealed bottle with the name of the Founder on parchment and coins of the realm was placed below the foundation as was customary. (Belfast Newsletter)
The construction of the church was dogged by difficulties due to lack of funds and work had ground to a standstill by December of 1842. The minister Jonathan Simpson spent a year in America where he collected £1,150 allowing the church to be completed in 1844. (History of Congregations)

The church is a very early example of the use of Gothic architecture by Presbyterians at a time when the majority of their houses of worship made use of the neo-classical idiom. One of the few Presbyterian Gothic churches of an earlier date is that at Crumlin which dates from 1839 and is by John Millar. (Walker)

The church is first shown on the second edition OS map of 1853 as a simple hall church with tower. The church is listed in Griffith’s Valuation of 1856-64 as a Presbyterian Meeting House and National School House. Measurements are given for the meeting house of 60x40x22 and for a single-storey national school of 40x22x10, indicating that both buildings were relatively simple structures at this stage. The valuation was £40, but no further alterations are made until 1906 when the national school received a minor addition and the valuation was increased to £58. An extension incorporating transepts was added to the rear following the 1859 revival and is first shown on the third edition of 1906. By the fourth edition of 1921-31, side aisles and a chancel have been added, an enlargement that was designed by Albert Clarke, the town surveyor and executed in 1922-4. The sum of £6,000 was raised for the work which included the provision of seating accommodation for 900, about 300 more than could be housed in the existing church. The plans showed new side aisles, a chancel with seating in the choir and a chamber for a pipe organ. (Irish Builder; McDonald and Anderson)

The school house which had been built on the plot in the 1850s was replaced by a schoolhouse and lecture hall to designs by Young and Mackenzie in 1881, again using funds raised by Rev Simpson in America. The school was extended in 1906 and again c1960. (Belfast Newsletter; History of Congregations; Irish Builder)

In the 1930s valuation records show that the school house contained three classrooms and had single-storey and two-storey extensions to the rear together with steps down to the basement. The church had central heating and electric light and was able to accommodate 1,290 people when the congregation expanded during the summer season. In 1942 two concrete air raid shelters (standard type B) were erected in the school yard behind the church (now gone). The building was listed in 1977 an re-roofed in 1989. Interior alterations to the foyer to provide toilets were carried out in the mid 1990s and a new memorial window was installed. (HB file)
Today, membership stands at around 300 families but the church also caters to many summer visitors and students attending the University of Ulster. (Kirkpatrick) Girvan notes that the ‘dressed stone spire with pinnacles and gablets is of great visual importance and is a feature of the skyline from many directions’. (Girvan)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/2/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/1/2/2 Second Edition OS map 1853
3. PRONI OS/6/1/2/3 Third Edition OS Map 1906
4. PRONI OS/6/1/2/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1921-31
5. PRONI OS/6/1/2/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1946-50
6. PRONI OS/8/42/1-2 – Town Plans of Portrush (1895-6)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/30B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
8. PRONI VAL/12/A/1/120 – Valuer’s notes (1906)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/6/2A-E – Annual Revisions (1859-1895)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22A-D Annual Revisions (1895-1930)
11. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/30 First General Revaluation 1933-57
12. PRONI VAL/3/D/1/15/A/33 First General Revaluation 1933-57
13. HB File – 03/010/026
14. Belfast Newsletter 28th June 1842
15. Belfast Newsletter 12th February 1855
16. Irish Builder, Vol 64, 26th August 1922, p585

Secondary Sources

1. “A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982” authorised by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, 1982 (available at www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com)
2. Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of County Antrim” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996
3. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in North Antrim including the towns of Portrush, Ballymoney and Bushmills” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1975
4. Kirkpatrick, L “Presbyterians in Ireland” Booklink, 2006
5. Walker, S “Historic Ulster Churches” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 2000

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

A free-standing Gothic-Revival style basalt Presbyterian Church fronted by two-stage square tower with pierced stone spire; built 1843 to designs by John Williamson and situated to the west side of Main Street in Portrush town centre. Alterations and refurbishments include a variety of twentieth-century windows and doors and cement rendering to north transept and west elevation, detracting from the original character. The main façade however, is largely intact and the view of the church from Main Street is largely unspoiled. Some good quality stonework throughout and there is group value with the neighbouring manse (HB03/10/025B) which is similarly well preserved. The church is an early example of Gothic style in Presbyterian church architecture. Prominently sited at the southern end of Main Street, the Presbyterian Church and Manse mark the entrance to the central commercial area of the town. It is of significant social importance and local interest to the surrounding community.

General comments

HB03/10/026 is a Dummy record, it has now been renumbered as HB03/10/025A.
Listing Criteria R - Age; and S - Authenticity also apply.