First Holywood Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height Presbyterian church with tower, built c. 1840, located on the south side of Bangor Road, Holywood. T- shaped on plan with three-stage entrance tower to north and substantial extensions to rear and west side.

Pitched natural slate roof with painted masonry raised skews. Half-round cast-iron rainwater goods on projecting eaves course, supported on wrought-iron drive-through brackets with cast-iron down-pipes. Walling is random rubble with slightly projecting masonry plinth. Windows are timber framed pointed head, with Gothic-style decorative tracery and painted ashlar surrounds with hood moulding.

The principal elevation faces north and is dominated by a three-stage slightly projecting entrance tower with castellated parapet and gableted pinnacles, framed by semi-engaged octagonal piers. The ground floor entrance consists of a pointed arched opening set in painted ashlar surround accessed by five stone steps. Door is replacement oak framed with glazed panels, surmounted by multi-pane transom lights. Diagonal buttresses with rendered offsets and topped by painted masonry pinnacles. Second stage has a window with inter-locking Y-tracery below a string course. Third stage has window openings to all sides, with the exception of that to south which contains brick infill.

The east and west elevations are each four windows wide, containing leaded windows with stained glass panels and interlocking Y-tracery on the projecting gables. The remaining have cusped timber tracery and the windows to the north are narrower. Both elevations are punctuated by buttresses with rendered offsets and topped by painted masonry pinnacles.

The east elevation is abutted by two small stone lean-tos with felt roof.

The rear is obscured by an extension added in the 1990s and the west is abutted by a large extension added in 2004.

Setting

Prominently located to the east of Holywood town centre and across from the old Priory church (HB 23/20/001); curved stone boundary wall to front and east.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Random rubble
Windows: Timber
Rainwater Goods: cast-iron

Historical information

The church was opened in 1841 to designs by its minister and has undergone several phases of extension.

Following a schism in the First Holywood congregation in 1725, the non-subscribing congregation retained possession of the meeting-house, then in Shore Street. The orthodox congregation then built a meeting house in Strand Street. The minister from 1835 to 1844, Mr William Blackwood, had the new church on Bangor Road built to his own designs . He also superintended the construction in about 1840. (History of Congregations)

The church is first shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858 captioned ‘Presby[teria]n Meet[in]g Ho[u]se’ and appears unchanged on ordnance survey maps through subsequent editions up to 1941. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64). Dimensions are given for the church of 14x11x2 and the tower of 5x5x7. The transepts to the rear were measured at 21x11x2 and 16x4½x2.

The valuation town plan of c1867-1900 shows a plan of the church in considerable detail including a gallery that seems to have been drawn onto the plan during the lifetime of this map, indicating that it has been added at some point during this period. There are no significant changes in Annual Revisions, although Auld states that the traceried south windows, situated either side of the pulpit, the vestry and school rooms were demolished to facilitate the erection of a large lecture hall in 1869. (Auld, p.122)

In 1918 refurbishment of the church began, including replacement of the roof which meant that the roof lay open to the sky for most of a year. This appears to have been major undertaking, as the church did not open again until 1921. (Auld, p.123)

Six new windows were added to the building in 1966 and a suite of new Church Halls was built in 1967 during the ministry of Rev Robert Houston. These were named "The Houston Halls" in his honour. (www.firstholywood.co.uk)

In 1975, a complete refurbishment of the church interior took place. “The old high back pews with their individual doors and umbrella stands were removed and given to the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh”. (Auld, p.123)

A further extension was added to the rear in the 1990s and the west is abutted by a large extension added in 2004. (www.firstholywood.co.uk)

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
2.PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
3.PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
4.PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
5.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
6.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18A – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
8.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
9.PRONI VAL/12/E/123/2/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1867-1900)

Secondary Sources

1.Auld, C. “Holywood Co Down, Then and Now” Holywood: Con Auld, 2002
2.“A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982” authorised by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, 1982 (available at www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com)
3.www.firstholywood.co.uk

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A double-height Gothic Presbyterian Church with tower, built c.1840 prominently located opposite the ruins of the Old Priory. This random rubble church with 70ft central high tower was designed as a deliberate echo of the Old Priory Church. The church retains many original external architectural features, it has, however, been extended in recent years; the recent addition to the west elevation being especially prominent. Many of the original interior fittings have also been lost during remodelling in the early 1970s