Former Presbyterian Meeting House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Late-Victorian former Presbyterian Hall rendered with stuccoed front and slate roof. T-shaped plan form with a large extension to the North-west side and ground floor projection to the South-west and North-east sides; built in 1895 to designs by unknown architect as the church hall to Dunluce Presbyterian Church [HB03/05/007]. Situated on a rectangular site with a car parking to the South-west side. Located to the West side of the Priestland Road just outside the Village of Bushmills. The hall became disused in c. 2004 and since has been replaced with a new building on the same side of the road as the Church.

Walling is of rough-cast render with smooth painted render finish to the principal South-east elevation; slated pitched roof has black clay roll-top ridge tiles and a small rendered chimney stack to the South-west gable. The church is set behind a low concrete boundary wall to the South-east side with the main entrance accessed directly from the Priestland Road via a set of painted decorative iron gates with a concrete pillar to either side. NE, SE and SW elevations have round headed metal casement windows with metal glazing bars; timber casements to SW side and timber sliding sash window to NW side. uPVC rainwater goods throughout.

The principal elevation faces South-east, two-storeyed projecting gable-end, three-bays wide, ground floor central bay with an original round headed entry doorway containing a pair of vertically sheeted timber doors, y-tracery window above has two vertical lights with metal glazing bars, plain carved roundel at apex has a wall mounted light fitting, tall narrow round headed metal casement windows on either side have moulded surrounds. SE elevations to either side of gable-end have rounded headed metal casement windows with moulded surrounds, left side has a square headed doorway with a rendered painted surround, doorway contains a vertically sheeted painted timber door accessed via a ramp with a galvanised metal handrail, right side has an single storey outshot containing a square headed doorway with a rendered painted surround and a vertically sheeted painted timber door, painted corner quoins to either side of gable-end.

South-west side elevation overlooks a disused car park access just off the Priestland Road. Projecting two-storey gable-end has a projecting flat roof outshot with two square headed rectangular windows above to ground floor level and three tall rectangular square headed timber casement windows on first floor level, round-headed louvred opening at gable apex with a squat rendered chimney stack above, painted corner quoins to gable-end. Right side (main hall) has two tall narrow round headed metal casement windows with metal glazing bars and moulded surrounds (RHS window is partially concealed with timber ply), all on a painted plinth. Left side projection has a deep projecting slated part mansard roof, blank walling has rendered finish.

North-west rear elevation (where seen to right side), blank walling has rendered finish, remaining elevation not visible due to over-growth.

North-east elevation overlooks the Dunluce Manse to the North. Projecting two-storeyed gable-end has a projecting flat roof outshot containing a panted timber 1/1 sliding sash window, round-headed louvred opening above at gable apex and painted corner quoins to either side of main elevation. Left side projection has two tall narrow round headed metal casement windows with metal glazing bars and moulded surrounds, all on a painted plinth.

Setting:
Set behind a low concrete boundary wall with an extensive car park to the South-west side accessed directly from the Priestland Road/ The former Hall is located to the West side of the Priestland Road, South of the Dunluce Manse and on the opposite side of the road to the Dunluce Presbyterian Church, situated just outside the Village of Bushmills with the River Bush to the West.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
Walling Render
Windows Metal casements & Timber casements
RWG UPVC

Historical information

The Presbyterian Hall on Priestland Road, a late-Victorian T-shaped building located in the townland of Glebe, was constructed in 1895 as the church hall to Dunluce Presbyterian Church (HB03/05/007). Kirkpatrick states that the congregation of Dunluce Presbyterian was first formed in the late 1740s by a minority group, formerly of Billy congregation (Bushmills Church) who refused to move to a new site on the east site of the Bush River and instead constructed the first meeting house in the townland of Mill Walk (Kirkpatrick, p. 325). The Ordnance Survey Memoirs (1835) recorded that Presbyterianism was the prominent denomination in the area. The 1834 census noted that there were 2,322 Presbyterians in the Parish compared to 532 Episcopalians, 571 other Dissenters and 179 Roman Catholics (OSM, pp 109-111).

The first Presbyterian Meeting House in Mill Walk had been erected in c. 1750, however the current church was constructed between 1845 and 1846 to designs by Charles Lanyon. In the mid-19th century Griffith’s Valuation (1859) set the value of Dunluce Presbyterian Church at £22 (exempt from taxation), at which it remained throughout the Annual Revisions (1859-1929). In 1860 the church’s gallery, which was designed to hold 230 people, was added to the building. Further additions to the meeting house included the construction of a two-storey manse in 1875 and the complete interior refurbishment of the building in 1892. The church hall, located in the townland of Glebe, was constructed contemporary to the interior renovation of Dunluce Presbyterian Church. Mullin states that the trustees decided to construct a church hall with the remaining funds. The first church hall was built on the site in 1893, but this was destroyed by a storm in 1894. The hall was subsequently rebuilt and was officially opened in 1895 (Mullin). The Annual Revisions initially described the building as a ‘mission hall’ and set its value at £10. The church hall was first recorded on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1904) which depicted the building along its current T-shaped layout and captioned the structure as ‘Dunluce Lecture Hall.’

Dunluce Presbyterian Church was listed in 1977. Dunluce Presbyterian Church’s former church and lecture hall continued to be utilised by the congregation until c. 2004. The late-Victorian church hall in the townland of Glebe was abandoned in that year when construction commenced on the current modern hall, located to the south-east side of the church. Increasing traffic along the Priestland Road had raised safety concerns for children crossing the road to attend Sunday school at the original church hall. Dunluce Presbyterian Church continues to be utilised as a place of worship and in 2006 possessed a total membership of 220 families (Mullin; Kirkpatrick, p. 325).

References
Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/7/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/7/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/7/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1922)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/34A – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
6. VAL/12/B/6/2A-E – Annual Revisions (1859-1895)
7. VAL/12/B/4/21A-B – Annual revisions (1896-1921)
8. VAL/12/B/4/13A – Annual Revisions (1923-1929)
9. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Antrim, No. V Vol. 16, (1835)
10. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1837)
11. First Survey Record – HB03/05/007 (1972)

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Antrim’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996.
2. Girvan, W., ‘North Antrim: Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in North Antrim including towns of Portrush, Ballymoney and Bushmills’ Belfast, Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.
3. Mullin, J. E., ‘A history of Dunluce Presbyterian Church’ Bushmills: Dunluce Presbyterian Church Bushmills. 1995.
4. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006.
5. Walker, S., ‘Historic Ulster Churches’ Belfast, The Institute of Irish Studies, 2000.
Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects website - http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Late-Victorian former Presbyterian Hall, rendered with stuccoed front and slate roof. T-shaped plan form with a large extension to the North-west side and ground floor projection to the South-west and North-east sides; built in 1895 to designs by unknown architect as the church hall to the Dunluce Presbyterian Church [HB03/05/007]. Generally a well-portioned building, the exterior exhibits a consistency of architectural detailing and sufficient massing articulation. This former church hall remains a significant building once important within the community of Dunluce and Bushmills today is certainly not too decrepit to be regarded as special. Situated on an rectangular site with a car parking to the South-west side. Located to the West side of the Priestland Road just outside the Village of Bushmills. The hall became disused in c. 2004 and since has been replaced with a new building on the same side of the road as the Church