Former Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A gabled stone building of rectangular plan with a projecting gabled frontispiece, originally built as a church, in Gothic Revival style, but now changed to offices and shops. Two main entrances both face north.

North elevation: a 3-bay gable comprising a projecting gabled central frontispiece containing a large traceried window, with twin entrances occupying the recessed outer bays. Walling is of snecked rock-faced blackstone with sandstone dressings, and a projecting moulded plinth. The projecting front bay has angle buttresses which rise to tall gabled and crocketed pinnacles. A large 3-light, 2-centre arched timber window with cusped tracery in the head occupies the lower part of the gable; lower portions are of plate glass; upper portions including tracery lights are of decorative leaded glazing; above it is a narrow Gothic lancet containing timber louvers, with a moulded projecting stringcourse raking up over it parallel with the gabled parapet which is pierced with a circular motif. Each doorway is 2-arched containing an arched timber boarded door set in moulded surrounds with a crocketed ogee-arched hood moulding surmounted by a large crocketed finial.

East elevation: 2-storey, 4-bay side wall; roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with moulded eaves course; walling is of random rubble basalt with red brick block dressings to windows; there is a 2-tier buttress of basalt rubble with sandstone weatherings between the second and third windows from left. Upper windows are tall Gothic arched lancets containing plate glass. Lower windows are segmental arched with openings now blocked by smooth cement render.

Rear elevation: basalt rubble with two-stage buttresses to each extremity; sandstone weatherings to top tier of buttresses, but lower tier has modern concrete blockwork weatherings. Windows have brick block dressings. Small lancet to apex contains pierced timber ventilator panel; two lancets to main floor glazed as to west elevation but damaged, with smooth cement rendered reveals. Two windows to basement level, in triangular headed arches, with openings partly blocked with cement render; modern timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, in poor condition. Two doorways to basement, rectangular timber, sheeted in metal, set in smooth rendered surround.

West elevation: similar to east, except tall lancets are glazed with original decorative leaded lights of c 1900. Cast iron gutter and downpipe.

SETTING: The building stands facing the main street but set back from it with a modern concrete brick paved area in front, bounded to the east by plain metal railings and to the west by a low modern concrete brickwork wall. Standing in front of the building at the edge of the front boundary are two modern single storey kiosks of concrete brickwork, with flat roofs, and pvc rainwater goods.
To the east of the building is a modern concrete brickwork paved courtyard; to the west is a similarly paved driveway to the rear. Rear yard paved as previous, with a rubble stone wall to east boundary, plain railings to south boundary, and a modern building on adjoining property as west boundary.

Historical information

Built in 1852 as a Presbyterian church for the 2nd Antrim congregation, to the designs of Robert Young, architect of Belfast: it was his first independent commission.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 50.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 9.
2. P. Larmour, 'Robert Young, Founder of a dynasty', Perspective (The Journal of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects), Vol 4, No 4, March/April 1996, pp 59-61.
3. J. Hanna, Old Antrim (Catrine, Ayrshire, 2002), p 20.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

This is a good example of a former Gothis Revival church, dating from the mid 19th century. Despite its change of use and interior alterations the exterior still retains its fine architectural appearance.