Trinity Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height stone Gothic Presbyterian church, built 1856 (date plaque), enlarged 1901, restored 1969, refurbished c.1990, located on the east of James Street, south of John Street and north of Fairmount Road. Cruciform on plan, facing north; diminished canted projecting bay to north, lower transepts to east and west, single storey porch to south gable.

Pitched natural slate roof, roll-top blue/black clay ridge tiles, moulded stone verge coping, ogee metal gutters on chamfered stone corbels. Walling is square and snecked basalt over splayed plinth; buttresses are diagonal with off
setting surmounted by octagonal pinnacles with terracotta cusped finials (except where otherwise stated). Windows are gothic stained glass casements with splayed sandstone surrounds; apexes have quatrefoil with scalloped timber louvres. Doors are gothic painted timber vertically sheeted with wrought-iron strap hinges, stained glass tympanum.

Principal (north) gable is abutted by porch to centre. Exposed section has two lancets to centre; porch flanked by single window to each side. Porch has hipped roof with slightly projecting gabled entrance bay with double-leaf door flanked by diagonal buttresses, cheeks each have buttress without pinnacles and single central lancet. Exposed section is blank.

East elevation is abutted to left end by transept. Exposed section is four windows wide. Transept gable has buttresses and single central timber tracery stained glass window with splayed sandstone surround and stop-ended hoodmould; apex has tapered pinnacle. Cheeks are blank.

Rear (south) gable is abutted to centre by projecting bay. Exposed section has buttresses and single window to each end. Projecting bay has hipped roof; single doors to right cheek and left canted elevation, lancets elsewhere.

West elevation is detailed as east elevation.

The church is situated in a tarmac parking lot on an elevated site at a road junction enclosed by cast-iron railings and gates to west, steel railings over roughcast plinth to rear, roughcast boundary wall to east. Access to undercroft via external stair to left of projecting bay.

Roof: Natural slate roof
Walling: Basalt
Windows: Stained glass
Rainwater Goods: Metal

Historical information

A date plaque inside the church dates it to 1856. The church is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1905-6, and is captioned ‘Presbyterian Meeting House’.

Griffith’s Valuation of 1858 records the Church under exemptions as the ‘Wesleyan Methodist Chapel & Yard’ and the building is valued at £33.

McCandless and McElhinney’s history of the church claims the previous church was built in 1754, and was rebuilt in 1856 as it was becoming dilapidated. The first church on site was built in 1752 is likely to have resembled the simple T-plan original First Presbyterian (now relocated to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, Co. Down.) (McCandless, pg 22).

The architect of the 1856 church is Mr. Foreman (from Londonderry) and it is‘...the oldest Church on its existing site in Omagh’. It was the well known Sir Henry Cooke who opened the church. (McCandless, pg 5 & 22). In detailing, this church closely resembles the neighbouring Omagh Methodist Church (HB11/11/006), built the following year to designs by one of its congregation but with plans and detailing provided by the contractor Mr. William Mullan, who because of the similarities may have had a hand in this church.

Extensive church repairs were undertaken in 1969. A new manse was completed in 1973 and the church bell was installed in 1974. (McCandless, pg 12).

A major extension in 1901 saw the removal of the gallery, the addition of two transepts, a new entrance porch at the front and a minister’s room and two new entrance doors at the rear. The church building is little changed from that time. (McCandless, pg 5)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/35/1-First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/35/2-Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/35/3-Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)
4. PRONI VAL/1/D/6/6 -Town Plan of Omagh (1824-1844)
5. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/17 -Town Plan of Omagh (1849-1869)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/6/36 -Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/37-Valuation Revisions (1903-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/186/1/5 -Town Plan of Omagh (1882-1909)
9. PRONI VAL/12/F/7/7/1- Valuation Revisions (1930-35)

Secondary Sources

1. McCandless, John & McElhinney, Claire. The People of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Omagh 1754-2004. Trinity Presbyterian Church: 2004.
2. Johnston, Norman and Preston, Desmond. Methodism in Omagh. A short history 1767-1982. Omagh, 1982.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A double-height stone Gothic Presbyterian church, built 1856 with additions built 1901. Part of an interesting collection of churches of four different denomination’s including Sacred Heart RC Church ( HB11/11/001A), Omagh Methodist (HB11/11/006), and St. Columba’s Church of Ireland (HB11/13/002). The church forms a distinct group with its church hall (HB11/11/007B) and sexton’s house (HB11/11/007C). The original structure of 1856 is similar in detailing, and was the inspiration for, the neighbouring Omagh Methodist Church, built the following year. The church is finely proportioned and detailed with a well preserved interior, displaying fine stonework and craftsmanship. Although not the earliest congregation, having been formed after the congregation broke away from First Presbyterian (HB11/13/011), the church building is the oldest ecclesiastical structure in the town centre of Omagh.

General comments

This record has been renumbered as part of a group - previously HB11/11/007