Strangford Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively small, single storey gabled Presbyterian church of 1846 with restrained classical detailing to the stuccoed front elevation, but otherwise plain. The church is set on a slight rise on the SE of Downpatrick Road on the southern edge of the village of Strangford.

The symmetrical front (gabled) elevation faces NW. To the centre at ground level is the main entrance, which consists of a panelled timber double door with rectangular fanlight with timber tracery creating three inner panes (of differing size) and margin panes. The door and fanlight are encased with panelled pilasters with decorative console brackets supporting a projecting (hood-like) entablature with a pediment above. The pediment has a central wreath moulding and acroteria at the sides.. Directly above the doorway is a recessed rectangular [?]slate panel with the gold painted incised legend ‘TRINITARIAN CHURCH AD MDCCCXLVI’

The whole doorway ensemble sits within a bay bounded by largely plain double pilasters which rise to the moulded base course of a large gabled pediment (which encompasses the entire gable area itself). Just below the base course each pilaster has a slim string course-like moulding, whilst directly above the base course each pair of pilasters is topped with a plain block itself topped with a cornice and small plain gabled pediment.

To both edges of the front elevation there is a further single pilaster, as before (but with nothing above base course due to the outer position of the pilasters). Between both sets of double pilasters and the edge ones there is a tall semicircular-headed curved recess (similar to a recess for a statue).

To the centre of the large pediment to the gable there is a raised bay with heels and a central recess, the latter similar to those described above but much shorter. Above this bay, to the gable apex, there rises a a broad (belcote-sized) ‘finial’ with raised bands and sloping concave edges. This in turn is topped with a small, narrow, obelisk-like pinnacle with a panelled shafts reaching to a roughly spherical decorative moulding at the top. A moulded eaves course makes up the ‘top’ sides of the pediment.

The front elevation rests on a short projecting bevelled base and the whole elevation is rendered and painted. The render (apart from the pilasters and other decoration) is lined.

The NE and SW elevations of the main body of the church are identical, each finished in unpainted roughcast and having three tall, regularly spaced, semicircular-headed timber sash windows with Georgian and margin panes (typical of many late Regency / early Victorian buildings). One of the panes to the central window to the SW is broken, with two broken panes to the window to its right. Stone sills.

To the rear gable of the church there is a much lower single storey session / minister’s room gabled projection (added perhaps c.1875-80), with a small [?store house] lean-to to its NE face (and also joined to the main body of the church). This whole ensemble is finished in unpainted roughcast with a plain timber sheeted (tongue & groove) door to the NE face of the projection and a similar, but smaller, one to the lean-to. To the (SE facing) gable of the projection there is a centrally placed sash window, as NE and SW elevations of main building but much shorter. At basement level to the left of the window there is a very small timber sheeted door which is accessed by a narrow sunken flight of stone steps. There are two windows to the SW face of the projection, as the gable, however their frames are both fixed (i.e. no sash opening). These window frames appear to have been renewed recently. The S corner of the projection is covered in ivy growth.

The exposed upper portion of the rear gable of the main building is in unpainted roughcast and devoid of openings.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building, that of the rear projection and the lean-to roof are all slated with [?]rendered parapets and [?]stone ridge tiles to the main roof and that of the projection. There appear to be no chimneystacks (though the presence of a fireplace in the projection suggests there should be one to its roof). Cast iron rw goods to main section and PVC rw goods to lean-to.

The church is surrounded by narrow lawns to the NE, SE and SW (bounded by hedge rows) and a larger area to the NW front with a central path leading from the church entrance to a comparatively narrow flight of stone steps which descend to the lower street level. The steps are enclosed by a rubble retaining wall which runs parallel to the street also. The steps are approached via a simple (19th century looking) wrought iron gate set between tall rubble-built piers with cut stone pyramidal caps. Modern tubular hand rails to steps. There is a somewhat weathered (and somewhat congruous) small cut stone pillar in the lawn to front of the church.

Historical information

Writing in 1744, Walter Harris tells us that there was a ‘presbiterian [sic] meeting-house’ in Strangford at that date, however the present church dates from 1846. The building is recorded in the second valuation of 1860 with the dimensions 10yds x 16 x 1½ (equivalent storey height), however the rear session / minister’s room projection is not recorded nor is it shown on the accompanying valuation plan. It is difficult to say when the latter was added, it does appear on the OS plan of 1902 but its construction is not mentioned in any of the valuations following 1860 (though such omissions by the valuers are not unusual in the case of ‘exempt properties such as churches). The style of the interior of the projection suggests it may have appeared in the mid to later 1870s at the earliest- but this is not certain.

References- Primary sources
1 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the Coutny of Down’ (Dublin, 1744), p.41
2 PRONI VAL/2B/3/14 Second valuation, Strangford village etc., 1860-63
3 PRONI VAL/2D/3/1 Valuation plan of Strangford, 1860-63
4 PRONI VAL/12B/18/25A-F Annual valuation revision books, Strangford village etc., 1864-1929
5 PRONI OS/8/157/1 OS plan of Strangford, 1902
6 PRONI VAL/3G/96/1 Valuation plan of Strangford, 1936

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Relatively small, single storey gabled Presbyterian church of 1846 with restrained classical detailing to the stuccoed front elevation, but otherwise plain. A good well-preserved example of the type.