First Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Simple cruciform shaped Presbyterian church, originally built in 1751 with recent extension. The church is set on the N side of Windmill Street, with small graveyard to the N, E and W and a boundary wall to the street (S).

The wings to the N,W and E are almost symmetrical. Each has an external stone stairs to its gable, with simple cast iron handrail, giving access to its gallery. Each panelled door to the gallery has a tall semicircular arched head fanlight over. To the side of each stair is a semicircular arch headed door opening with moulded surround and semicircular fanlight. Each has a double timber door with strap hinges.

To the S walls of the E and W wings are two evenly spaced semicircular headed windows each with moulded surrounds. The N faces of these wings are similar, but with single windows without surrounds. To the E long wall of the N wing is one windows as before without surround. To the W face of the N wing are two evenly spaced windows of similar pattern as previous windows. To the far right of this face is a small flat roofed extension. The S wing now extends to the edge of the pavement. The S wing, recently extended has a very tall semicircular headed window with moulded surround to the S face. To the W face is a small flat headed pass door with a semicircular headed moulded surround. To the E face are three windows to the left and a pass door to the right, all with surrounds similar to the W face.

Datestone plaque to W facing gable which reads ‘Reverence my sanctuary. This house built Ann Dom. 1751. The Rev. John Strong Minister’.

Windows are all fixed and have Georgian panes. External walls are finished in unpainted render. The roof is finished with Bangor Blue Slates and has a slight overhang to each gable Cast iron rw goods.

The church is surrounded by its own graveyard. To the NE side of the site is a modern church hall complex.

Boundary wall to south rendered. Gateway to wall with cast iron gates and square gate pillars in random rubble. These pillars were rebuilt recently when the gate was shifted further to the E (due to the building of the extension).

Historical information

This church was originally built in 1751. It is shown much as today on the OS map of 1834 and is described in the OS memoirs of 1837 as ‘a plain slated, roughcast, rectangular building in good repair containing 3 galleries. It was…repaired last in 1828’. The repairs may refer to the addition of the galleries, whose cast iron columns appear to be early 19th century. The clock to the north gallery was installed in 1843 by local clockmaker, William Kenmuir.

The church retained much of its 1830s form until recently (c.1992) when the short wing to the south was extended as far as the boundary wall and the gateway to the wall itself moved further to the east.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940.
2 PRONI D.272/41 MS map of Ballynahinch by William Byers, c.1790
3 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.17: Parishes of County Down IV’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB1992), p.99.
4 PRONI OS/1/3/22 OS map 1st ed., 1834, Co. Down 22.
5 PRONI VAL/1B/388A-B Valuation records, Magherdrool, 1834-1838.
6 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation town plan, Ballynahinch, 1838.
7 PRONI D.1759/1D/1 Records of Ballynahinch 1st Presbyterian Church, 1841-59.
8 PRONI OS/9/41/1 OS Town plan of Ballynahinch, 1860
9 PRONI and Linen Hall Library Second (Griffith’s) valuation, Magherdrool, c.1863 [in print].
10 PRONI VAL/12E/83/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1864-1905.
11 PRONI VAL/12E/83/2 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1905-35.
12 PRONI OS/8/3/2 OS town plan of Ballynahinch, 1920.
13 PRONI VAL/3G/59/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1937-53.

Secondary sources
1 S. McCullough ‘Ballynahinch: centre of Down’ (Ballynahinch Chamber of Commerce 1968).
2 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the towns and villages of Mid Down’ (Belfast UAHS 1974), p.41
3 W.H. Carson ‘Historic clocks of Down- The Kenmuir clock in First Ballynahinch’, (?Newspaper article ?c.1975). [Article concerning the history of the clock on the face of the north gallery.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Simple cruciform shaped, Presbyterian church, originally built in 1751 but whose south wing was extended in recent years.