Kilmore Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey hipped roof Presbyterian church of 1832, possibly by William Smith, with classical front facade. The building is set on a slight slope to the E side of Drumaghlis Road, roughly 3½ miles E of Ballynahinch. To the S of the church is a graveyard with a terrace area to the S end on which there are mid to later 19th century vaults of various styles .

The symmetrical front elevation faces roughly NW and gives the impression of being low proportioned. To the centre of the elevation is a broad, shallow bay, broken into three sections by four full height pilasters. To the of the ground floor of the central section is a large, panelled timber double door with Gibbs surround. Projecting lantern above doorway. In each of the outer sections is a sash window with Georgian panes with margins (10/10). High above each of the windows and the doorway is a panel. Those above the windows each contain a tiny decorative moulding, whilst that above the doorway has ‘1832’ in raised numerals.

The pilasters rest on cushion bases on plinths and support an entablature with cornice and blocking course / parapet. The outer ‘edges, of the front elevation (beyond the bay) have in-out quoins, a plain eaves course and parapet.

The NE and SW façades are identical, with four ground floor windows, as front, and four larger semicircular headed windows to the first floor (16/10). Both facades are finished in rough cast.

To the rear there is a relatively large, double gabled extension. To the SW face of this extension there is a modern paneled and glazed door and sash window (6/6). The door is set within a bay to the left. To the SE is a small window to right with modern frame. To the NE are two further windows, both with modern frames. The window to the right may be a relatively recent insertion. The extension is mainly finished in rough cast, with dry dash to NE face. The rear façade of the main building has two first floor windows, as first floor NE and SW, but filled with stained glass.

The roof of the church is hipped and slated. The double gabled extension roof is also slated. There are two squat chimney stacks close to the eaves at the rear of the church, with another (with pot) to the larger gable of the extension. Cast iron rw goods.

Rough cast rendered wall to W of church with decorative iron gates.

The terrace to the S end of the graveyard (to S of church) has a series of vaults and graves dating from c.1835 to c.1870s, crowded along its length. There are headstones of various styles including some obelisks as well as some plain gabled vaults.

Historical information

The Presbyterian congregation of Kilmore came into being in 1831, when, like many others in the wake of the Arian controversy, the Rademan congregation split between subscribing and non-subscribing (or Unitarian) factions. The more numerous Unitarians held on to the old meeting house in Rademan, with orthodox faction acquiring land to the south in Drumaghlis and erecting this church in 1832-34. The building is believed to have been designed by William Smith, cost a total of £1,500 to construct, and is described by the 1836 OS Memoirs as ‘a plain, slated, rectangular building…neat, whitewashed and in good repair’.

The church originally consisted of the main rectangular portion only, but by 1858 a small extension had been added to the rear. This extension may in part be that we see today, but the irregular shape of the present extension suggests it was built in stages.

Internally, the church appears to have witnessed some change in the early to mid 20th century, with the coffered ceiling, organ, pulpit fittings and stained glass (to rear windows) all probably installed during this period.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/23/1 OS map, Down sh 23, 1834
2 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co Down IV’ ed. Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992), p.91
3 PRONI OS/6/3/23/2 OS map, Down sh 23, 1858
4 PRONI OS/6/3/23/3 OS map, Down sh 23, c.1901
5 PRONI OS/6/3/23/4 OS map, Down sh 23, 1921

Secondary sources
1 R.S.J. Clarke ‘Gravestone inscriptions Co Down vol.3’ (Belfast ?1973), pp.56-61
2 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings…East Down’ (Belfast 1973), p.51

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Two storey hipped roof Presbyterian church of 1832, possibly by William Smith, with classical front façade. To the rear of the building is a double gabled single storey extension, which may in part be c.1850, but which appears to have been added to at a later date and now sports mainly modern windows. To the south of the church is a graveyard with a terrace area to the south end on which there are mid to later 19th century vaults of various styles. The building is a well detailed and well preserved example of a presbyterian church from this period. Of particular note are the internal details and surviving box pews. It has group value with the nearby lecture hall (HB18/05/015) and sextons house (HB18/05/016) which enhance its setting.