Greystone Road Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A modern church of octagonal plan built of concrete brickwork, connected to a flat-roofed hall on the west. Main entrance faces north.

Walls of concrete brickwork, fair faced to the main octagon, with patterned front surfaces to the projecting rectangular bays on each side.
Main entrance comprises a pair of double doors, rectangular timber multi-panelled, raised and fielded, with white painted timber frame, set in a moulded surround of concrete blocks with exposed aggregate. Windows are confined to the sides of the rectangular bays: full height, looks like bronze-colour PVC frames; plate glass with etched designs and inscriptions; steel security grilles affixed. Moulded PVC gutters with PVC downpipes.
Roof of metal sheet, with octagonal glazed lantern of spire-like form; plain finial.

Attached to the west is a single storey link block and taller hall, both flat-roofed: plain concrete brickwork; steel shutter doors to front and rear; rectangular windows, PVC with bronzed finish, those on the east side set in recesses with smooth cement rendered panels.

Attached to the rear of the church is a later single storey link block and hall of plain concrete brickwork; mansard roof of synthetic slates; rectangular windows, as previous; splayed concrete cills.

SETTING: The church stands facing the main road, set back from it with grassed areas in front; concrete brick paving of light brown tint leads from the public pavement to the main entrance and around the sides of the building; mature trees to the grassed areas. The building is located at the entrance to a modern housing estate.

Historical information

Built in 1971-2 as a Presbyterian church along with a large hall and ancillary accommodation, to the designs of McCutcheon and Wilkinson, architects of Ballymena; first sod cut on 21 June 1971; foundation stone laid 16 October 1971; church opened 9 September 1972. Described at the time as "a maintenance free building in the modern idiom at minimum cost while retaining the Presbyterian simplicity and dignity." Extension to halls added 1983.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Plan 96-14SE, surveyed 1973, published 1974.
Secondary Sources
1. News Letter, 9 September 1972, p 7.
2. Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982 (Belfast, 1982), p 21.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an example of a modern Presbyterian church of unusual type being laid out on a centralised plan.