Knock Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Six-bay mid-Victorian sandstone Gothic Revivalist gabled church, T-shaped plan, built in 1875-76, refurbished in 1896 and 1907, to designs by Young & Mackenzie, located at the corner of the Knock and King’s Road on a slightly elevated site. Orientated east/west, with the site bounded by rock-faced sandstone walls to north and east boundaries with mild steel railings to part of north boundary. Ornate cast-iron gate piers, double gates and railings to main vehicular entrance located at the junction of the Knock and King's Roads at the north-east corner of the site. The site also contains the original hall complex which was extended in 1932 plus a later hall complex dating from 1964.

Natural slate pitched roof with crocketed stone skews, finial to east gable end, modern chimneystack to west end and black terracotta ridge tiles. Cast-iron rainwater goods with ogee gutters resting on exposed timber rafter ends and square profile downpipes. Church has rock-faced sandstone walls, smooth sandstone details with twin pitched roofed entrance porch to east elevation, transepts to north and south and flat-roofed staircase projection to east of north elevation. Ornate Gothic dropped arch windows with simple bar tracery to north and south elevations and large equilateral arched window to east end with geometrical bar tracery.

Principal elevation faces east. Stone steps with handrails lead to projecting porch with two pairs of timber sheeted doors with ornate straps. Doors set in identical square-headed lugged openings, set within equilateral arches having concentric moulded archivolts with hood mouldings springing from ornate label-stop on outer edges and meeting at carved symbolic eagle, beneath twin steeply pitched gabled roofs. Diagonal buttresses to outer corners of porch. Single buttress to centre. Single storey section with hipped natural slate roof behind crenallated parapet, stepped diagonal buttresses, topped with gablets at angled corners. Pointed trefoil arched windows set within equilateral arched openings with hood mouldings. Main gable of church with stone skews rises behind porch with string course at springing point of large equilateral arched window with geometrical bar tracery and smooth sandstone detail under pointed Saracenic arched hood moulding with ornate label-stops and crowned with decorative carved engaged pommel. Three small arrow-loop windows below stone finial located at apex of roof. To either side of gable, set back slightly, is stone wall with hipped slated roof with cast-iron gutters on exposed timber rafter ends. To north east side is flat-roofed staircase projection (originally built as base of tower, never completed).

South elevation has blank side elevation of porch to east end with slightly projecting plinth to base of wall of main body of church. Marked change of stone at west end of first bay (extended 1907), smaller equilateral arched window with hood moulding and simple bar tracery to first bay, dropped arch windows in each of further four bays with contrasting stone architrave and simple bar tracery. Projecting two-storey staircase enclosure to east end of south transept with crenallated parapet to flat roof, two string courses, diagonal stepped buttresses to corners, equilateral arch window with hood moulding and geometric tracery to first floor level east elevation; square-headed lugged door opening with pair of timber sheeted doors having ornate straps offset to ground floor level with small pointed trefoil arch window openings with equilateral arched hood moulding, also to east elevation. South elevation linked to transept with gabled pitched natural slate roof, pair of dropped arch window openings with bar tracery to lower level, circular window above. Gable steps back to main church body with two small windows at ground and first floor levels. Junction with block extended in 1932. Three bay two storey block with hipped natural slate roof and composite sandstone block walls. Two square-headed window openings with uPVC windows to first floor level; at ground floor level, one doorway with modern timber and glazed door under cantilevered hipped porch, two window openings with smooth stone surround and uPVC windows. Stainless steel flue. Junction with extension built in 1964. This extension in pale buff concrete brick with pitched concrete tiled roof to main hall, flat roof to ancillary accommodation. Mix of timber and uPVC windows in square-headed openings.

West elevation comprises 1964 extension as before. Pitched concrete tiled roof to south end, concrete brick walls, timber fascia with uPVC rainwater goods, uPVC windows. North end has single storey flat-roofed projecting extension with composite sandstone block walls and rendered plinth and panel around window openings, deep timber fascia, uPVC rainwater goods, uPVC windows.

North elevation has blank side elevation of porch to east end with slightly projecting plinth to base of wall of main body of church. Small equilateral arched window with hood moulding and simple bar tracery to first bay. Projecting two-storey staircase enclosure to east end with flat roof, five-sided detail to corners of roof, angled stepped buttresses to corners. Equilateral arch window with hood moulding, string course at cill level and geometric tracery to first floor level east elevation; blank wall to ground floor level. Small circular window with hood moulding to first floor level of north elevation with string course below; blank wall to ground floor level. Equilateral arched door opening with hood moulding and pair of timber sheeted doors to ground floor level, west elevation. Third, fourth and fifth bays of main church have dropped arch windows in each bay with contrasting stone architrave, simple bar tracery and banding to walls. West end of north elevation has projecting transept with gabled pitched natural slate roof. East elevation of transept has single dropped arch window; north elevation has pair of dropped arch window openings with bar tracery to lower level, circular window above. Projecting staircase enclosure with diagonal stepped buttresses at corners is attached to transept with crenallated parapet roof with string course. Circular window on first floor; square-headed lugged door opening with pair of timber sheeted door with diamond patterned overlight set in classical door way with engaged Ionic columns set back under pointed Saracenic arched hood moulding, with pointed gable moulding above having recessed niche set under apex on east elevation. North elevation has large equilateral arched window with hood moulding to first floor level, stepped string course at cill level,three small lancet arched windows with hood mouldings to ground floor level. Junction with 1932 extension which is three bay two storey with central gable; hipped natural slate roof, sandstone walls, metal rainwater goods on timber fascia; projecting gabled ground floor central bay, originally a door but now a window. Circular windows to apex of central gable, upper east and west bays. Other window openings, arched with modern timber tracery, modern timber and glazed door to lower east bay. West elevation comprises seven bays, upper south bay hidden by 1964 extension, lower bays five, six and seven hidden by single storey foyer. Walls composite sandstone blocks, pitched slated roof, uPVC windows, metal rainwater goods. 1964 extension has flat roof, timber and glazed walls to ground floor foyer with composite sandstone block walls to upper floor set back behind flat roof of foyer.

Setting:
A mid-Victorian sandstone Gothic Revivalist gabled church, built in 1875-76 to designs by Young & Mackenzie, located at the corner of the Knock and King’s Road on a slightly elevated site. Orientated east/west, with the site bounded by rock-faced sandstone walls to north and east boundaries with mild steel railings to part of north boundary. Ornate cast-iron gate piers, double gates and railings to main vehicular entrance located at the junction of the Knock and King's Roads at the north-east corner of the site. The site also contains the original hall complex which was extended in 1932 plus a later hall complex dating from 1964.

Materials:

Roof : Natural slate
RWGs: Cast-iron
Walls: Sandstone
Windows : Original tracery

Historical information

Knock Presbyterian Church, a sandstone Gothic-Revival church located at the corner of the Knock and King’s Road, was constructed in 1875-76 to designs by Young & Mackenzie. The congregation traces its origins to 1870 when Thomas McClure of Belmont House (a local M. P. and the most prominent landowner in the area) allocated a vacant mill, at the corner of Knock Road and Cherryvalley, to a Mr. James McConville in order to set up a Sunday school for Presbyterian children in the Knock District. In a reversal of the usual practise, the Presbyterian congregation of Knock grew out of its Sunday school and in 1872 efforts were made to establish a church near the site of the former mill. In his history of the congregation, Browne states that Dundela Presbyterian Church was established as a Church Extension Project (Browne).

Knock Presbyterian Church was designed by the local partnership of Young & Mackenzie. The Dictionary of Irish Architects described the firm as ‘the most successful architectural practise in Belfast [who] had become the leading architects for the Presbyterian Church in the North-East’ in the late-19th century.’ The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 9th November 1875 by Thomas McClure (who had generously contributed towards the building fund). Originally known as Knock Presbyterian, the congregation’s name was changed to Dundela upon then official opening of the church on 27th January 1876. The completed church was originally a much simpler rectangular-shaped building (that lacked its current transepts and lecture halls) and was valued at £50 in 1876 (Browne; DIA).

The first lecture hall at Dundela Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1880 and was valued at £40. The church underwent two extensive refurbishments in 1896 and 1907. The Presbyterian Historical Society records that a new roof and the current transepts were added in 1896, expanding the accommodation of the church to 500. A second expansion was undertaken in 1907 when the church was lengthened, the galleries were added and an additional entrance porch constructed. Following the extension of the church the building was able to accommodate a congregation of 800. On 6th June 1920 three memorial windows in the north wall of the church, and a war memorial tablet in the vestibule, were dedicated to members of the congregation who gave their lives during the First World War. In 1921 the congregation decided to revert the name of the church back to Knock Presbyterian Church (Browne).

The original lecture hall was extended in 1932 to designs by William D. R. Taggart (1872-1940), a local architect and civil engineer who predominantly carried out domestic contracts in the Belfast suburbs. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that the extension added two new classrooms for the Sunday school and a vestry room. The extension was carried out by the local building firm of Thomas Wilson & Sons and the hall was reopened on 25th October 1932 by James Craig, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Following the end of the Second World War a second memorial tablet was installed in the south-west wall of the church. The first church organ had been installed in 1909 but this was rebuilt in the mid-20th century during the ministry of the Rev. Robin C. Elliot. In 1963-64 the original lecture hall was extended with a new suite of Lecture Halls, constructed to the northwest side of the church. The extension was designed by Gordon McKnight, a local architect based in Holywood. McKnight first came to prominence for his design of Orangefield Presbyterian Church (built in 1955-57 – see HB26/05/003). The success of McKnight’s design for Orangefield Presbyterian Church marked the beginning of a four decade career for the architect. During that period McKnight designed over thirty modernist churches for the protestant denominations. The church hall was officially opened on 10th October 1964 by the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, Terence O’Neill, and by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of Knock Presbyterian Church (and it’s hall) was increased to £1,344 (Browne; Larmour, p. 97; DIA).

The church’s website records that the church underwent an extensive renovation in 1998-99 which slightly reduced the capacity of the building but involved the creation of a new vestibule and the refurbishment of the minister’s room, church office, music room and ancillary accommodation. The newly modernised Knock Presbyterian Church and its hall were included in the King’s Road Conservation Area which was designated in 2000 as an area that ‘exhibits a very high standard of townscape character with many period Victorian and Edwardian properties contributing to the special quality of this suburban setting’ (Knock Presbyterian Church website; DOE).

References

Primary Sources
1. Presbyterian Historical Society File: Knock Presbyterian Church
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1902)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21)
5. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/2C-G – Annual Revisions (1879-1897)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/L/6-11 – Annual Revisions (1906-1930)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/30 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72).
9. Irish Builder (15 May 1876; 9 Apr 1932)
10. Ulster Town Directories (1877-1943)
11. First Survey Record – HB26/13/005 (1984)

Secondary Sources
1. Baillie, W. D., ‘A history of congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland: 1610-1982’ Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society, 1982.
2. Browne, N., ‘Knock Presbyterian Church 1872-1972: The story of one hundred years in the life of a congregation’ Belfast: General Assembly Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 1972.
3. Evans, D; Hall, A; Larmour, P., ‘Modern Ulster Architecture’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2006.
4. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006.
5. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects – http://www.dia.ie/
2. Knock Presbyterian Church website - http://www.knockpresbyterian.co.uk/
3. DOE Conservation Areas –
http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/supplementary_guidance/conservation/conservation_map/conservation_kingsroad.htm

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mid-Victorian sandstone Gothic Revivalist gabled church, T-shaped plan, built in 1875-76, refurbished in 1896 and 1907, to designs by Young & Mackenzie. Located at the corner of the Knock and King’s Road on a slightly elevated site, orientated east/west, with the site bounded by rock-faced sandstone walls to north and east boundaries with mild steel railings to part of north boundary. Ornate cast-iron gate piers, double gates and railings to main vehicular entrance located at the junction of the Knock and King's Roads at the north-east corner of the site. The site contains the original hall complex which was extended in 1932 plus a later hall complex dating from 1964. Although of interest the church has been altered internally and was not considered of special interest; there are better examples of this style of building already listed.