Newington Presbyterian Church Hall Limestone Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Gabled, double-height rustic red brick church hall, built in 1953 to the designs of Young & Mackenzie. Rectangular in plan, attached to Newington Presbyterian Church (HB26/48/010A) to north-east and six-bay single-storey building to south-west. Located on the south-east side of Robina street and forming part of a group of brick church buildings all enclosed by brick boundary wall.

Pitched slate roof having clay ridge tiles, overhanging eaves with stone verge on brick soldier course to eaves. Ogee moulded cast-iron guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Metal-framed rooflights to south-west and north-east. Rustic red brick chimney with rendered chamfered coping and terracotta pots. Raised parapet to south-west corner having flat coping. Flat roof to rear extensions with raised parapet and flat coping. Rustic red brick walling, two-stage brick plinth course. Square-headed openings having brick headers and painted sills with leaded coloured glazing inset, unless otherwise stated.

Front elevation faces north-west and is five-bay gable-fronted with raised parapet to south-west corner and attached on north-east side to adjoining Newington Presbyterian Church (HB26/48/010A). Square-headed entrance doors to north-east and south-west having cast-stone chamfered doorway surround with stepped head with having 'NEWINGTON CHURCH HALL' in raised copper lettering over. Pair of timber panelled and glazed entrance doors inset. Doors approached by flight of concrete steps extending to north-west having rustic red brick walling with concrete coping.

South-west elevation is rustic red brick and is attached to five-bay single-storey red brick building to south-west. Side elevation of stage-tower having red brick walling.

South-east elevation is gable-fronted with red and brown brick walling to main building and red brick walling of stage-tower. Series of square-headed openings to single-storey extension.

North-east elevation is attached to Newington Presbyterian Church (HB26/48/010A).

Setting:
Newington Church Hall is located on the south-east side of Robina Street and adjoins Newington Presbyterian Church (HB26/48/010A) to north-east having a series of red brick buildings located to the south-west, south and south east. Boundary wall to Robina Street has rustic red brick walling and artificial stone coping with decorative metal railings.

Building located to south-west is five-bay single-storey with flat roof having raised parapet and painted coping. Red brick walling with buttress to each bay having artificial stone copings; rendered band above buttress. Paired segment-headed window openings with painted stone sills and metal framed windows inset. Flat-roof entrance porch to north-east. Building has rock-faced coursed sandstone piers having decorative metal railings inset to west and south boundary. South-west elevation is two-bay.

Building to south is five-bay two-storey former school house having pitched slate roof on raised brick eaves course. Red brick walling to south-west having string course over window headers to ground floor. Rendered gable wall to south-east. Segment-headed openings red brick headers and stone sills having one over one timber sliding sash windows. Timber panelled entrance doors. Plaque with 'NEWINGTON CHURCH BUILDINGS 1897' carved in terracotta panel to south-west. Elevation to north-west adjoins six-bay single-storey building. Elevation to north-east adjoins single-storey community building.

Building to south-east is three-bay single-storey having pitch slate roof; red brick walling; square-headed openings having one over one timber sliding sash windows inset. Interior has exposed timber truss roof supported by steel tensile structure. Building is adjoining church hall to north-east.

Roof: Natural slate
RWG: Cast-iron
Walling: Brick
Windows: Leaded coloured glass

Historical information

Newington Church Hall, a post-war redbrick hall located off the Limestone Road, was constructed in 1953. The lecture hall was completed a year after the opening of the adjoining church. Newington Presbyterian Church is the second church to have been built on the current site as the first church structure was demolished in 1941 during the Belfast Blitz.

The Irish Builder records that the original church on the corner of the Limestone Road and Robina Street was constructed in 1874-75. The architects of the first church were Young & Mackenzie, a local partnership who the Dictionary of Irish Architects described 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.’ Young & Mackenzie designed the new church for the Presbyterian Church Building Society and the building work was carried out by Russell Brothers of Belfast and Newcastle. The Irish Builder notes that the original Gothic-style church measured 63ft by 40ft rising to a height of 50ft and was constructed of locally-quarried Dundonald red sandstone with Scrabo dressings and white string-courses. The construction of the church was estimated at £2,000 with the memorial stone laid by Sir. Edward Coey, a local magistrate, on 9th July 1874 (Irish Builder, p. 196; DIA). Newington Presbyterian Church was officially opened on 22nd August 1875 and was valued at £130 by the Annual Revisions in that year (although it was exempt from taxation). The valuer notes that the church also included a school house which was located to the south-west side of the building.

The first lecture hall was added to the building in 1886-87. Before it was demolished in 1941 the original lecture hall was valued at £25 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57). Newington Presbyterian Church and its lecture hall were completely destroyed by Luftwaffe bombs during the Belfast Blitz on 15-16th April 1941. Reconstruction of the buildings did not take place until a decade after the bombing. During this period the congregation met in a single-storey hall that was hastily made ready for services. The foundation stone of the current church was laid on 30th May 1951 by the Right Rev. J.H.R. Gibson, Moderator of the General Assembly. The new church was designed by Young & Mackenzie who submitted plans for a gabled red-brick church in a plain style with Messer F. B. McKee & Co. Ltd. contracted as builders. Larmour states that the firm also designed the contemporary Cavehill Methodist Church (HB26/44/067) which was designed in a similar ‘indeterminate style that was common just after the war, in which old and new were blended together’ (Larmour, p. 96). Newington Presbyterian church was officially opened on 20th September 1952. The adjoining Lecture Hall was also designed by Young & Mackenzie and was opened on 5th September the following year. The church and its church hall were jointly valued at £1,040 by the end of the Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72).

Newington Presbyterian Church continues to be utilised as a house of worship with the adjoining church hall used for various church functions. According to Kirkpatrick the membership of the church stood as approximately 300 families in 2006 (Kirkpatrick, pp 145-146).

Resources

Primary Sources
1. Presbyterian Historical Society – Newington Presbyterian Church File
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1931)
5. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/5-16 - Annual Revisions (1862-1905)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/H/2-5 – Annual Revisions (1906-1930)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/10- First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-72)
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/16 - Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
10. Irish Builder (15 July 1874)
11. Ulster Town Directories (1877-1943)
12. First Survey record – HB26/48/010 (No Date)

Secondary Sources
1. Johnston, T. M., ‘These fifty years 1876-1926: History of Newington Presbyterian Church’ Belfast: The Witness, 1926.
2. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006.
3. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987.
4. Lowry, T., ‘These hundred years: Newington Presbyterian Church 1876-1976’ Belfast: Newington Presbyterian Church, 1976.

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
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A five-bay single-storey brick church hall, built c.1955 to the designs of Young & Mackenzie on rectangular plan and attached to Newington Presbyterian Church(HB26/48/010A). The building retains its external and internal appearance and its original 'Art Deco' style doorways, stage area and leaded glass windows. It forms one of a group of structures surrounding Newington Presbyterian Church. The adjoining community hall was re-built by the local community and is of some technological interest due to the size of the concrete beams to the roof. The school house, dating from the first phase of buildings on site c.1897, to the south of the complex retains some original features including the roof structure which comprises of original timber trusses and later steel ties. The building has group value with the attached church and is of architectural, historic and social interest having served the local community since the mid-twentieth century.