Holy Trinity C of I Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The (C of I) Church of the Holy Trinity is located in the SW side of Main Street in the village of Kircubbin.

The front gable and return bays are all in Greek Doric style and are constructed in Scrabo stone. The porch is distyle in antis with full entablature and pediment. In the centre of the pediment is a black faced clock with gold hands and Roman numerals. Of the three doorways within the porch, the centre and that to the left are now false, with the main entrance to the right. The doors to left and right have ‘shouldered’ architraves. The centre door, which ordinarily (on any other building with a facade of this type) would serve as the entrance, has a stone architrave with full entablature and console brackets. All doors and panelled and painted.

The rear of the building is in plain unadorned render. The site level drops sharply to the rear, giving a full two storeys at this elevation.

The SE facade has two large modern multi pane windows to the first floor at the left, with a leaded coloured glass window to the right of this and a fourth (modern multi pane) window to the far right. To the extreme right are two almost flush Scrabo stone pilasters on plinths, enclosing a plain rendered panel. To the ground floor there is one small centred window.

The NW facade is as the SE (but handed), with the addition of a dummy window, with architraves, between the pilasters.

The SW gable is plain rendered and has two, symmetrically placed, multi pane, timber windows to ground floor, but is otherwise blank.

The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and cast iron gutters and down spouts. The front gable has a broad stone parapet (part of pediment), the rear gable has a centrally placed, rendered, corbelled, but potless chimney stack. A concrete forecourt is enclosed with wrought iron spear head railings and square panelled pier/gate posts.

Historical information

This church was built in 1843 to a design by Sir Charles Lanyon and originally belonged to the Parish of Inishargy (St. Andrews), with the separate Parish of Kircubbin created in 1850. The writers were informed that the altar was originally on the west wall (where one might expect to find it) but was moved to the east in 1922, an alteration which was said to have been brought about at the behest of a prominent member of the congregation [?one of the Ward family], who wished to observe all late comers! If this alteration was indeed carried out in 1922 then the two outer doors may have added at this stage also. This church was Charles Lanyon's only major foray into the Greek Revival style.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st revision, 1860, Co. Down 18.

Secondary sources
1 J.C. Beckett, Francis Jackson et al 'St. Andrew’s Inishargy Balligan' (?Belfast ?1966), p. 8.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Compact but striking classical church of 1843 in sandstone, whose interior was re-ordered in 1922 with the result that its layout is now somewhat unusual.