Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/13/058

Address :
St Columba's Church of Ireland Knock King's Road Belfast Co. Antrim BT5 6JG

Townland:
Ballycloghan

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
31/01/2020 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130-15SE

IG Ref:
J3828 7360

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Freestanding double-height sandstone Gothic Revival Church of Ireland parish church, built 1896, extended 1900, 1930, 1964 and 1996, located on the south side of King’s Road, Knock, Belfast. Cruciform-plan with four-bay double-height clerestoried nave, transepts and lean-to-single-storey aisles, truncated square-plan three-stage tower to north-west having two-stage canted stair-tower with stone roof; there are projecting entrance porches to north of east elevation and transept of west elevation. Linked single-storey choir vestry annexe to east (built 1996). Generally pitched natural slate roofs, with terracotta ridge tiles and mixture of cast-iron and plastic profiled rainwater goods on cavetto moulded sandstone eaves over masonry animal grotesque corbels; uncapped sandstone chimneystacks to south of nave and vestry. Monopitched natural slate roof to aisles with cast-iron cyma recta moulded rainwater goods on cavetto sandstone eaves. Walling is rock-faced buff sandstone, laid in block and sneck with similar projecting plinth course under chamfered sandstone string course; staged buttressing to aisles, porches and gable ends. Gable verges have kneelers, decorative finials and skewputts. Windows are generally pointed-arched, arranged in groups of three, except where otherwise stated; all have chamfered sandstone surrounds and contain stained and leaded lattice lights. North and south windows have cusped tracery, and all gable apexes have foiled roundels, with the exception of the chancel. Principal elevation faces north and is gabled between tower to west and projecting porch to east, articulated by two-stage buttresses with stepped offsets and having Celtic cross masonry finial at apex. Central window rests on a moulded sill course. The tower has single pointed-arched windows with roundels to belfry stage, and staggered square windows to the stair-tower; upper stage of the stair tower is lit by three pointed-arched windows set in a smooth-faced ashlar sandstone frieze. East elevation is five bays wide to clerestory. Porch is lit to north cheek and is detailed with Celtic cross finial, skew table and kneeler stones to gable. Pointed-arched principal entrance to east comprising double-leaf multi-panelled timber doors in ordered ashlar sandstone surround with hoodmould having carved finials. South gable is abutted by the chancel, which is slightly lower, and detailed as the main body of the church with central group of cusped tracery stained glass windows over three masonry string courses. A rebuilt concrete chimneystack stands to west of chancel abutting vestry and rises from ground level to height of tower. West elevation is detailed as east, with vestry abutting south wall of western transept. Transept windows covered by metal grille. Vestry has singular window and entrance with shouldered lintel containing sheeted timber door accessed via sandstone staircase. Secondary entrance contained in porch abutting north wall of western transept (original entrance before 1900 extension); lintel and door match those of the vestry. Set on the south side of a leafy residential street, the church is bounded on both sides by trees and bushes. Recent vestry annexe (1996) with steep hipped roof and sandstone faced walls attached at east by link block. Small ‘Garden of Rest’ and large Edwardian Rectory (c. 1912) sit to the rear of the church while the front is enclosed behind a low hedge and grass lawn. East side has a small lawn but is predominantly paved, providing access to the Rectory, Church Hall (c. 1961) and choir vestry behind a set of decorative wrought-iron gates with cast-iron piers. Choir vestry is connected to east transept by wooden vestibule with decorative wooden panel walling and mixture of lead and uPVC roof. Vestry has pointed arched windows containing stained glass. Parking facilities are located at western side Roof: Natural Slate and terracotta Walling: Squared Sandstone Windows: Lead and stained glass RWG: Cast-iron and uPVC

Architects

Close, Samuel Patrick (

Historical Information

The townland of Ballycloghan, within which St. Columba’s Church is situated, remained predominantly rural until the arrival of the railway in 1850-51 opened the area up to suburban development. This was a gradual process at first, but one that accelerated greatly in the final decades of the century. The second valuation map of the area (which was annotated c.1865) depicts a rough outline of the future King’s Road cutting through fields, whilst the larger scale 1896 OS plan shows this thoroughfare populated with villas of various sizes, the transition to a suburban landscape practically complete. The new road itself was originally known as ‘Church Road’ and later as ‘Knock Church Road’ (in reference to Knock Presbyterian Church, erected 1874), but was changed to ‘King’s Road’ in 1901-1902 following the accession of King Edward VII. The congregation of St. Columba’s Church of Ireland has its origin in mission services that were held c.1884 in a school room located within an old mill near the site Knock railway station (to the southwest of the present site.) In 1886 Rev. Francis Graham, then Curate of Ballymacarrett, paid for the construction of a temporary corrugated-iron church building along the Church Road. Opened for worship on 17th November 1886, ‘Knock Iron Church’ was a simple gabled hall with tripartite lancet windows and a bellcote. In 1889 Rev. Graham built a residence for himself - ‘St. Columba’s House’ – on a plot to the immediate east; the latter is still in place, but the church itself was destroyed by the ‘Great Gale’ of 22nd December 1894. Immediately following the demise of the Iron Church, the select vestry agreed to raise subscriptions for the erection of a permanent structure on the same site. Designed by architect Samuel Patrick Close of Belfast, work on this had commenced by mid-1895; however, due to financial considerations, it was decided to construct the building in two phases. The first phase, which comprised the chancel, transepts and a single bay of the nave, was built by Courtney & Company, a local firm based in Rosetta Avenue, completed within approximately one year, and consecrated by the Bishop of Down and Connor on 13 June 1896. Following the clearance of the £4,000+ debt on this initial stage, construction of the remainder of the building (which amounted to the extending of the nave northwards by a further two bays), started in October 1899 and was completed in June the following year. Courtney & Company were again employed on this second part of the build, with the costs this time amounting to around £1,300. A tower to the north-western corner that been proposed by Close in his original 1896 plan was not put in place, the congregation finding the expense of the nave extension enough of a task in itself. In 1902 the organ was installed by Norman & Beard of Norwich at a cost of £726, and in 1913 the rectory was built to the immediate south of the church, Rev. Graham’s former residence to the east - which had never acted as a ‘rectory’ was such – having passed into private hands in the mid-1890s. By the 1920s the growing population of the area lead to calls for the extending of the church once again. Thus in 1930, following a grant of £2,000 from the General Synod and a fundraising campaign, plans were in hand to lengthen the nave and add a porch to the east and a tower to the west. These had been drawn up by Richard Close, the son of the original architect; but Richard’s designs, in an ironic parallel with those of his father, were never to be fulfilled in their entirety, rising costs dictating that the intended lofty tower never reached its full height. Work on the extension was completed in May 1932. According to the ‘Irish Builder’ of 2 April 1934, the nave was damaged in a fire sometime shortly before this date. Strangely, however, there seem to be no
references to this in the contemporary local newspapers, and a report of the church’s annual General Vestry meeting, which seems to have been held the following week 2 April (and during which parish finances were discussed), makes no mention of it. In 1937 major redecoration was carried out to the church, as part of which the current oak Reredos, stalls and panelling were installed as a memorial to the Canon Frederick Austin and his wife. Richard Close supplied the Celtic Romanesque designs. A church hall was constructed in 1961 on the site of the Rectory tennis lawn at the rear of the site. In 1964 a side chapel - the ‘Lady Chapel’ - was added to designs by Billy Dornan, a local architect who was a member of the congregation and honorary secretary of the Select Vestry. The organ was renovated at this time also and a new stained-glass window installed on the north aisle, dedicated to the first curate, the Rev. Francis Graham and his wife, Hester. In 1996, to coincide with the church’s centenary a new choir vestry, a small separate structure connected to the north transept of the church by a new side chapel and cloister, was constructed to replace a temporary structure. It was designed in a chapter house style by local architect Mr. A. Wright and was completed in time for the centenary celebrations along with a vibrant stained-glass west window by the firm of James Watson & Co. – depicting St. Columba as well the Four Evangelists - which replaced a plain glass opening. The two stained glass windows within the vestry itself were provided by St. Columba’s Mothers’ Union. The most recent work carried out to the church involved repairs to the external stonework, new heating and lighting and the creation of a garden of rest at the rear of the building. Interior renovation saw the west end redesigned to accommodate a coffee dock and bookcase while two rows of pews were removed to increase the size of a ‘gathering space’. The dedication of the rose window and the newly refurbished west end of the Church took place on 5th June 2016 when the congregation celebrated the church’s 120th anniversary. References - Primary Sources: 1 ‘Belfast News-Letter’, 15 June 1896 p.5, 25 June 1900 p.7, 24 May 1932 p.10, 11 October 1933 p.12, 9 April 1934 p.11 2 PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 Ordnance Survey Third edition map (1902) 3 PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 Ordnance Survey Fourth edition map (1920-1921) 4 PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 Ordnance Survey Fifth edition map (1931) 5 PRONI OS/27/147/2 Irish Grid 1:10,000 edition map (1962-1973) Secondary Sources 1 Rainsford, B & Hill, G., ‘An House Not Made With Hands’, (The Book Well: Belfast, 2016) 2 ‘Architectural description and History: St Columba’s Church of Ireland – Heritage Assessment’, (McCollum Conservation, November 2018) Online Sources: 1 https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/894/CLOSE%2C+SAMUEL+PATRICK [accessed 15 November 2019] 2 https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/898/CLOSE%2C+RICHARD+MILLS [accessed 15 November 2019] 3 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-street-directories [accessed 15 November 2019]

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form E. Spatial Organisation H-. Alterations detracting from building H+. Alterations enhancing the building J. Setting

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

St Columba’s Church of Ireland is a solid example of a Gothic Revival church. It is a large building, yet manages to assimilate into its suburban setting along the King’s Road, positively contributing to the King's Road Conservation Area. The history and construction of the church are of particular interest; first built in 1896 to replace an earlier ‘Iron Church’, the building was gradually extended as and when sufficient funds were gathered. Extensions to the main church building were to designs by Samuel Patrick Close, the original architect, but seen out by his son. This is certainly one of Samuel Close's better works, with a clear craft emphasis on the interior. The truncated tower is also seen at Trinity Presbyterian Church (HB23/05/009) in Bangor by the same architect. The interior retains its design integrity, displaying original fine craftsmanship. The simplified hammer beam roof, oak altar furniture, encaustic floor tiling and oak pews are original elements and the Neo-Romanesque reredos is unusual in its design. Later alterations including the refurbishment to the west end baptistery and construction of the choir vestry add to the interest and development of the parish church, the latter having been constructed in a sympathetic and appropriate style that does not detract from the main volume nor its surroundings. St. Columba’s has been a place of worship for the King’s Road community for over a century and continues to be of local interest both historically and architecturally.

General Comments

Date of Survey

03 October 2019