Cliftonville Moravian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing asymmetrical gable-fronted Gothic Revival red brick church, built c.1909. Rectangular on plan facing east with tower to north, entrance porch to south and set back slightly on the west side of Oldpark Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with black ridge tiles and set behind slightly raised front gable with roll-moulded saddleback sandstone coping. Replacement steel guttering on timber fascia to overhanging eaves with exposed timber rafter feet and square-profiled cast-iron downpipes to south, uPVC to west. Machine-made red brick walling laid in Flemish bond. Pointed-headed lancet window openings with leaded coloured glazing and flush splayed sandstone sills (unless otherwise stated).

Front elevation comprises a double-height gable to the left and square-plan tower to the right with entrance. Large pointed-headed window opening with compound moulded sandstone surround, splayed sandstone sill and curvilinear sandstone tracery window with leaded coloured glazing and storm glazing. Gable flanked by two brick buttresses with stone offsets. The tower has a pyramidal terracotta tiled roof with finial and overhanging eaves. The upper stage to the tower has a square-headed window opening to each elevation with painted tripartite tracery window frames having leaded glazing and splayed sandstone sills. The windows are framed by brick piers set on continuous splayed sandstone course. The tower has a diagonal buttress to the northeast corner. Pointed-headed door opening with compound moulded sandstone arch and splayed jambs housing double-leaf vertically-sheeted hardwood doors and plain masonry overpanel. Door opens onto sandstone platform and three steps.

South nave elevation is five bays wide with a timber-framed entrance porch to the right. Paired window openings have flush relieving arches rising from flush sandstone panels with sandstone impost blocks. Gabled entrance porch has terracotta tiled roof with roll-moulded terracotta ridge tiles and finial. Timber bargeboard and fascia with cast-iron guttering. Painted weather board to the gable with trefoil-headed timber framed windows to all sides set on chamfered sandstone sill and red brick wall with leaded glazing. Trefoil-headed door opening to the right cheek with double-leaf vertically-sheeted hardwood doors opening onto concrete universal access ramp.

Gabled rear elevation with lower gabled chancel projection having large pointed-headed window opening with curvilinear sandstone tracery window having leaded coloured glazing. Lower brick section to west with square-headed window and door opening to the north elevation having boarded up window and timber door.

North nave elevation is four bays wide with paired trefoil-headed window openings formed in chamfered sandstone with flush sills and leaded coloured glazing. To the northwest corner of the tower is a clasping canted brick stair projection with sandstone ashlar roof and wall to the upper section; three diminutive trefoil-headed window openings with leaded coloured glazing and splayed sills set on continuous string course.

Setting:
Set slightly back on the west side of Oldpark Road within its own site on a residential street. Enclosed to the road by low red brick wall with sandstone coping and decorative wrought-iron railings with two pairs of matching gates hung on red brick piers with saddleback sandstone capstones.

Roof: Natural slate / terracotta tiles
RWG: Cast-iron / replacement steel / uPVC
Walling: Red brick / sandstone
Windows: Original stone tracery / leaded coloured glazing

Historical information

The roots of this congregation can be traced to the influx of members of the Moravian Church to north and west Belfast in the mid to late 1800s as a result of the rapid industrialisation of Belfast. In 1890, meetings began to be held in a room in an Orange Hall in Huss Street and a Home Missionary was appointed. In 1893 a Moravian church/school was built in Perth Street. In 1905 the Irish District Conference of the Moravian Church agreed to look for an opening in another residential area of Belfast. This led to the acquisition of a site on the Oldpark Road and the construction of a new church. It was designed by James St John Phillips. Tenders were invited in October 1908. The contractor appointed was H. Laverty & Sons, Cambridge St, Belfast, and the cost of building the church was £3,000. It was built of brick with Giffnock stone dressings and an open timber ceiling. In 1930 Cliftonville Home Mission was recognised as a Moravian congregation. The church was damaged as a result of the Belfast Blitz in 1941, but afterwards repaired.

References

Primary sources

1. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, OS/6/2/60/4
2. NIEA, First Survey Card
3. NIEA, HB Records

Online sources
1. www.moravian.org.uk/index.php/uk-congregations-list-for-the-moravian-church/irish-district/cliftonville-belfast

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Free-standing asymmetrical gable-fronted red-brick church, built c.1909 to the designs of James St John Phillip. The Gothic Revival detailing is accompanied with Arts and Crafts elements, displaying the eclectic architectural style of the early twentieth-century. The church retains its original interior and fittings and most original external fabric. Set in a residential street, the church with its original red-brick and sandstone gate screen and wrought-iron railings, constitutes a important architectural feature on Oldpark Road and plays an important social function in the north and west Belfast Moravian church community.