Reformed Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid 19thC symmetrical Neo-Classical church in set in a churchyard on N side of Hawthorn’s Lane, a lane that runs between Castle Street and Dromore Street.

Pitched natural slate roof aligned N-S, with concrete skew to N end. Modern cement rendered chimney rises from S end of right (E) pitch and has a modern flue on top. Half-round metal rainwater goods.

Front wall is lined cement rendered and painted with stepped stucco quoins and a low chamfered base course. This elevation has a pedimented gable, framed by a moulded cornice and is three bays wide. The central bay is inset and has a semi circular head which rises into the pediment. Its jambs have stepped painted stucco quoins, and its semi circular head has an advanced keyblock.

To centre of the central bay is a round headed entrance doorway with granite jambs and an advanced keystone. Entrance consists of a pair of modern glazed timber doors with timber sheeted tympanum. There is a wrought iron boot scraper set into granite paved threshold on either side of entrance. Above the entrance is a modern plastic panel with run moulded architrave; it reads “Meeting House of the / Reformed Presbyterian Church / Rathfriland / Erected 1777 Rebuilt 1861”.

Above this, within the semi circular head of the central bay, is a large oculus with painted dressed granite surround and keystones at its cardinal points. Its has a spoked modern stained timber fixed window.

The left and right bays each have a tall round headed window. Each has a painted dressed granite surround, advanced keystone, and a granite cill supported on two foliated brackets. Each window is in modern stained timber, four paned with a radial head.

Left (W) elevation is wet dashed and unpainted, four windows wide, with the extreme left one infilled. Its extreme S end, which is inset slightly, has stepped painted quoins, and painted and rendered finish. All windows are semi circular headed with granite cills and contain modern margin paned stained timber window frames with four panes and a radial head.

Rear (N) gable is rendered contains two original semi-circular headed windows with granite cills. Each is a 3/2 vertically divided sliding sash with margin panes and horns. The ground falls away here and the gable has an advanced rubble stone base.

Right (E) gable is as the left except that the infilled window at the N end contains a modern sheeted timber door with concrete steps up.

Church is set in small graveyard to rear and gardened area to front. Enclosed to street by cement rendered rubble stone wall with wrought iron 20thC gates to centre on single granite pillars. To E is D + J Adams Memorial Hall (1934), of no interest

Historical information

Date plaque indicates that original church erected in 1777. However, Ordnance Survey Memoir (1834) states that it was erected in 1785 for a congregation of about 400. The first date may be when work was commenced, and the second when it was complete.

The large-scale Valuation town map of 1835 shows a narrower and longer building than that today. It is at right angles to, and fronting, the street. This map captions it as “Independent Meeting Ho” and 1860 map as “Covenanters Meeting Ho.”

The original building was demolished and replaced by the present one in 1861 at a cost of £700.

Locally known as ‘The Rock’ as it was constructed on an exposed rock on the hill crest. The original HMBB survey slide shows the original front windows to be 2/2 sliding sashes with semicircular heads and the occulus to contain a rose window with petal like radial glazing.

Primary Sources:
1. Datestone.
2. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Drumballeyroney Td (1834).
3. PRONI 1834 Valuation town map (1:1760), VAL 1D/3/3.
4. OS 1:500 scale town map, Rathfriland (1860), (PRONI OS 8/24/1/4)
5. HMBB Slide dated 15 January 1970

Secondary Source:
1. J.A.McCracken “Rathfriland”, Rathfriland Library, John St.
2. C. Cartmill “Reminiscence in and around R’friland”, Rathfriland Library, John St.
3. Rev D. J. Magee “Historical Sketch of R’friland Reformed Presb. Church” 1977.
4. P.J.Rankin “Hilltown and Rathfriland List” Belfast (1978-9).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This mid 19thC Neo-Classical church has had extensive renovation work, including the replacement of all the windows, which has compromised the exterior. The modern dividing wall behind the pulpit detracts from the interior, as does the modern panelling and tiled ceiling.