John White Memorial Congregational Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height red-brick gabled Congregational Church in the Classical style with square tower; dated 1903 and built to designs by John Seeds; located to the west side of Tennant Street in North Belfast. Rectangular plan with projecting entrance porch to front and two-stage square tower to southwest corner; abutted at east by a two-storey church hall (HB26/36/008B).

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge crestings and square metal ventilator to centre of ridge line; raised moulded sandstone verges to gables with kneeler stones to porch. Rainwater goods behind moulded stone parapet with aluminium downpipes and hoppers. Walling is Flemish-bonded red-brick on a chamfered brick plinth with sandstone dressings. Windows are leaded-and-stained glass in fixed timber frames with painted projecting sills, round-headed at gallery level; large Venetian-style window to west divided by brick pilasters with plain sandstone entablatures over square openings and red-brick voussoirs to larger central opening; stepped brick plinth under continuous sill.

West-facing gabled front is enclosed at left by corner pier with moulded imposts; vented oculus to apex; decorative slender brick pilasters to apex of gable, to either side of which the verge rises to a point. Gabled entrance porch with slate roof to ground floor centre is flanked by two windows and contains timber-sheeted double-leaf entrance doors surmounted by a leaded-and-stained glass transom light in a chamfered brick reveal. Doors are flanked by brick pilasters and surmounted by red-brick voussoirs; fronted by decorative wrought-iron gates. Inscribed sandstone plaque to far left reads “THIS STONE WAS LAID / IN MEMORY OF MATTHEW/ R. McCAUSLAND THROUGH/ WHOSE UNTIRING LABOURS/THIS CHURCH WAS FOUNDED/ 18TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 1903”. Tower at right is topped by a brick parapet; inset at second stage contains a window with keyblock at south and west face; entrance doors to ground floor (as described at porch); window to ground floor at south face.

The north elevation has five windows at each floor vertically divided by brick pilasters.

The east elevation is abutted by the adjoining church hall (HB26/36/008B).

The south elevation has four windows to gallery level; abutted at ground floor left by a single-storey red-brick extension (abutting east face of tower).

Setting

Situated on a corner site at the junction of Tennant Street and Matchett Street, in a residential area. Street-fronted with cast-iron railings. Modern single-storey red-brick church hall to south. Car-park to rear accessed from Matchett Street via modern metal gates supported in square concrete piers; enclosed to west by red-brick boundary walls with piers supporting metal railings.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Flemish bonded red-brick
Windows: Leaded-and-stained glass in fixed timber frames
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

The John White Memorial Congregational Church was built in 1903 to designs by John Seeds and is first shown on the fourth edition OS map of 1920-31. A school was built on the site by the committee of Donegall Street Congregational Church in 1896-7 to designs by Thomas H McCaul and the church was then added to the school building and valued at £84 in 1905. The architect, John Seeds, is known chiefly for his domestic and commercial work and for congregational churches including Larne, Ballynahinch and Donegall Street.

Congregationalists or Independents first emerged in the early seventeenth century and were initially heavily persecuted for their belief in liberty of conscience and the independence of each congregation. By the 1640s Congregationalists had appeared in Ireland, Cromwell describing himself as ‘both Puritan and Independent’ and bringing many like-minded soldiers with him, but they remained a minor dissenting sect until the Ulster revival and its aftermath (Campbell).

The church was built in the ‘Classic Renaissance’ style using red brick with Giffnock stone dressings. The contract price was £1,800 and the foundation stone was laid in late Summer 1903. A gallery was added to the building in 1930 (www.dia.ie).
References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/60/3 Third Edition OS Map (1901)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/60/4 Fourth Edition OS Map (1920-31)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/60/5 Fifth Edition OS Map (1920-38)
4. PRONI VAL/12/A/7/L/5 Valuer’s Notes 1896
5. PRONI VAL/12/A/7/N/7 Valuer’s Notes 1906
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/M/2 Annual Revisions
7. PRONI VAL/3/D/3/1/L/48 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
8. PRONI VAL/3/1/L/206 First General Revaluation (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Campbell, P “Independent but never alone. A History of Coleraine Congregational Church, 175 years 1836-2011”
2. www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A double-height red-brick gabled Congregational Church in the Classical style with square tower; dated 1903 and built to designs by John Seeds. Although this is relatively well-preserved example of a plain Congregational church with austere classical detailing, it is not among the best examples of the type, having awkward proportions and basic detailing. There is an adjoining church hall (HB26/36/008B) and the two are of some significance locally but not do not meet the statutory and policy tests as a buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

General comments

This record has been given suffix 'A' as part of a group with the adjacent hall (008B); previously HB26/36/008.