Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB03/05/015 B

Address :
Moore Memorial Hall Ballywatt Road Coleraine Co. Londonderry

Townland:
Ballywatt Leggs

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
25/05/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Hall

Former Use
Hall

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
13-7

IG Ref:
C9050 3585

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Owner Category

Church - Presbyterian

Exterior Description And Setting

An early-twentieth-century free-style detached blackstone church hall, dated 1910 and built to designs by Vincent Craig. Situated within the grounds of Ballywatt Presbyterian Church (HB03/15/005A), to the west side of the Ballywatt Road, east of Coleraine. Rectangular plan with single-storey canted projection to northeast, quadrant corner bay to re-entrant angle, gabled entrance porch to northwest and large modern L-shaped extension to southwest, similarly detailed as hall (of little interest). Pitched rosemary tiled roof with rounded ridge tiles, raised stone verges with plain finials and kneeler stones; octagonal chimneystack to northeast gable; broad ashlar sandstone chimneystack to southwest gable. Cast-iron cavetto moulded rainwater goods on projecting sandstone eaves. Walling is random squared rock-faced blackstone with ribbon pointing and red sandstone dressings; chamfered sandstone string course to tops a tall plinth at northeast elevation. Windows are bipartite mullioned leaded lattice with coloured glass, in chamfered blocked sandstone surrounds with chamfered sills (unless otherwise stated). Northeast elevation comprises gable abutted at ground floor by canted projection with hipped roof. Gable has wide, shallow, segmental-headed rectangular tracery window having three cusped-headed lights (that to centre is narrower). Projection has tripartite mullioned window with cusped heads. To re-entrant angle at left is the quadrant corner bay, spanned by mullioned four-pane segmental-headed windows. The southeast elevation has four sets of bipartite windows and is abutted at right by the gabled porch, opening to northeast. Porch has timber-sheeted entrance door in a pointed segmental-arched opening with chamfered blocked sandstone surround, accessed by three concrete steps. Above door is lozenge-shaped terracotta datestone in moulded surround, carved in high relief reading; “19/MOORE/MEMORIAL/HALL/10”. Cusped headed window to southwest elevation and bipartite cusped window to left cheek. The southwest elevation is abutted by modern L-shaped extension. The northwest elevation has six evenly-spaced bipartite windows with offset buttress dividing windows at far left and at north corner. Setting: Situated on a large site to the west side of Ballywatt Road, surrounded by farmland and bounded to road at east by roughcast rendered wall with roll-top coping. The site also incorporates Ballywatt Presbyterian Church (HB03/05/015A) which is situated to south and accessed via a set of concrete steps with modern metal handrails. To east is a granite obelisk memorial dedicated to three members of Ballywatt Presbyterian church who died during WWI. Modern metal swing gate to southeast. To southwest is a mid-twentieth century cement rendered single-storey hall (of little interest). Entrance at east from Ballywatt Road comprises original square red ashlar sandstone piers with tall polygonal caps on chamfered pedestal, supporting original cast-iron gates. Modern cattle-grid to entrance. Roof: Rosemary tiles Walling: Random squared rock-faced blackstone Windows: Leaded lattice with coloured glass RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Craig, Vincent

Historical Information

Ballywatt Presbyterian Church Hall, known as the Moore Memorial Hall, was constructed in 1910 to designs by Vincent Craig in a similar Art Nouveau style to the adjoining listed church that had been erected in 1895. The hall did not appear on the Ordnance Survey maps until the fourth edition in 1922-31; prior to this date the congregation had utilised a smaller hall located to the west of the church which had stood from, at the very least, 1904 and can be seen on the Ordnance Survey map of that year. The current church was first constructed in 1895 on the site of a previous meeting house dating from the 1830s; the earlier church was valued at £10, however with the construction of Vincent Craig’s Art Nouveau building in 1895 there was peculiarly no alteration to the value of the site which remained at £10. Even with the construction of the church hall to the north of Craig’s church in 1910, there was no alteration to the value of the site which remained at £10 until the cancellation of the Annual Revisions in 1930. It was not until the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland in 1935 that the hall was valued for the first time. In that year the hall was valued at £65 and was owned outright by the trustees of Ballywatt Presbyterian; the Hall’s value was increased to £76 by the end of the second revaluation in 1972. Ballywatt Presbyterian’s congregation can trace its origins to 1748 when members of the Ballyrashane congregation, along with members of nearby Roseyards and Derrykeighan, joined the Anti-Burgher Synod and formed a Seceder cause in the parish; however it was not until the 1830s that the first meeting house was built in the current townland (Kirkpatrick, pp 188-89). Walker states that during the Victorian period Presbyterian Church design predominantly followed classical standards; however ‘in some quarters church architecture began to follow trends in other aspects of the arts.’ Ballywatt Presbyterian Church and its adjoining hall is an example of the influence of the internationally fashionable Art Nouveau movement preferred by Vincent Craig (Walker, p. 43). Craig (1869-1925), the younger brother of James Craig (first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland), established his first practice in Belfast in 1891; his design for Ballywatt Presbyterian Church stressed an aesthetic approach over functionalism, a preference also seen in his plan for Portstewart Presbyterian Church erected between 1903 and 1905 (HB03/09/001). The builder contracted to carry out Craig’s design was R. Young of Ballymoney (Dictionary of Irish Architects). The hall (HB03/05/015B), located to the north of the church, was also designed by Vincent Craig in 1910; a datestone located on the wall of the church notes that the building is known as the Moore Memorial Hall. The church hall was named after a Ms. Harriet Moore; a memorial located within the building records that: ‘This hall has been erected to the memory of Miss Harriet Moore of Montreal in grateful recognition of her munificent request to the congregation of Ballywatt: 1910 A.D.’ The Moore Memorial hall was constructed of the same materials and carried out in an Art Nouveau style sympathetic to the adjoining church (Girvan, p. 6; p. 15). Ballywatt Presbyterian Church was listed in 1976 and since that time has underwent a major restoration project undertaken by J. S. Dunlop who re-roofed the building in rosemary tiles, replaced the leadwork, and repointed the masonry whilst completely redecorating the interior (J. S. Dunlop website). Ballywatt continues to be utilised as a place of worship and in 2006 possessed a congregation of approximately 166 families (Kirkpatrick, p. 189). In recent years a modern extension has been added to the church hall giving the building a distinct L-shaped plan. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/6/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1855 2. PRONI OS/6/1/6/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1904 3. PRONI OS/6/1/6/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1922-31 4. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/4A – Annual Revisions 1889-1904 5. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/4B – Annual Revisions 1905-1918 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/4C – Annual Revisions 1919-1923 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/21C– Annual Revisions 1923-1930 8. PRONI VAL/3/B/1/10 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 9. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/26 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72 10. First Survey Record – HB03/05/015 (1972) 11. Ordnance Survey map - 13-7 (1979) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Antrim’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996. 2. Girvan, W., ‘North Antrim: Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in North Antrim including towns of Portrush, Ballymoney and Bushmills’ Belfast, Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972. 3. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006. 4. Walker, S., ‘Historic Ulster Churches’ Belfast, The Institute of Irish Studies, 2000. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects website - http://www.dia.ie/ 2. J. S. Dunlop Website - http://www.jsdunlop.co.uk/

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

An early-twentieth-century free-style detached blackstone church hall, dated 1910 and built to designs by Vincent Craig. Situated within the grounds of Ballywatt Presbyterian Church (HB03/15/005A), to the west side of the Ballywatt Road, east of Coleraine. Architectural detailing is largely intact, and although a large extension has been attached to rear, it is sympathetically styled and does not degrade the character of the original building. A lively design, with elements typical of Vincent Craig’s style, including rosemary-tiled roof and quadrant corner bay, there is important group value with Ballywatt Presbyterian Church (HB03/15/005A), also designed by Craig. Together the church and hall make an important group, both being good examples of the work of a prominent Ulster architect and acting as a distinctive landmark in the surrounding landscape. Moore Memorial Hall makes a significant contribution to the architectural quality and character of the area and is of considerable local interest and social importance to the surrounding community.

General Comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply.

Date of Survey

21 September 2012