Craigy Hill Presbyterian Church, Churchill Road,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A gabled church of rectangular plan with glazed links to a tall reinforced concrete open bell tower at the entrance front and a small annex to the rear.

Main entrance faces north. Walls rendered in wet dash with crushed stones; roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, gabled to church, hipped to annex; porches flat roofed with asphalt covering and copper fascias. Front porch on north side of church timber framed with glazed long sides; front doors of mahogany, later replacements, inappropriate. End doors through belfry walls oak panelled and glazed with tubular chromium handles, all original. Belfry entirely of reinforced concrete, roughcast to outer surfaces, smooth untreated finish to inner faces. Iron steps ascend one inner face of belfy, through two intermediate landings, with iron railings to top level. Long walls of church have square clerestorey windows, mainly fixed lights of plate glass except for three with top-hung opening vent lights, all with thick plastic frames replacing thin metal frames of original, c.1989. Expansion joints to long walls. Cast iron rainwater goods. To east end of north side is a rectangular projecting bay, with swept roof and deep concrete window framing in an irregular rectilinear pattern.

East gable blank; west gable recessed between projecting end walls and oversailing eaves: timber fascia and sheeted soffits replaced 1989 after fire damage, to original style. Large mullioned window with staggered transoms rebuilt in hardwood to pattern of original softwood window, but cill height raised from ground, and surrounding walling re-rendered with larger aggregate. Rear porch as front but smaller, with store room added behind finished in untreated render; annex with large replacement windows in plastic frames. Security grilles in timber frames affixed to lower windows throughout.

The church stands on an elevated site at the head of an inclined green within a post-war housing estate. Lawns and large tarmac area within curtilege. Site bounded by concrete post and wire fencing with two gateways of rectilinear ironwork set in plain concrete brick piers; noticeboard of ply panel in rectilinear ironwork framing; concrete paving with rectilinear ironwork handrails.

Historical information

Built 1960-61 to designs of Houston and Beaumont, architects of Belfast; builder H. Girvan and Sons. Foundation stone laid 28 May 1960; officially opened 11 March 1961. West gable damaged by malicious fire which destroyed adjacent church hall in 1989.

References - Primary

1. Framed photograph of newly opened church in minister’s room in 1997.
2. Belfast News-Letter’, 13 March 1961, p 7.
3. ‘Church Building in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1950-1962’, p 25.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A mid-20th century church in a modern style with characteristic features and details of the period but with some original elements now altered or replaced.