First Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, relatively plain and somewhat imposing two storey Presbyterian Church of 1815, gutted by fire in 1994 and largely reconstructed and extended in 1995. The church is situated on the N side of Frances Street, at a high level, which adds to its austere and imposing appearance.

The church was originally rectangular in shape with plain rendered walls and a hipped roof. However, during the reconstruction in 1994/5, a large full height porch and stairwell projection was added to the W facade, which whilst unmistakably modern (with large modern full height windows, doors etc), blends in successfully with the original building. The main entrance is located on the N face of the projection and on the W face is a further full height gabled projection. To either side of the main projection (on the main building) are two semicircular headed windows to the ground floor and two rectangular windows to the first floor.

Attached to the the N facade is a large single storey gabled building which houses the session room and other church offices. To the right of this on the facade is a semicircular headed window set at an intermediate (stairwell) level..

To the S facade of the building are two almost central timber sheeted doorways to the ground floor and a semicircular headed window to the right at an intermediate (stairwell) level. At a high level to the right of centre of this facade is a small roundel plaque which is crudely inscribed ‘Built 1815 The Rev. Ja McCulloug Pastor’.

To the centre of the E facade is a full height lean to projection which houses the organ workings. To either side of this are to semicircular headed windows to the ground floor. To the first floor to either side of the projection is an outer rectangular window with an inner semicircular headed window set at a slightly lower level.

The facade is finished in cement render which is lined to the lower half and plain to the upper half. Eaves course. The main roof is hipped with Bangor blue slates.

The church is approached by a (relatively long) flight of steps from Frances Street and to the E of the steps is a high rendered wall.
Even by the standards of early nineteenth century Presbyterian churches, this building has something of a secular institutional appearance, an impression which enhanced by its imposing siting.

Historical information

This church was built in 1815 and replaced the original First Presbyterian Church (situated between Greenwell Street and Movilla Street), whose roof had become unsafe. The new building ‘pleasantly situated on an eminence’ cost £3,000, the money raised by the congregation and public contribution. The OS Memoirs described the church as ‘extremely large’ but ‘not by any means handsome’, though the interior was ‘neatly fitted up and contains 145 seats which would hold seven persons each including the gallery’.

The church was extensively renovated in 1925, with the hall (to the north) added in 1980. In 1994, however, the building was gutted by fire with the interior completely destroyed. Restoration work was carried out and completed in 1995, with the large porch/stairwell projection added in the process.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI MIC IP/390B Newtownards First Presbyterian Church records.
2 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 6.
3 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams(QUB 1991), p. 106.

References- Secondary sources
1 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.87, 109.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, plain and somewhat imposing Presbyterian Church of 1815, set on a rise overlooking Frances Street. This church was completely gutted by fire in March 1994, however, the building was restored and extended in 1994/5 and though still plain, the addition of the porch/stairwell projection has, arguably, rendered the building slightly less austere than previously.