Newtownstewart Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A Gothic Revival Presbyterian church, dated 1909, built to designs by Robert Young, located on the south side of Moyle Road. T-plan, facing north; double-height gabled transepts to east and west, three-stage tower with broach spire to northeast, single-storey vestry over concealed basement to south gable.

Pitched natural slate roofs, blue/black clay angled roof tiles, rendered chimneystack to south gable, ogee-profile aluminium gutters. Walling is snecked rock-faced sandstone over splayed plinth. Diagonal buttresses at corners with off
setting. Windows are pointed arch-headed bipartite stained glass lancets with stop-ended hoodmoulds, dressed and splayed sandstone surrounds with flush sills.
Principal (north) gable has buttress at right end and tower at right. Bipartite triangular-headed Perpendicular-traceried stained glass casements under single stop-ended ogee-hoodmould surmounting four-centred-arch-headed timber vertically sheeted double-leaf door, moulded sandstone surround with both hood and label-ended labelmoulds with central fleur-de-lis, indented spandrels, accessed by a concrete eight-step half-octagonal perron. Door flanked to either side by single window.

Tower east elevation has diagonal buttresses rising to third stage, first stage has single lancet window, second stage is blank with moulded stringcourse between second and third stage raised in centre to sill-level of third stage pointed arch-headed Decorated-traceried open belfry window, moulded cornice with cut-stone broach spire and metal windmill finial. South elevation detailed as east but without first stage window. North elevation detailed as south but with single window at first stage and date plaque embossed “1909” below belfry window.

East elevation is abutted to left end by transept. Exposed section has three round-headed stained glass casements, dressed sandstone surrounds and flush sills, roughcast walling. Transept detailed as east elevation but with rendered quoins, diminished roughcast buttresses to corners, tripartite four-centre-arch-headed lattice-glazed stained glass casements (those flanking are diminished), dressed sandstone surrounds with flush splayed sills, apex has loop.

South gable is abutted by vestry; exposed section is detailed as transept with round-headed oculus to centre flanked by a diminished transept window.

Vestry has hipped slated roof and is detailed as transept, four-centre-arch-headed lattice-glazed casement windows, splayed sandstone surrounds with sill; principal (south) elevation ground floor has two windows, basement level has square-headed painted timber vertically sheeted door to centre flanked by two windows; right cheek ground floor has square-headed door with modern concrete ramp to right end and single window to centre; left cheek detailed as right but without door, single diminished window to left end and basement level is blank.

West elevation is detailed as east elevation.

The church is situated in a modern concrete brick-paved court, set back from the Moyle Road to north by set of double iron gates with decorative iron gate posts and matching railings set on set on rendered stone wall; to east is an enclosed tarmac parking lot, to south is parkland, to west is a painted rendered boundary wall with parkland beyond. A substantial wide three-bay two-storey Victorian Presbytery (41 Moyle Road) is to west, set with mature trees and modern outbuildings and extensions. An enclosed modern polished marble Conflicts Memorial obelisk is to the north of the church on the opposite side of the Moyle Road.

Roof: Pitched natural slate roofs, blue/black clay angled roof tiles,
Walling: Snecked rock-faced sandstone over splayed plinth.
Windows: Pointed arch-headed bipartite stained glass lancets with stop-ended hoodmoulds, dressed and splayed sandstone surrounds with flush sills.
RWG: Ogee-profile aluminium gutters.

Historical information

The church is dated 1909 and does not appear until the fourth edition OS map.

The Presbyterian Historical Society website provides information on the congregational history of Newtownstewart, noting a Presbyterian community there as far back as 1654. The present church was built under the ministry of Rev.David Morton, who was ordained in 1890, remaining as minister until his death in 1950: "It was largely Mr Morton's work to have the new church built in c.1910. This meeting house was an example of late Gothic with some local features. Sandstone from the Dungannon quarries was mainly used, but the spire is of selected Ballycullen stone from Scrabo, Newtownards."

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/17/1 – Ordnance Survey Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/6/17/2 – Ordnance Survey Map 1854
3. PRONI OS/6/6/17/3 – Ordnance Survey Map 1905
4. PRONI OS/6/6/17/4 - Ordnance Survey Map 1936

Secondary Sources

1. Presbyterian Historical Society, accessed at http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com/ (22/05/09)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A Gothic Revival Presbyterian church, dated 1909 and built to designs of important local architect Robert Young. The church is characterised by plain detailing, and is well proportioned. It represents the early twentieth century growth and development of the Presbyterian community in the Newtownstewart area and remains a prominent local landmark.