Gardenmore Presbyterian Church,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A gabled stone church in Gothic Revival style laid out on a cruciform plan comprising a nave and chancel with transepts and a battlemented entrance tower.

Main entrance in base of tower, faces south. South-facing elevation comprises three-bay nave with three-stage tower projecting forward to right and gabled transept projecting forward to left, with side of chancel set back behind. Roof of Cumberland green slates in diminishing courses; decorative ridge tiles; roofs contained by gable copings. Moulded cast iron gutters with square section cast iron downpipes, all painted green; one downpipe to each extremity of nave wall, one to left hand extremity of chancel wall. Walls of rock faced blackstone rubble with reticulated pointing; buff sandstone dressings.

Doorway in base of tower: Gothic arched, dressed in sandstone, recessed with chamfered edges; moulded drip moulding; some smooth cement rendered repairs to voussoirs; double doors, Gothic arched, original ledged oak stained and varnished, with large ornamentally treated scrolling wrought iron hinges, handles and escutcheon; four concrete steps up to doorway; original bronze handrails attached to door surround, returning tight to wall face following line of angle buttresses of tower. Modern tubular steel handrail added to right hand extremity of steps, on later additional step. Angle buttresses rise in three weathered stages through two levels of tower, linked at first floor level and belfry level by moulded string courses across front face of tower. One window in first floor of tower, Gothic lancet with drip moulding; storm proof glazing over original leaded lights; above it just below next string course level, a modern rectangular lamp. In belfry storey a tall lancet opening with drip mould, containing timber louvres. Dressings of belfry opening; quoins to extremities with one simplified gargoyle spout in stone angled to each side at top; weatherings to tops of flanking buttresses; string course to top and bottom of belfry stage; and crenellations to parapet, all in grey coloured reconstituted stone. ‘East’ face of tower at ground level has single lancet window, dressed as nave windows, storm glazed; plinth and string courses at first floor level; wall of first floor blank with string course above; belfry storey as on entrance front. Nave has two tall, narrow paired lancets in each bay between tall weathered two-stage buttresses; windows dressed in sandstone with chamfered reveals, flush with main wall; sandstone weathering to plinth. Cast iron gutter on angle fronted stone corbels; rectangular section cast iron downpipe to each extremity of nave.

To left, ‘west’ face of transept blank, guttering and corbel course as to nave.

To left, gable of transept has two-stage weathered angle buttresses to extremities. Arcaded four-light window, dressed as previous to nave, to lower part of wall, with large Gothic arched four-light traceried window above, drip moulding over arch.

To left side wall of chancel, blank stonework as previous, with plinth at base; roof of chancel green slates as previous, moulded cast iron gutters on angled stone eaves course, rectangular section cast iron downpipe discharging into square concrete surround to drain (similar to previous downpipes).

‘East’ elevation: gable of chancel contains central Gothic arched three-light traceried window detailed similar to transept gable; to each side two-stage weathered buttresses, with similar buttress to right hand side of gable and small rectangular window to left hand side of gable, timber fixed light with bottom hung toplight, all glazed with tinted leaded work of lozenge shapes. Circular cast iron downpipes to each side of window. To right hand extremity of chancel gable a short length of wall with stone eaves course and cast iron gutter to hipped return of swept down main chancel roof.

To left hand extremity of chancel gable, gabled single-storey vestry projects forward, similar walling and roof to church; quoins to extremities of vestry gable; rectangular window, two-light, timber fixed with two bottom hung top vents glazed as previous rectangular window; chimney above in apex of gable. Rectangular section cast iron downpipe from cast iron gutter on stone eaves course to short south wall of vestry.

Projecting from base of vestry gable, short low basalt wall with sandstone coping returning across face, enclosing concrete steps to basement; rectangular timber ledged door to basement, stone dressed, with small rectangular timber louvred window to left; modern iron gate of curvilinear design, appropriate enough, fixed across top of steps.

Behind chancel gable, the blank gable of the main nave, of higher ridge height, with ‘east’ walls of the transepts extending to each side; roofs as main nave, moulded cast iron gutter on stone corbel course, rectangular section cast iron downpipe near each extremity; angle buttress to right hand extremity.

North-facing side of vestry is a blank wall to right with gabled projection to left, forming back porch, contains rectangular timber window, fixed light with bottom hung top vent glazed as other vestry window; moulded cast iron guttering and rectangular section cast iron downpipe.

North-facing elevation of church: three-bay nave wall as previous, with two-storey gabled projection to left containing stairway to gallery, and gabled transept projecting to right. Gallery stairwell gable has two-stage angle buttresses to extremities; single Gothic lancet window, as previous, to ground floor; three light rectangular sandstone mullioned window to first floor, rectangular Tudor Revival style drip moulding over window, storm glazing over original leading. ‘East’ face of gallery stair projection blank, with moulded cast iron gutter on stone corbel course; transept gable to right similar to previous transept but three tracery-light roundels not storm glazed. ‘West’ face of transept blank, with gutter and corbel course as previous.

To right of transept gable, ‘west’ side of back porch, contains rectangular doorway with double doors timber ledged, herringbone pattern, with original iron handles. Moulded cast iron gutter on stone eaves course with rectangular section cast iron downpipe to right of doorway; three concrete steps up to doorway, original, running between gable of transept and low plinth wall of sandstone-coped basalt; doorstep into porch of grey granite.

‘West’ elevation comprises two-storey gable of nave with three-stage tower to left and a two-storey bay to the right, all basalt as previous with sandstone dressings; sandstone weathering to plinth of uniform height across all three elements of facade. Nave gable has five arcaded lancets to the lower storey, all storm glazed over original leaded lights; five-light arcaded window raking up to the central light, storm glazed as previous, in the upper storey, with moulded string course running level with bottom of cills; in apex of gable, a blind sandstone ocular panel containing a quatrefoil motif; semi-circular drip moulding. To right hand extremity of gable a projecting buttress of four stages; terminating at top with chamfer edged coping. To right, two-storey front of gallery stair projection, with Gothic arched doorway with moulded drip moulding, containing Gothic arched double doors, ledged oak, varnished, with elaborate decorative wrought iron hinges, and original iron handles and escutcheon. Granite doorstep. Two rows of modern concrete pavoirs in front of doors. Above, a three-light rectangular window with sandstone mullions but no drip moulding, storm proof glazing over original leading; roof slated as previous, moulded cast iron gutter on stone corbels, rectangular section cast iron downpipe to right; two-stage angled buttress to extremity of wall.

To left hand extremity of main nave gable, wall disappears behind three-stage angle buttress of tower, with matching buttress to other extremity of tower. Ground floor of tower has a pair of lancets, as previous; first floor has sandstone string course with single lancet above, with drip moulding; belfry storey has string course with tall louvered lancet above it; quoins to extremities of belfry storey with stone angle spouts below crenellated parapet as previous.

Boundary to south is of basalt rubble, reticulated pointing, with moulded sandstone coping; piers from right to left as follows: square section basalt pier to extreme right hand corner, dressed in sandstone with Gothic panelled sandstone gablets; abutting it a later square pier in concrete block, lower height with concrete capstone with companion to left, both hung with new iron gates of rectilinear design; original boundary walling to left; followed by a pair of original Gothic style stone piers as previous, but surmounted by original iron lamp standards of quaint design, incorporating translucent glass panels; double gates, original, wrought iron with curvilinear details; give pedestrian access up four concrete steps to tarmac pathway. Beyond long run of original boundary walling, to left, a pair of original Gothic panelled stone piers as previous with a single pedestrian gate, original wrought iron of similar design to previous. To left of that, a run of original boundary walling with moulded coping, terminating in a single Gothic panelled pier. To left of that a run of basalt rubble walling with rough cut basalt rocks as copings, broken in the centre by a pair of later rectangular section piers cement rendered, lined and blocked, with concrete capstones; hung with a pair of modern iron gates of rectilinear design giving vehicular access to tarmac carpark.

Boundary to the west is partly wire fence on concrete posts, and partly modern dry dashed walling. Boundary to the north visually formed by modern dry dashed two-storey church hall. Boundary to the east at front is formed by a hedge.

Setting: the church stands on an elevated site overlooking a main road within the built-up area of the town. There are grassed areas across the entrance front divided by tarmac paths. There is a tarmac driveway to the east which continues around the rear returning to a tarmac carpark lying to the west. The church site is flanked by an Edwardian library to the west and a two-storey detached house to the east, with a detached modern church hall stretched behind the church.

Historical information

Built 1913-15; foundation stone laid 7th October 1913; opened 3rd July 1915; architects, Hobart and Heron of Belfast; builder, J. Ferris of Larne; tower left unfinished in 1915 eventually completed in 1966 and fitted with the bell from the previous church.

References - Primary

1. Belfast News-Letter, 5 July 1915, p 7.
2. Larne Weekly Telegraph, 10 July 1915.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

This is an early 20th century church in Gothic Revival style which exhibits the plan form, proportions, spatial organisation and structural forms that are characteristic of the style, and retains all its original features both inside and out. Designed by a firm of architects prominent at the time, it is a building of some local interest and social importance, but is also of wider interest in that its cruciform plan is unusual in a Presbyterian church.