Mountjoy Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached double-height Presbyterian Church, built c.1870, located to the east side of Castletown Road. Church consists of rectangular nave with modern extension at east containing minister’s room; gabled porch to west.

Roofs are pitched natural slate with blue/black clay ridge tiles; stone verges; plain acroter to west gable apex. Replacement ogee uPVC rainwater goods throughout supported on corbel table. Walls are roughly coursed squared-and-snecked rubble stone with droved finish sandstone quoins over splayed plinth. Lancet windows with leaded lattice glazing with stained glass margin lights, within stepped droved finish sandstone surrounds with splayed sandstone cills (unless otherwise stated).

Principal gable faces west and is abutted at centre by gabled porch; exposed section contains window at each side; central tripartite gothic window, (outer windows diminished in height); all surmounted by stepped stone bell-cote with single gothic opening containing bell and stone off
setting surmounted by plain acroter to apex. Porch is detailed as nave with diagonal buttresses with offsetting; and stone finial to apex; gable elevation contains central gothic double-leaf timber sheeted entrance door within rebated sandstone surround; accessed by single stone step with plain cast-iron flat handrail. Left cheek contains single window; right cheek contains gothic double-leaf timber sheeted entrance door within smooth rendered stepped surround; accessed by concrete steps and ramp with steel handrail.

North elevation contains six windows.

East gable is abutted to centre by single-storey-over-basement extension containing minister’s room, (basement exposed). Exposed section contains stained glass window at each side.

Minister’s room is constructed in similar style as nave with modern finishes including cement roof tiles, plastered quoins, window and door surrounds; windows are gothic timber double glazed casements. North elevation contains ground floor access at right accessed by six masonry steps and modern steel handrail; two windows at left. Basement contains two square-headed timber sheeted doors at left; window at right.

East elevation contains six windows.

Setting

Rural setting with graveyard to north and south; car parking along road edge to west. Bounded to Castletown Road by rubble walling, accessed through entrance consisting of square coursed rubble pillars supporting replacement steel gates. Pedestrian access from north through entrance consisting of square rendered pillars with pyramidal caps supporting original cast-iron gate.

Roof Natural slate
Walling stone
Windows leaded lattice with stained glass margin lights
RWG uPVC

Historical information

The church is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1905-6, captioned ‘Presbyterian Church’.

A ‘meeting house’ is shown on the 1833 map to the north of the site and is listed in Griffith’s Valuation. Mountjoy Presbyterian Church does not appear either in Griffith's Valuation or the Valuation Revisions.

Rowan describes the church as a ‘crisp little Victorian church…probably built after 1862, when the Rev. John Gilmour became minister’. (1979, pg 429/30).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/25/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/25/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/25/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/28 - Griffith's Valuation (1856-64)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/32A-33G –Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached double-height Presbyterian Church, built 1870. The single-cell church is simply and robustly detailed with traditional characteristics including diagonal buttresses and bell-cote to west gable. A much refurbished interior compromises its overall character but it remains a building of interest in architectural and historic terms and a good example of the type prevalent in the district.