Belmont Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height red brick built Gothic-revival style church, dated 1860 by architect W. J. Barre. Cruciform plan set on an east-west axis with single storey flat roof porch and a square-plan tower to west. Adjoining L-shaped modern extension and hall to north and east. The site is fronting onto Sydenham Avenue.

Pitched natural slate roof with decorative cut slate bands, crested red clay ridge tiles, red clay finials and sandstone coping to gables. Chamfered yellow-brick corbels to eaves supporting cast-iron ogee moulded guttering with circular downpipes. Red brick walling laid to English garden-wall bond with buff-brick dressings, quoins and chamfered plinth course. Lancet windows with sandstone keystone and splayed sills, with stained leaded glazing and fixed external secondary glazing (unless stated otherwise).
The principal elevation faces west with gables at the ends of the nave and north aisle and has a projecting single storey four-bay porch with a three-sided outshot with hipped slate roof joining the northwest side and the north aisle gable and a square-plan four-stage tower to the southwest. The main gable has a large five-part traceried window and carved cruciform to apex; the north aisle gable has a lancet window. Both gables have raised stone verges and small lancet openings at higher level. The tower has pinnacles, a parapet and three stage angled buttresses. There is a large trefoil louvred opening at each elevation at the belfry stage, a lancet window at second stage. Door opening to south elevation at first stage and two small trefoil windows to west. Two-stage buttresses and a parapet to porch. Two square-headed door openings to west and one to south, with segmental arch hood moulding and decorated tympanum with modern glazed timber doors opening onto a platform with three nosed stone steps to porch. Square-headed stained leaded glass windows to north and south bay of porch and to outshot.

The north elevation consists of the north aisle and north transept. The north aisle is five-bays wide, each separated by a three-stage buttress. Double lancet window openings to each bay. The transept is a gabled, five-sided canted bay with two-stage buttresses. The north face has a large three-part tracery window with pointed-arch hood mouldings on head stops; a lancet window to each canted bay.

The east elevation is abutted by adjoining modern hall dating from the 1960s (of little interest).

The south elevation consists of the south aisle, the tower to west end and the south transept to east end. The south aisle is four-bays wide, each separated by a two-stage buttress with double lancet window to each bay. The transept is a gabled, five-sided canted bay with three-stage buttresses. The south face has a large three-part tracery window and pointed-arch hood mouldings on head stops; a lancet window to each canted bay.

The church complex is located within its own grounds with the adjoining modern hall and extension to north and east, a Hall (listed under HB26.12.027B) and a Gate Lodge (listed under HB26.12.027C) to the southeast, car parks to the west and north. The site is fronting onto Sydenham Avenue. Partly lawned and concrete paved, the site is enclosed to the south by a red brick wall with stone coping topped by cast-iron railings. Square red brick gate piers with buff brick quoins and single-stage buttresses topped by cast-iron finials are supporting cast-iron gates to main entrance. Cast-iron gate and hedge to the southwest pedestrian entrance.

Materials:
Roof natural slate
RWG cast iron
Walling red brick with buff brick dressings and quoins
Windows leaded stained glass

Historical information

Belmont Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1860-61. The congregation was formed from local missions organised by Ballymacarrett and Sir Thomas McClure of Belmont House provided the current plot of land and personally financed the construction of the building (Haines, p. 48).

The cruciform church was first built as a much simpler structure. Originally a small redbrick rectangular hall, Belmont Presbyterian Church was subsequently extended and added to a number of times throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods by some of Belfast’s most illustrious architects. The original redbrick church was designed by W. J. Barre (c. 1826-1867), a Newry-based architect who moved to Belfast after winning the competition to design the Ulster Hall in 1860. The design of Belmont Presbyterian Church was the first contract Barre undertook following his move to Belfast; the contract was the result of yet another architectural competition, although Barre was the sole entrant. The builder contracted to undertake the construction of the church was the local firm of Edward Armstrong. The church, along with a sexton’s house (HB26/12/027C) and schoolhouse (now demolished), was completed in 1861 and was opened for worship on 26th January 1862. The combined value of the church and its associated buildings was set at £120 in the Annual Revisions (DIA; Larmour, p. 54).

Brett states that Belmont Presbyterian Church has been ‘so often enlarged over the years that almost nothing of Barre’s original building is still visible’ but, due to the numerous additions carried out between 1873 and 1898, the church has ‘acquired a very pleasing air of mellowness and antiquity’ (Brett, pp 32-33). The first addition to the church came in 1873 when Anthony Thomas Jackson (1838-1917) added the current south aisle and transept. The north aisle (and presumably the north transept) was added in 1887 by Young & Mackenzie; the Dictionary of Irish Architects described Robert Young and John Mackenzie as ‘the leading architects for the Presbyterian Church in the North-East.’ In 1887 the schoolhouse and sexton’s house were valued separately for the first time and the individual value for the church was lowered to £95 (the sexton’s house was valued at £6 and the school valued at £19).

The next major alteration came in 1898 when the current square tower was added and the nave extended by Vincent Craig (1869-1925). A local architect who was articled to W. H. Lynn between 1885 and 1889, Craig established an independent practise in 1891 and was later recognised as the leading proponent of the aesthetic Art Nouveau movement in the country. Vincent Craig was the younger brother of James Craig (Viscount Craigavon), the First Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. James Craig was a lifelong member of Belmont Presbyterian; he was baptised in the church and, following his death in 1940, Craig’s funeral was also held at Belmont before his body was interred at Stormont. The Craig family were clearly heavily involved in Belmont Presbyterian Church; in addition to the nave and (in Brett’s words) ‘the very un-Presbyterian’ tower, Vincent Craig had also designed Belmont Primary School in 1889-1892 (HB26/14/001). As a result of the major reconstruction of the building, the value of Belmont Presbyterian Church was increased to £250 in 1910 (Haines, p. 48; Brett, pp 32-33).

Following a refurbishment of the building, Belmont Presbyterian Church was reopened by James Craig in 1931; the adjoining church hall (HB26/12/027B) was also constructed at this time. The refurbishment and hall were carried out to designs by James Corden Stevenson, a Belfast-based architect who was active from the 1920s until the 1950s. Prior to completing the work at Belmont Presbyterian Church, Stevenson had also designed the Cregagh Presbyterian Church and its hall in 1929 (Irish Builder, p. 95; p. 146; p. 958; DIA). A second church hall was added to the east side of Belmont Presbyterian Church in the 1960s. The value of the refurbished Belmont Presbyterian Church and its hall was increased to £520 under the First Revaluation of 1935; and following the construction of the eastern hall in the 1960s the value was further increased to £1,684 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72).

Belmont Presbyterian Church was listed in 1986. The NIEA HB Records note that a restoration of the church was carried out in that year which focused on the repair of the exterior brickwork of the building. The church was connected to the 1931 church hall in 2001 when the modern extension and single-storey connecting corridor was installed between them. The church continues to be used as a house of worship and currently possesses a membership of over 700 families (Kirkpatrick, p. 165).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/4/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1856)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1902)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
5. PRONI OS/6/3/4/6 – Sixth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1938)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/2A-2H – Annual Revisions (1863-1897)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/N/2-9 – Annual Revisions (1897-1930)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/192/H/31/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (1906-1935)
9. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/48 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
11. Irish Builder (1 Jul 1898; 31 Jan; 14 Feb; 7 Nov 1931)
12. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1943)
13. First Survey Record – HB26/12/027 (1975)
14. First Survey Image – HB26/12/027 (No Date)
15. NIEA HB Records – HB26/12/027

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friars Bush Press, 1985.
2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987.
3. Haines, K., ‘East Belfast: Paintings and stories from harbour to hills’ Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 2001.
4. Kirkpatrick, L. ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Dublin: Booklink, 2006.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects – http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

An good example of a Gothic-revival style church originally designed by architect W. Barre, now the combined work of a number of significant 19th century architects. Cruciform plan with single storey flat roof porch and a square-plan tower to west. Handsome exposed timber ceiling to nave and aisles and good quality stained glass windows. Interior layout largely unchanged since alterations and additions c1900 and the exterior has retained its character, style and proportions. Has group value along with the adjacent listed hall and gate lodge. (HB26.12.027B and C)

General comments

Record renumbered, previously HB26/12/027