Bellville Presbyterian Church, 130 Derrytrasna Road, Derryadd, Craigavon, Co Armagh, BT66 6QF

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Freestanding single-storey polychromatic brick Presbyterian church and former schoolhouse built 1862 (architect unknown) located on the south side of the B2 Lurgan to Bannfoot road, approximately six miles from Lurgan in the rural townland of Derrytagh North. Built to an L-plan to combine church and hall, with the church hall to the north and the church behind to the south.

Pitched replacement natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles, kneelered stone gable to east and west elevations, replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Walling is generally dark brick laid in Flemish bond on granite and yellow brick plinth; yellow brick quoin detailing; yellow brick platbands integral to fenestration. Pointed-arch window openings with yellow brick surrounds and splayed reveals and cills, containing mixture of original timber and replacement uPVC windows.

Principal elevation faces east. Main volume of church is a five-bay structure; four pairs of pointed-arch windows with yellow brick surrounds and granite cills containing four-over-four timber sliding sash windows. Pointed-arch door opening to northernmost bay with splayed yellow brick surround containing eight-panelled replacement timber door under transom. Door leads out on to platform of concrete paving slabs and four steps of red brick capped with concrete paving slabs flanked to the north by modern cast-iron handrail. Single window opening immediately to the north of door opening. To the north of the main volume is a two-bay projecting gable with additional yellow brick platband to gable under a small granite pointed arch blind niche, and with 2 pointed arch window openings with fixed uPVC 'four over four' pattern windows with mid rail. To the south of the main volume is a single-storey vestibule with pointed-arch door opening with timber-sheeted door and single window to the right side of the door with four-over-four timber sliding sash window.

South elevation comprises two gables; that of the main volume and the vestibule. The gable end of the main volume is smooth render with two window openings with plain reveals and chamfered cills either side of the vestibule, with 'four-over-four' pattern replacement uPVC fixed windows with mid rail as east elevation. South elevation of vestibule has rendered bargeboards and no openings.

West elevation of main volume has four pairs of pointed-arch windows as (principal) east eleavtion, also timber sliding sash. West elevation of vestibule has a single window opening with a four-over-four timber sliding sash window. West elevation of former schoolhouse has projecting pitched roof porch with single-storey concrete lean-to to the south with square-headed door opening with timber-sheeted door. The porch has a shouldered arch door opening with masonry and yellow brick surround and splayed reveals on masonry step with timber-sheeted door under masonry tablet (no evidence of a previous inscription). An OS surveyor’s benchmark is carved on the masonry wall plinth at the north-west corner.

North elevation has three pairs of pointed-arch window openings with original four-over-four sliding sash timber windows.

The former schoolhouse is bounded by a concrete drainage channel.

To the south-east is a burial ground containing a mixture of 20th and 21st century headstones, and a number of mounds indicating unmarked graves accessed via wrought-iron gates.

The site is bounded by masonry wall with vehicular entrance flanked by two roughcast rendered piers with masonry capping.

Roof: Replacement natural slate
RWG: uPVC
Walling: Brick / painted render
Windows: Timber / uPVC / single-glazed / double-glazed

Historical information

Bellville Presbyterian Church is situated on the south side of the B2 Lurgan to Bannfoot road, approximately six miles from Lurgan, north of Lough Gullion. The church is situated in an area known as the Montiaghs in the townland of Derrytagh North. Montiaghs is the Anglicisation of the Gaeilic, meaning boglands and in early Presbyterian records the church was referred to as the Montiaghs church.

The building first appears on the Third Edition OSNI map (1905-1909) along with what was a compact two-storey, gable-ended stuccoed manse which was located to the south-east of the church. The manse was demolished at some time after 2009, so that the land could be sold to finance roof repairs to the church.

The building of Bellville church and manse commenced in 1862, likely as a direct result of the 1859 Ulster Revival. Its construction was privately funded by two members of First Lurgan Presbyterian Church, the Bell brothers. The church opened for public worship in June 1863.

By 1871 the church hall was in use a Bellville National School which comprised one classroom.

Today the former schoolhouse is again in use a church hall. Bellville Presbyterian Church has a congregation of 17 (February 2020) and the grounds are maintained voluntarily.

Earlier photographs and drawings show the south elevation of the vestibule with a brick chimneystack and a slightly projecting gable over eave. It is likely that this feature was lost during the programme of roof repairs carried out some time after 2009.

References:
Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/2/2/3 Ordnance Survey County Series Third Edition OSNI map (1905-1909)

Secondary Sources:
1. Cassells, B., 2013, The Light Still Shines; A History of Bellville Presbyterian Church
2. Kevin V. Mulligan, 2013, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster

Online sources:
1. https://www.localprayers.com/GB/Lurgan/550045331748704/Bellville-Presbyterian-Church
2. https://www.dia.ie/works/view/61251
3. http://www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com/2012/11/the-light-still-shines-bellville-presbyterian-church/
4. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Index-school-collections-PRONI.pdf
5.https://www.sinton-family-trees.uk/church-photos/view.php?pid=192
6.https://www.facebook.com/BellvillePC/

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

R. Age
S. Authenticity
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Built in 1862, Bellville Presbyterian Church is a brick Presbyterian church, located in a rural setting, just south of the southern shore of Lough Neagh in an area called the Montaighs, approximately 9Km NW of Lurgan. Its construction was privately funded by two members of First Lurgan Presbyterian Church, the Bell brothers, from which the church took its name. The associated former Manse was located to the SE side of the church but was demolished after 2009. The church has an attached gable-fronted former schoolhouse on its N side, now used as a church hall. Externally Bellville Church is distinctive for its decorative polychromatic brickwork and its pointed arched window and door heads, however some windows have been replaced with uPVC and less original historic fabric and detailing remains internally. The church itself is testament to a period of religious change in Ulster during which an estimated 100,000 people converted, the 1859 Ulster Revival. The church and former schoolhouse are of social and local interest.

General comments

Listing Query ref: HB14/LQ035