2nd Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long barn church aligned W-E with vestibule abutting the W gable end. It is set in a churchyard on S side of Loughbrickland Road. To front of church is a small hall and to rear is a small graveyard.

Pitched natural slate roof with rendered and coped chimney to left (E) gable. Semicircular cast iron rainwater goods to front and similar plastic ones to rear. Textured cement rendered walls to main block, painted with smooth rendered basecourse.

Front (N) elevation has eight openings; one is a door, the rest are windows. All windows are 6/6 sliding sashes with Y-tracery Gothick heads, exposed boxes and painted granite cills. There is one to left end and to its right is a sheeted painted timber door with similar Y-tracery transom, the apex of which does not rise as high as the window head. There is a projecting electric light over the door and a second on the right-hand quoin.

Left (E) gable has two small 6/6 windows with Y-tracery set in the apex.

The rear (S) elevation has an advanced basecourse. It has six window openings (five of which are as those to the main façade) but the actual windows are modern fixed stained timber with top hung casements (3/9). The four left windows are equally spaced. To the left of the right-most window is a small modern 1/ 2 top-hung with concrete cill.

The right (W) gable is abutted by the vestibule but is otherwise blank.

The vestibule block is narrower than the main body of church and has a lower pitched natural slate roof with cement skew to right (W) gable. Semicircular plastic rainwater goods on plain eavesboards.

Its front (N) elevation has a pair of three panelled doors with Y tracery Gothick transoms over. It is flanked to left and right by tall narrow four-paned (2 x 2) lancet windows with Y tracery head and painted concrete cills. Its right (W) gable is blank. Its rear (S) elevation has a single window as those to the rear wall of main block.

Front yard is enclosed by modern (post-WW2) wrought iron railings and gates. The church hall at front right hand corner has a pitched natural slate roof, wet dashed unpainted walls and 2/2 segmental headed sash windows. The graveyard to rear has mainly late 19thC memorials, but some date from the 1830s/40s.

Historical information

Seceders’ Meeting House erected in 1779 by public subscription at a cost of £75. Work began on 1st July 1779: the masonry work was done by Michael Kennedy for £11-6-11, the carpentry by Hough Gowdy for £10-15-4 ½, and the slating by James Parker. Appears on OS map of 1833 as Seceders’ Meeting House without porch or extension to E end. Porch shown on 1860 OS town plan. Valuation revision book notes “addition in progress” in 1866 – this is shown on the accompanying valuation map as being at the E end of the building.

Primary Sources

1. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Drumballeyroney Parish (1834).
2. PRONI 1833 OS 6” map, Co Down sheet 41.
3. PRONI 1860 OS 1:500 map, OS 8/24/1/3.
4. PRONI Valuation revision book, VAL 12B/22/20A, p.131
5. 1970 HMBB first survey slide held in 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast.
6. 1978 photograph in Architectural Archive 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast.

Secondary sources

1. J.A McCracken Second Rathfriland Presbyterian Church in “Rathfriland”. Rathfriland Library, John Street.
2. 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 late 18thC church is externally plain and has been marred by inappropriate render and the modern windows to the rear elevation. The interior is also plain with no features of special interest.