Kilkeel Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A simple Gothic church, enlivened by a decorative bell tower with broached spire, on the south side of Newcastle Street. Comprises a six-bay hall church with vestibule and gallery, orientated north-south. A modern hall abuts its south end.

Pitched natural slate roof with cockscomb crested red clay ridges and dressed granite verges. Front (north) gable surmounted by a decorative iron finial on a square block. Gutters are cast iron ogee fixed to painted timber fascia boards with downpipes to match. Front and side walls are quarry-faced ashlar granite with cement strap pointing.

Front gable is almost completely abutted by a single-storey porch. Its walls are as main block with a coped block parapet, to left side of which is first stage of the tower. To each end is a pair of two-stage buttress (one to street, the other at right angles on the side wall). Porch has two Gothic doorways centred on gable of main block, each with a pair of modern three-panel, stained mahogany doors. Right cheek of porch has a small leaded lancet window (with security glazing over).

First stage of tower contains a small Gothic lancet window to front. Its second stage is broached back to an octagon with a Gothic louvred bell vent in each unattached face. A pulvinated, moulded cornice forms the base of a modern copper-clad octagonal spire with decorative iron finial.

In the apex of the front gable (over porch) is a single small louvred lancet, below which are three lancets (storm glazed, middle one taller). The dressings to the openings are as the main wall finish (but with finely dressed sloping cills). At the right corner, to front and side walls, are single two-stage buttresses set at right angles. At ground floor right the main gable wall continues (on other side of buttress) as a screen which is inset with a Gothic arched opening giving access to side and rear of church.

Both side walls have seven simple leaded Gothic windows (with sloping cills) and are demarcated at both ends by a two-stage buttress. There are similar buttresses between openings 1-2, and 4–5–6 (as measured from street). The sixth window has security glazing over.

A large two-storey (1970s) hall abuts the rear gable of church. It has a gabled concrete tiled roof, concrete brick walls, timber windows and no features of special interest.

To front of church, on boundary with street, is a pair of decorative wrought iron gates. Each leaf is hinged to allow it to fold in behind its respective hanging pier. The piers are monolithic granite blocks, square, with sunken Gothic panels and projecting pyramidal caps. Dwarf screen walls to each side are smooth rendered with canted granite coping with a low railing (matching gates) over.

Historical information

Designed by David. C. Salmond, a Cardiff-based engineer cum architect; his drawings are dated February 1894. The foundation stone was laid in July of the same year: copies of the Belfast News Letter of 2 July 1894 and the Newry Reporter of 5 July 1894 were sealed in the foundation stone. The building was completed the following year.

The nave was extended forward by a bay in 1985, the roof reconstructed and the original façade rebuilt. The original timber scissor trusses were replaced with steel. Spire added in 1985.

Primary Sources:
1. Original plans held in church.
2. Copies of original architect’s drawings in EHS archives.

Secondary Sources
1. Letter from Hugh Dixon (HMBB) to Rev David McNie, dated 3 Sept. 1985 in EHS archive.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A typical late-Victorian church in subdued Gothic style, this building is not considered to be of special architectural or historic interest. The small broached tower to front is somewhat out of character with traditional Presbyterian plainness. Major alterations carried out in 1985 relocated the front façade, replaced a significant portion of the interior joinery at the front along with the original roof structure.