Ballywalter Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two storey, sandstone rubble and roughcast rendered gothic Presbyterian church of 1889 by Young & McKenzie with 3-4 storey tower with broach spire. The church is set on the west side of Main Street.

The roofs of the nave, transepts, and rear hall are all pitched with Bangor blue slates. Cast iron rw goods.

The front elevation consists of the large gable end, with the tower at the NE corner. The doorway is in the centre of the gable and consists of a timber sheeted double door set in an equilateral arched architrave. Just above this opening is a carved ‘open Bible’ motif with decoration, which itself is set within the apex of a pointed string course. Above this are five metal frame, diamond leaded lancet windows with window heads rising in height with the tallest in the centre. To the left side of the gable is a buttress which rises to a pinnacle and to the left of the main gable is the E side of a two level gabled projection with buttresses and two small narrow lancet windows to the ground floor. Attached to the right side of the front gable is another buttress (as left side), beyond which is the tall three level tower with a broached stone spire.

The E elevation of the tower has two small narrow lancet windows at ground and stair level with a string course between both, and a slightly larger pair of lancets at the first floor. Above this there is another string course with a large louvred lancet opening at the second level. The N face of the tower has a similar arrangement except that there is no lancet window at stair level. The W and S faces are largely only exposed at the second level and each have a large louvered lancet as the E face.

The N side of the building consists of the side of the nave, which has three lancet windows and buttresses, the gable of the transept which has three taller lancet windows and the side of a two storey hall/church office which has two sash windows to the first floor and a timber sheeted door with plain fanlight, set within a Tudor arch, on the ground floor. The E and W sides of the transept each have a single lancet window as the nave. All the lancet windows on this elevation have metal frames with diamond leaded coloured lights to some and stained glass to others. The walls on this elevation and that to the S are finished in rough cast render, with stone dressings to the lancet windows.

The S side of the church is similar to the N side (but handed) but with the addition of the gable of the two level projection at the right, which is not rendered and has a small multifoil window at its upper level and a narrow lancet window to the ground floor.

The rear of the church consists mainly of the gable end of the two storey hall/church office which is attached to the W gable of the nave. It has three timber sash windows to the first floor and three to the ground floor.

Low wall with decorative railings and gates to front of church.

Historical information

This church was constructed in 1889 to designs by Young and Mackenzie. It replaced a previous Church which originally stood slightly further to the south near the junction of the Well Road and Main Street, dating from 1815, which was itself a replacement for an earlier church of 1770.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/23/6a-f Annual valuation revision books, Ballywalter, 1866-1929
"Ballywalter Second Presbyterian Church- Messrs. Young & MacKenzie Architects" in 'The Irish Builder', Vol.XXX, no.692, pp.259, 15 Oct. 1888. See also Vol.XXXI, no.720, p.307, 15 Dec. 1889
2 PRONI VAL/12E/84/1 Valuation plan, Ballywalter, 1902-35

Secondary sources
1 Derek Patton, "The Village of Ballywalter- a brief history" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.14' (1990), pp.10-15

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, two storey, sandstone rubble and roughcast rendered gothic Presbyterian church of 1889 by Young & McKenzie with 3-4 storey tower with broach spire.