Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/41/014

Address :
Holy Trinity C of I Church Ballysillan Road Belfast Co.Antrim

Townland:
Old Park

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
24/03/2016 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
129-8

IG Ref:
J3147 7737

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A double-height gabled late Gothic Revival style English garden wall bond red brick church with reconstituted stone detailing, built in 1954-6 to designs by local architect E.P. Lamont. Rectangular plan from orientated NE-SW, with a projecting entrance porch with basement level to SW, double height central nave with single storey narrow side aisles, gabled chancel projecting to NE with small vestry abutted to its E and large three stage square tower with corner pinnacles situated to W. The church is situated in its own grounds to the NE of the junction between Ballysillan and Old Park roads. Pitched and gabled natural slate roof to nave set behind raised parapet with reconstituted stone roll top coping and terracotta roll top ridge tiles. Crenellated parapet with flat roof and corner pinnacles to tower. Roof discharges to original cast iron square section hoppers and downpipes with trefoil headed brackets. Front elevation Gabled elevation with corner buttresses to nave and side aisle. Central projecting flat roofed single storey porch with basement level houses main entrance to church accessed via a flight of concrete steps flanked by steel railings arising from square red brick piers at base of steps; cast iron lampposts to pier tops. Perpendicular style main door with recessed pointed arch opening set within in square-headed surround; opening recessed by archivolt with three flanking collenettes. Trefoil moulding to spandrel; corbel stops to hood mould and double-leaf timber door hung with six horizontal panels. Gabled nave pierced by large central Perpendicular tracery window similar to main window of chancel with additional storm glazing fitted and having hood mould with corbel stops. NE elevation Dominated by large central chancel window within a four centred reconstituted stone arch surround; multifoil lights to top, trefoil lights to upper stage; two foil lights to lower stages of window and wire mesh screen in place. Tower set back to NW side of chancel with small square-headed doorway at GF, two-foil headed light to second stage and Perpendicular louvered tracery at bell stage. Small pitched and gabled vestry projects from chancel to SE with small abutting porch housing square-headed bevelled edge reconstituted stone door surround; nine panel timber door. Corner buttresses to vestry and porch. NW elevation Viewed from the Ballysillan Road to the NW having a six bay nave with perpendicular tracery windows situated above corresponding bays of single-storey side aisles. Windows to nave have six lights divided by two mullions and one transom; set within depressed pointed arch with trefoil headed upper lights and coloured leaded glazing. Side aisle has paired windows with two two-foil window lights set within square-headed reconstituted stone surrounds. Each bay is divided by stepped buttresses, with angle buttresses to SW corner. Raised parapet with reconstituted coping and string course to roof of nave, chancel, side aisle and projecting flat roofed porch to SW. Large three stage square tower to NE. Tower has a small two-foil headed light to second stage, corner buttresses and louvered pointed arch opening at bell stage; crowned by a crenellated parapet with large corner pinnacles. Deep string course demarks bell stage. Chancel has a single Perpendicular tracery two light window to NE of tower and corner buttresses. SE elevation Similar to principle elevation with six bay nave having large Perpendicular style tracery windows and simple double windows with two two-foil lights to side aisle; each bay divided by buttresses. Chancel to right with projecting gabled vestry having tracery window and small flat roofed porch with two leaf timber door abutted to left of vestry and smaller porch abutted to right. Side of main flat roofed projecting entrance porch and steps to church located to left of facade. Nave has small square-headed two light window to basement level at first bay from left. Setting Located to the NE of the junction between the Ballysillan and Old Park Roads the principle entrance to the church is from Old Park Road through a set of iron gates hung on square section red brick piers. Tarmaced drive leads to steps of main entrance porch. Vehicular access also from Heylake Park entrance to SE where ramp provides disabled access to building; pedestrian gate located to the NW boundary. Red brick two storey rectory, with private garden, and red brick church hall to raised ground N & NE of church. Area around church is set to lawn with some established trees and hedging to boundary. Roof: natural slate with terracotta roll top ridge tiles RWGs: Square section cast iron Walling: English garden wall bond red brick with reconstituted stone dressings Windows: Perpendicular tracery windows with leaded coloured glazing

Architects

Lamont, E P

Historical Information

Holy Trinity Church of Ireland, a red-brick late Gothic Revival-style church located at the corner of the Old Park and Ballysillan Roads, was constructed in 1954-56. The church was the second house of worship to be built for the parish following the destruction of the original church during the Belfast Blitz of 1941. The original Holy Trinity Church was simply known as Trinity Church and was consecrated on 17th January 1843. The first church was located on Unity Street (now redeveloped but originally located off Clifton Street) and was depicted as a rectangular-shaped building on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1858). The church was designed by Sir. Charles Lanyon for the Church Accommodation Society and a photograph of the building (taken following the Belfast Blitz) shows that it was a Gothic-style structure which possessed a large bell tower and ornate lancet windows. The Belfast Street Directories note that Trinity Church possessed two National Schools (which flanked the building) and a rectory which was located on Cliftonpark Avenue (Brett, p. 29; BSD). The original church was reduced to a shell as a result of the bombing of Belfast by the Luftwaffe on 15th April 1941. The national schoolhouses, along with the majority of the neighbouring houses on Trinity Street and Unity Street were also flattened as part of the attack. Costecalde and Walker record that in 1943 the decision was made to relocate the parish of Trinity Church to the Joanmount district of Belfast, an interwar housing development that had been laid out in the 1930s. The parish congregation initially met at St. Bride’s Church Hall (originally built for St. Mark’s Parish Church at Ballysillan) and it was not until the 1950s that the current parish church was built (Costecalde and Walker). Holy Trinity Church was designed by E. P. Lamont, a local architect who the Dictionary of Irish Architects notes was active between the 1930s and 1960s. Lamont possessed business premises on Shaftesbury Square and later collaborated with Anthony F. Lucy on the redesign of St. James’s Church Hall (Antrim Road) in 1957. The foundation stone of the new building was laid on 1st May 1954 and the church was consecrated on 26th May 1956. The local firm of D. McCune & Son were responsible for the construction of the new church. The church hall, located to the east side of Holy Trinity, was also designed by Lamont and was erected in 1963 (Irish Builder, p. 693; p. 233; DIA). Holy Trinity Church possesses a number of memorials to the original church of 1843. Chief amongst these is the original bell which had been put into storage following the Belfast Blitz and was reinstalled in the square tower of the current building in 1954-56. The bell dates from 1844 and was cast by Messers C. & G. Mears of London. Charles and George Mears were the Master Founders at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (currently the oldest manufacturing company in the United Kingdom) which was also responsible for casting the Liberty Bell, which became a symbol of American Independence (1752), and the bell known as ‘Big Ben’ at the Palace of Westminster (1858). The church possesses two impressive stained glass tracery windows. The west window was installed in memory of William and Sarah Wilson who had been instrumental in funding the construction of the original Trinity Church in 1843. The east window replaced a memorial window at Trinity Church that was lost in the Blitz but which had been originally installed in memory of Martha and Mary Jane Hind of The Lodge (prominent members of the early congregation). The architect of these stained glass windows is unknown. Holy Trinity Parish Church and its church hall were first included in the Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) which set the total rateable value of the site (exempt from taxation) at £1,040. The church continued to be utilised as a house of worship during the Second Survey. In the early-1990s the parish was expanded to include Joanmount, following the deconsecration of St. Silas’s church, and is now known as Holy Trinity and St. Silas’s Parish (Costecalde and Walker). Resources Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858) 2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02) 3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1931) 4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938) 5. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/5 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 6. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943) 7. Irish Builder (28 Jul 1956; 30 Mar 1963) 8. First Survey Record – HB26/41/014 (No Date) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985. 2. Costecalde, C; Walker, B., ‘The Church of Ireland: An illustrated history’ Belfast: Booklink, 2013. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Whitechapel Foundry website - http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

A large red-brick gabled late Gothic-Revival church in a Perpendicular style with six bay nave, three storey square tower and projecting chancel abutted by vestry, built in 1954-6 to designs by local architect E. P. Lamont. Rectangular plan form orientated NE-SW with main entrance through centralised porch in SW gable. Situated within its own grounds along the Ballysillan and Old Park Roads the building exterior is impressive with its characteristic English bond red-brickwork and contrasting reconstituted stone detailing adding much to its style and visual impact. Internally, the building retains its original plan form and the majority of original detailing survives, including some elements such as its bell dated 1844 which was cast by the renowned Messers C. & G. Mears of London and salvaged from the earlier Trinity Church destroyed during WW11. Overall this is a building of local historical and social significance which survives largely unaltered both internally and externally, displaying the original intentions of its architect and making a positive contribution to the local area.

General Comments

Date of Survey

13 October 2014