METHODIST CHURCH

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey Methodist Church of 1826, re-fronted in 1888, and greatly extended to the rear in the mid to later 20th century. The building is set in the terrace on the south-western side of High Street, Lurgan.

NE elevation
The front faces NE and is flush with the rest of the terrace. It is symmetrically arranged and finished in rusticated render at ground floor level with lined render over, an eaves cornice and parapet with three plain recessed panels in line with the first floor windows (see below). The ground floor rises from a bevelled plinth and is bounded with unusual raised vermiculated quoins, with v-jointed ‘in-out’ quoins to the upper level and a deep course between the floors with ‘HIGH STREET METHODIST CHURCH’ thereon in raised serif capitals

To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance, a segmental-headed opening with modern partially-glazed timber doors, fanlight with modern coloured glazing, a timber and a lead curving canopy-like hood. This opening has a reveal with barley-twist edging with the whole encased with plain pilasters which support a high-level cornice. Either side of the entrance is a segmental-headed window with plain render surround and vermiculated keystone and late 20th century looking leaded glazing. Decorative galvanised security railings have been fixed to the frame. Between the entrance and the windows small notice boards are affixed to the wall.

To the first floor there are three semi-circular-headed windows, set on a sill course. Each has decorative drip moulding and leaded glazing similar to the ground floor.

NW elevation
The long NW side of the church originally faced into a narrow entry, but this has been infilled by a single-storey corridor extension which stretches practically the whole length of the original building. To the street side this corridor has a plain rendered frontage topped with a balustrade, and a flat-arched doorway with panelled timber door. The far left hand end of NW side of the church proper is a continuation of the frontage and is therefore lined rendered and topped with a parapet as front. This section, which marks the extent of the 1888 addition, has a gabled roof which appears to be slated. Beyond this is the 1826 building, which is slightly lower and has a hipped roof (with slight overhang) which is slated and has a decorative metal vent to the ridge and another square metal projection further along the ridge to the NE. The walls of the original section are plain rendered and to this NE side there are two tall narrow semi-circular windows to the right of centre with leaded glazing as before.

SE elevation
Roughly half of the SE side of the building is abutted by the neighbouring property to this side, but the two windows corresponding to those to the NW can be seen.

SW elevation
The rear side of the building is abutted by later extensions (see below) and only a small area at the top is still visible. This is rendered as before and does not appear to have any openings.

Additions to SW
The additions to the rear (a hall and church offices) are multi-period and extensive, more than doubling the footprint of the 19th century structure. The part two-part, three-storey section close to the original building itself is of c.1957, with the slightly lower foyer section between both added c.1993 at which point this whole ensemble was refurbished. The large double-height hall to the SW of this was added in c.1990. All are of modern appearance.

Historical information

Rev. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, first visited Lurgan in July 1756 and was to return on a further six occasions in the course of the next 29 years. By 1770 his adherents were holding regular meetings in Isaac Bullick’s house (‘The Rookery’), which stood on the site of the present no.20 High Street. In June 1778 these meetings transferred to a dedicated chapel, opened by Wesley himself in Nettleton’s Court, off Queen Street, a small single-storey thatched building that survived in a much modified form until 1973. By 1802 the congregation had outgrown this building and a new larger one was built off High Street, on a site behind that of the present church.

By 1825 this had been outgrown also and the current church was constructed facing on to High Street. This new structure, reputedly built at a cost of £700, is described in the OS Memoirs of October 1837 as a ‘neat stone building 40 feet long and 36 feet broad’, repaired in 1835 and capable of accommodating ‘500 persons’, though strangely, the near contemporary valuation states that it measured 41 x 55 (x 22 in height). It was set back from the line of the terrace, the valuation town plans of c.1836 and c.1864 showing a forecourt, which is shown enclosed by a low wall or railings on the latter.

In 1887-88 this space was filled in when the present front block was added, and the existing section renovated, all to designs by J.J. Phillips of Belfast. The ‘Belfast News-Letter’, reporting on the reopening of the church in August 1888, states that had ‘undergone a thorough overhauling, and in its repaired and renovated condition may be regarded as one of the most handsomely-finished and appropriately-equipped edifices in connection with the Methodist body in the North of Ireland. The entire church has been re-seated, a substantial new gallery has been erected, and there is a new staircase leading to the gallery. An ornamental wooden ceiling of very graceful design has also been provided, and there is, further, a new pulpit and reading-desk. Pitch pine has been used throughout in the repair of the building, and all the woodwork has been freshly varnished. The gas-fittings are all new, and an ingenious heating apparatus has been provided both in the upper and Iower part of the building.’

At the rear of the building there have been significant changes over the years. A separate T-shaped structure is shown here on the c.1836 valuation plan. This may have been the former chapel of 1802, however on this particular document it is captioned ‘Old Presbyterian’. This may simply be an error (the valuer mistaking the denomination), but whatever the case, the building itself not recorded in the valuation book. By 1864 a larger structure is shown, which, judging from the plot lines hand-drawn on to this plan, appears to have belonged to the neighbouring property to the north-west. The tall two to three-storey section attached to the rear of the church was added c.1957 and is shown on the town plan of 1963-64. The separate mid-19th century structure to rear is shown on site on updated plans up until at least 1975. Its site is now occupied by the large church hall, which was added to the rear of the c.1957 extension around 1990.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL1B/223A-B, 1836
2 PRONI VAL1D/2/11, c.1836
3 OS Memoirs, October 1837
4 PRONI OS/8/39/1,1856
5 PRONI VAL2B/2/20C, c.1861-62
6 PRONI VAL12B/14/8B, E, H, L, 1864-94
7 ‘Belfast News-Letter’, 13 August 1888
8 PRONI VAL12/14/9C, E, H, K, 1894-1930
9 OS town plans of Lurgan, 1906, 1963-64, 1975, 1963-64, 1975

Secondary sources
1 Malcomson, T.J., “Isaac Bullick and the rise of Methodism in Lurgan” in ‘Review – Journal of Craigavon Historical Society’, vol.2 no.3, (1974)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A good example of a 19th Century, two-storey Methodist Church dating from c.1826, re-fronted in 1888. Set in the terrace on the south-western side of High Street, Lurgan, the church was extensively remodelled by architect J.J Phillips, in late 19th century. The church has an intact ,late 19th century, finely detailed interior; consisting of communion area with elaborately detailed, raised pulpit, a 3-sided gallery with decorative, carved balustrade and ornatley carved, panelled ceiling. Fronting onto the main street, in the centre of the town, the church retains its neo-classical, main façade and the setting is enhanced by its presence. Extended extensively to the rear c. 1990, the rear wall of the church is no longer visible. Despite these alterations, the building retains its character and has social interest as a functioning Methodist church.