First Presbyterian Church Manse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey Georgian style gabled manse of c.1862, with two storey return and rendered façade, set in a commanding position at the intersection of Main Street and the Newtownards Road, Greyabbey.

The front E elevation is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a panelled timber door with moulded timber surround and radial elliptical arch fanlight above. The door and fanlight are all set within an elliptical arch opening with fluted pilasters and surround to arch with keystone. To the right of the doorway is a sash window with Georgian panes (8/8) with simple moulded surround to opening with keystone. To the left is another similar window, with three similar (but slightly smaller) evenly spaced to the first floor.

Roughly in the centre of the ground floor of the N gable is a window as ground floor front, with a small pointed arch attic window, with Y tracery, near the gable apex.

To the S gable is a large lean to extension which now houses a garage to the front, with a gabled shed/store attached to its rear. The front of the lean to extension has a flat arch with plain timber sheeted double garage doors. The rest of the S gable is blank.

To the centre of the rear is a large two storey gabled return which has modern windows and door to the ground floor and sash windows (with horizontal astragals) to the first floor. To the rear of the main house are two windows (as front) to the first floor on either side of the return. On the ground floor are three similar windows, two (narrow) ones to the left side of the return and one larger to the right.

The house is finished in lined render with chamfered quoins. The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and two brick chimney stacks. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

High rendered wall to N (right) side of front of house, with steps to doorway. Originally this wall stretched across the whole of the front but the S section has been demolished recently to allow vehicle access to the garage in the lean to. Large gabled outbuilding to rear.

Historical information

According to a memorial in the nearby First Presbyterian Church this manse was built in 1862 by Rev. Hall, who had overseen the construction of the new church a few years previously. The lean to section to the south gable, though it may not be original, appears to be surprisingly old as it is shown in a photograph of the manse dating from c.1885 (see slides), though it is only recently (1997) that it has been converted into a garage. The rear return may have been an early twentieth century addition.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, Greyabbey, 1866-1930
2 Photograph showing the First Presbyterian Church manse in c.1885 [Original in possession of the First Presbyterian Church, Greyabbey.]
3 PRONI VAL/12E/99/1 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1906-35
4 UFTM W.A. Green Collection WAG 3038 Photograph of Main Street Greyabbey looking south west

Secondary sources
1 Bob Trayte, "The Greyabbey and village" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), pp.2-4.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey Georgian style gabled manse of c.1862, with two storey return and large garage lean-to to the west gable.