Ballycastle Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey Presbyterian Church built in 1827, but extended c.1850, with present vaguely Tudoresque sandstone front gable and accompanying Celtic Revival style three-stage round tower added in 1896, and a large modern style extension to the rear of 1996. The church is set within relatively spacious grounds on the south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre, with a former school house (now the church hall) of 1886 to the immediate west and a graveyard beyond this. To the east of the church is a relatively narrow lawn, with a much larger lawn, with central pathway, to north. There are several mature trees to N also.

The building has an irregular plan with the original section to the S set on an E-W axis, the c.1850 addition extending N from this, the present front gable and round tower of 1896 to the N of this addition, and to the S end the very large hall extension of 1996.

The front gable of the church faces N and is constructed in rock-faced coursed sandstone with dressed sandstone to the openings. To the centre of the ground floor of the gable is the main entrance. This consists of a recessed Tudor-arched doorway with splayed dressed sandstone reveal and dripstone moulding over. The doorway is flanked by short reducing buttresses and between these (and above the doorway) there spans a moulded ‘gable’ feature, with leaf-like decoration thereon.

To the left of the doorway there is a narrow pointed arch window with stained glass. There is an identical window to the right of the doorway. Directly above the doorway is a large pointed arch window with Perpendicular-like timber tracery and leaded lattice panes. This window has dripstone moulding over and above this, close to the gable apex, are two small, narrow, pointed arch recesses. To the left hand (E) edge of the gable there is a full-height diagonal reducing buttress topped with a gable-ilke finial. The apex of the main gable itself is topped with a finial also.

To the right (W) of the gable, on the NW corner of the building. There is a tall three-storey round tower, topped with a steep, copper-clad conical roof with weathervane. The tower is akin to the Celtic Revival style round towers favoured by many local churches in the late Victorian / Edwardian era, however its design lacks something of the deliberate ‘rusticity’ of most examples, does not have a batter, and the copper-cladding to the roof is not typical. The tower is finished in the same rock-faced sandstone as the gable, with moulded ‘string course’ bands delineating each stage, Small slit windows follow the line of the (internal) stair. The windows to the first stage have pointed arch heads, with flat arch heads to those to the second stage. To the third stage there is a large pointed arch opening to the four compass points, each with timber (double lancet) tracery and louvers.

The E elevation of the church consists of a large modern hall section to the far left, (which is of little architectural interest as it was constructed in 1996 and has a plain functional appearance), a large projecting gable to the right of this (the gable of the original 1820s church), with the c.1850 addition to the right again. The gable is finished in dry dash, with a smooth render base course and moulded ‘in-out’ quoins. To the centre of the gable is a relatively large pointed arch window with timber double lancet tracery and stained glass. Close to the apex of the gable there is a small narrow pointed arch recess. To the short S face of this gabled projection there is a narrower pointed arch window with stained glass, but without the tracery. This face is finished in painted lined render. The short N face of the projection is finished in a similar fashion and has a similar window with moulded dripstone over. The E face of the c.1850 addition is finished in the same manner and has two similar windows, however one of these windows has plain leaded lattice panes. To far right there is a much smaller pointed arch window, with stained glass.

The W elevation largely repeats the E elevation in mirrored fashion, however both the gable and the W face of the c.1850 addition are finished in dry dash and the window to the gable has slightly more complex tracery, and a plain smooth render surround. A (relatively recently added) dry dash rendered wall, with archway, spans between this side of the church and the hall to the W.

The gabled roof is slated and has an overhang with plain bargeboards. Decorative ridge tiles. The rainwater goods are cast-iron, with PVC-u versions to the modern section to S.

The church grounds are enclosed from the street to the N with a low rendered wall with decorative late Victorian railings. The grounds are entered via a gateway with square pyramidal-capped rendered pillars and gates of similar design as the railings.

Historical information

The original rear portion of this church is recorded in the OS Memoirs of July 1831, the memoir writer stating that it was built in 1827. Confusingly, in a later addition to this memoir, written either in 1833 or 1835, the church (‘a very plain building’) is said to have been built in 1831! This later date appears unlikely, as the original writer (who was of course writing in 1831) makes no reference to the church being either in the course of construction or newly constructed. The ‘official’ church history by Rev. A.W. Godfrey Brown -written in 1981- states that moves to form a Presbyterian congregation in Ballycastle were begun in 1826, with the church erected in 1827-28.

The building is shown on the OS map of 1832 as a plain rectangular structure, set on an east-west axis. Godfrey Brown says that this original structure had a door to the east and west ends, thirty pews “fitted with gates” and a double pew in each corner. The valuation of 1835 makes reference to a ‘session house’ of 25ft x 16 x 6½, which is believed to have been separate from the main building.

On the OS map of 1856 the large addition to the north is shown, with the dimensions listed in the valuation of two years later as 11yrds x 6 x 2(storeys) with a ‘return’ (i.e. the original section) of 17 x 12 x 2, and the (detached) session house of 8 x 5 x 1. It is unclear when the northern section was added, however, the valuers grade it ‘1A’, suggesting it was relatively recent at that point, possibly less than ten years old.

Unfortunately the later valuations make no mention of the addition of the round tower and the remodelling of the front gable (the valuers were never particularly interested in churches as they were exempt from rating), however Godfrey Brown says that this work was carried out in 1896.

The church witnessed various changes to internal detailing in the course of the 20th century. In the mid 1900s a small hall was built to the rear and the old session room renovated and extended to link to this new section. In 1996 this section was destroyed in a fire, and the present, larger extension built in its place.

[*Note on primary sources- Though Ballycastle has its full compliment of valuation books dating back to 1834, the earliest extant valuation plan of the town (indeed the earliest large scale plan) is that dating from 1898. This means that though the first and second valuations -of 1834 and 1859 respectively- present the usual detailed accounts of properties throughout the town, bereft of their contemporary plans it is almost impossible to discover exactly which buildings the valuers are referring. The writer has circumvented this problem however by adopting the somewhat involving method of reading the records backwards- i.e. taking the more recent (mid 20th century) valuations and tracing each building back from these, using the 1898 map as a marker along the way.]

References- Primary sources
1 OS Memoirs, Parish of Ramoan, (1831-39), reprinted in ‘Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland…’ ed Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams and Noirin Dobson (Belfast, QUB, 1994), p.92 etc
2 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1832)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish (1834)
4 Lewis, Samuel, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
6 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1856)
7 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish (1859)
8 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1862-64)
9 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1865-76)
10 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1876-84)
11 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3d Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1884-93)
12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3e Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1892/3-98)
13 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3f Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1898-1907)
14 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plans of Ballycastle (1898-c.1935)
15 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905
16 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3g Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1908-21)
17 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27)
18 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30)
19 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30)
20 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
21 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
22 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57
23 PRONI VAL/4B/1/12 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD (1956-72)

Secondary sources
1 Brett, C.E.B., ‘Historic Buildings…The Glens of Antrim’ (Belfast, 1971), p.47
2 Godfrey Brown, Rev. A.W., ‘Ballycastle Presbyterian Church- A Visitor’s Guide’ (2nd ed., Ballycastle, 1981)

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/15/001 First Survey report (10 October 1972)
2 EHS HB05/15/001 First survey photograph (?1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Two-storey Presbyterian Church built in 1827, and extended c.1850, with present sandstone vaguely Tudoresque front gable and accompanying Celtic Revival style three-stage round tower added in 1896, and a large modern style extension to the rear of 1996. A good example of an 'evolved' Presbyterian church, whose form clearly reflects the journey made by many such buildings in the course of the 19th century from simple 'barn' structures to somewhat more ornate medieval / gothic edifices.