Church Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey red-brick church hall with square tower, adjoining Church of the Pentecost (HB25/11/003A), built c.1955 and located on the west side of Mount Merrion Avenue south of Belfast city centre. Rectangular on plan with single-storey flat-roof entrance bay to east (see also note below - site visit October 2012) and extension (later) to north; abutted by square tower with open belfry to east.

Pitched pantile roof with timber-boarded eaves. Aluminium half-round rainwater goods. Walling is stretcher-bonded red-brick. Windows are replacement uPVC.

The principal elevation faces east; to centre is a simple square tower surmounted by metal ball finial and cross with metal-framed open belfry; two diminutive openings at ground floor. Left bay has a full-width glazed panel with uPVC vertical glazing bars (see also note below - site visit October 2012). Right bay is recessed and is fully abutted by the flat-roof entrance bay. Entrance bay has modern double-leaf timber doors at left accessed by two masonry steps; full-width narrow glazed panel under eaves.

[Site Visit October 2012:
Part of the external brick wall and a band of glazing to the to the roadside (east) elevation has been removed. A flat, metal seam roofed entrance porch with red brick plinth, large pane aluminium framed double glazing and aluminium framed doors has been added. The interior of the hall remains unaltered.]

The south elevation is abutted by adjoining church (HB25/11/003A).

The west elevation has an almost full-width glazed panel with uPVC vertical glazing bars.

The north elevation is abutted by the single-storey flat-roof extension (of little interest).

Setting:

Situated at the fringes of the TFO Rippingham designed Cregagh Estate, comprising two and single-storey red-brick terraced housing with Ravenhill Rugby grounds and stadium directly to west, at the side of a busy carriageway. Lawned to all sides; enclosed to front by mid-height metal railings with gates at entrances. Burial plot to south.

To the south and adjacent to the grounds of the church is the rectory, its form recognisably built in similar modernist style, but which has had most of its original windows, doors and screens supplanted with modern replacements.

Roof: Pitched pantile
Walling: Stretcher-bonded red-brick
Windows: uPVC and Aluminium
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

The Church hall at the church of the Pentecost was built in 1955/6 as a place of worship for a burgeoning population which had been boosted by post-war development of the area. The architect of this initial dual-purpose building is uncertain. (Clergy of Down and Dromore)

The church sits on the edge of the Cregagh Estate, a large post-war housing estate built between 1945 and 1950 for the Housing Trust (now the Northern Ireland Housing Executive). The Architect fro the estate was T.F.O. Rippingham. The estate houses over 2,000 families and gave rise to the need for a new church in the area, a daughter church of St Finnian’s in the nearby Upper Knockbreda Road (HB25/10/001). In April 1955 building work commenced on a site in Mount Merrion Avenue and the resulting dual-purpose church/hall was dedicated in January 1956. The history of Cregagh parish states that the architect of this building was Dennis O’D Hanna who was to design the additional church building on the site, built in 1963. It appears, however, that the two buildings may have been confused and the architect of the original church/hall is therefore uncertain. (Clergy of Down and Dromore; Hammond; http://mountmerrion.down.anglican.org)

Cregagh parish provided 50% of the building costs which amounted to £16,000, although it is not clear whether this amount covered the cost of both earlier and later buildings.

Mount Merrion separated from Cregagh and became a parish in its own right in 1962, with the Rev William Neely appointed curate-in-charge. (Hammond) A church was then added to the original church/hall building to designs by Dennis O’D Hanna and consecrated in March 1963 as the Church of the Pentecost. This dedication was chosen under the terms of the bequest of Rev Donald Moore, a brother of a one-time Rector of Holywood and himself a Rector in the Church of England. Rev Moore left several thousand pounds to the Dioceses of Down, Dromore and Connor for the erection of new churches on condition that he specified the dedications. (Clergy of Down and Dromore) The church achieved full parochial status in 1967 and the Rev William Neely became the incumbent. (http://mountmerrion.down.anglican.org)

The hall is first shown, uncaptioned, on the ordnance survey map of the area dating from the 1960’s/70s. The building enters valuation records in the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at a valuation of £225, later reduced to £180. The valuation is not amended to reflect the addition of the new church building in 1963.

Since July 2007 the church has been linked with Willowfield Parish Church in the Woodstock Road, and at that time the Rev Canon David McClay, Rector of Willowfield, was instituted as Priest-in-Charge of the Church of the Pentecost. (http://mountmerrion.down.anglican.org)

References:

Primary Sources
1. OS map 147 (1960s/70s)
2. PRONI VAL/4/B/3/20 – Second General Revaluation (1956-72)

Secondary Sources

1. Hammond, D “St Finnian’s, Cregagh, The Story of the first fifty years 1932-82”
2. http://mountmerrion.down.anglican.org – Church of the Pentecost website
3. Larmour, Paul “Belfast – An Illustrated Architectural Guide” Belfast: Friar’s Bush press, 1987
4. Rankin, F., Leslie, Canon, J.B., Swanzy, Dean H.B. “Clergy of Down and Dromore” Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996
5. www.dia.ie – Dictionary of Irish Architects online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A single-storey red-brick church hall with square tower, adjoining Church of the Pentecost (HB25/11/003A), built c.1955 and located on the west side of Mount Merrion Avenue south of Belfast city centre. The church and adjoining hall are reflective of demographic changes that were brought about through concentrated town planning in the post-war period. Of simple design, the hall is of architectural and historic interest due to its relationship with The Church of the Pentecost (HB25/11/003A), together forming a relatively intact group.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered its was previously recorded as HB25/11/003