Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/30/031 A

Address :
May Street Presbyterian Church May Street Belfast County Antrim BT1 4NU

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
A

Date of Listing:
11/03/1988 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:
130/13 SE

IG Ref:
J3402 7393

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Owner Category

Church - Presbyterian

Exterior Description And Setting

Attached double-height Presbyterian Church, dated 1829, built to designs by local architect William Smith, located to the south side of May Street, to the east of Belfast city centre. Rectangular-on-plan; abutted to south by, from left; two-storey hipped return, three-storey hipped return, lower three-storey stairwell and further three-storey hipped return (abutted to rear elevation of church hall HB26.30.031B). Roof is hipped natural slate with leaded hips behind stone cornice and parapet. Walls are flemish bonded red brick with painted stone quoins all over red sandstone plinth; block-marked rendered walling to south elevation of returns. Windows are square-headed timber framed containing leaded stained glass at ground floor; round-arched-headed at first floor; all within painted moulded sandstone reveals; windows to return are square-headed timber framed 3/3 sliding sashes; unless otherwise stated. Principal elevation faces north and comprises, to centre, pedimented portico consisting of four painted sandstone fluted columns with angle-capitals framing double-height recessed porch supporting triangular pediment with moulded architrave and dentil mouldings; at left and right, bays framed by engaged pilasters with angle-capitals supporting continuous moulded architrave with dentil mouldings and moulded entablature; all over moulded plinth course. Porch contains three square-headed entrances, each containing double timber panelled entrance doors within painted moulded lugged architrave flanked by engaged pilasters surmounted by moulded console brackets supporting projecting moulded cornice. At first floor, plaster moulded string course surmounted by plaque with moulded surround over each entrance. West elevation is six windows wide; continuous moulded sill course to first floor windows. South elevation (rear) is abutted by returns. Exposed sections at left and right each contain single window. Lower two-storey return at left contains single square-headed opening (blocked) at ground floor, square-headed door opening at lower ground floor; west elevation contains single steel framed window at lower ground and ground floor. Three storey return contains three square headed openings at ground and first floor; single door opening at lower ground floor. Lower three storey stairwell contains single doorway at lower ground floor right, single square-headed window opening at ground and first floor left. Three storey return at right (abutting HB26.30.031B) contains, at lower ground floor, door opening flanked at right by two square-headed windows; at ground floor, three round-arched-headed timber framed 1/1 sliding sash windows with margin lights; at first floor, three windows; east elevation blank. East elevation is abutted at ground floor by single-storey church hall (HB26.30.31B); exposed section at first floor contains six windows with continuous moulded sill course. Setting Church set within own grounds on restricted site with church hall attached to east (HB26.30.031B). Site is bounded to May Street at north and Alfred Street to west by painted rendered plinth wall with painted sandstone coping surmounted by cast iron railings, accessed through three sets of double-leaf cast-iron gates supported on decorative openwork piers surmounted by iron lanterns; church entrance accessed via seven stone steps. Rear entrance to lower ground floor accessed directly from Little May Street. Roof: Hipped natural slate Walling: Flemish bonded red brick over painted sandstone plinth Windows: Timber framed containing leaded stained glass; timber framed sliding sash to returns RWG: Cast-iron half-round gutters and round downpipes

Architects

Smith, William

Historical Information

May Street Presbyterian Church first appears on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey maps for Belfast in 1832-33 which depicts it as a rectangular shaped building on the south side of May Street (at that time May Street formed the southern limit of Belfast’s town centre). McComb records that May Street Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1829 to designs by William Smith; Smith, who was active in the 1820s and 1830s also designed the Belfast Savings Bank on King Street in the same year. The builder who undertook construction was a Mr. John Brown who was originally contracted for £4,400, however additions to the design of the church resulted in an estimated overall construction cost of £6,500 although Lewis states that the actual cost was closer to £9,000. The church was constructed for the Rev. Henry Cooke who conducted the opening service on 18 October 1929 (Lewis; McComb). Griffith’s Valuation indicates that the adjoining hall (HB26/30/031B), which was originally used as a schoolhouse, had been constructed by 1859. In that year the Church and its adjoining hall were valued at a total of £300; the valuer described the building as an A Class Church (‘Not Cut Stone’) which measured 24 by 22 yds and also possessed a library and committee room (which were located in the adjoining hall). The value of the church remained at £300 until 1906 when the church and its hall were valued separately for the first time, the church’s value recalculated at £280. In 1915 the value of the church was increased to £310; this increase was due to the conversion of the basement of the church into a lecture hall and classroom between 1911 and 1915; the value remained at this rate until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930 (Irish Builder, Vol. 55, 7 Jun 1913, p. 383). The government undertook the first general revaluation of property in Northern Ireland in 1935 at which time the combined value of the church and its hall was recalculated at £610. A second revaluation took place from 1956 by which time the value had increased mainly through inflation to £1,350, however this was reduced to £1,080 under the 1957 Rent and Valuation Act. Brett states that Presbyterian Churches prior to the 19th century were plain unadorned meeting houses. May Street Presbyterian is an early example of the move away from these barn churches when Presbyterian Church design became influenced by classical features. Brett praised May Street’s design, which incorporated a classical pediment and Ionic columns which ‘represents the highest point of this admirable tradition’ (Brett, p. 51). In his history of the first century of May Street Presbyterian Church, John Williamson records that the building was the fourth Orthodox Presbyterian Church erected in Belfast and was specially built for the Rev. Henry Cooke who ministered there for almost 40 years. Henry Cooke (1788-1868) was the most prominent leader of the Presbyterian Church in the early and mid-19th century. Cooke was outspoken in his opposition to Arian beliefs (which were prevalent within Presbyterianism at the time) and was a gifted speaker and debater famously drawing packed crowds to his sermons at May Street. May Street Presbyterian was constructed in 1829 on reclaimed land let by Henry Joy, who owned much of the land south of May Street; it was designed to accommodate a congregation of 1,700. Construction costs left the church heavily in debt and it was not until 1853 that the full balance due was paid. The first major alteration to the church came in 1858-59 when the adjoining Hall was constructed on vacant ground to the east side of the church; this was designed by John Boyd (d. 1895) who designed many churches and schools in Ulster from the 1850s. The hall was originally used as a schoolroom and possessed a two-storey library and committee room (Builder, Vol. 16, 11 Sept 1858, p. 615; Dictionary of Irish Architects). The Rev. Samuel MacIntosh was appointed incumbent minister after the death of Henry Cooke on 13 December 1868. Under McIntosh extensive renovations were carried out on the church (by John Boyd) during which the coffered timber ceiling, new heating apparatus and the Henry Cooke Memorial gateway were added. The current pulpit was also added under the series of renovations in 1872; this was an enlargement of Henry Cooke’s original pulpit and was altered again in 1885 when the platform around the pulpit was enlarged to provide an area for the church choir (Williamson). Patton records that May Street Presbyterian Church was the meeting place of the Presbyterian General Assembly for 60 years until Church House was completed in 1903 (Patton, p. 229). The next phase of alterations took place at the turn of the century under the Rev. D. Patterson when the current pipe organ was donated by Sir. James H. Halett to the church in 1903; prior to this gift worship in May Street had not been unaccompanied by any music. A decade later the basement beneath the church was converted into a lecture Hall and classroom (the basement was formerly utilised as the church’s private cemetery); a second pipe organ, by J. J. Bramley of Leeds, was installed in the basement hall around the same time. Further alterations under the Rev. Patterson included the installation of electric lighting for the first time, the total cost of the refurbishment amounted to around £3,000. 227 members of May Street’s congregation fought in the First World War and in 1919 the War Memorial Tablet including their names (40 of whom died in the war) was unveiled by Sir. James Craig, leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force before the war and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (Williamson, pp 17-137). During the Second World War May Street Presbyterian received minor damage in the 1941 Belfast Blitz, however due to the vigilance of firewatchers assigned to the building the church survived the conflict intact. There were few changes to the church during the period of the war, when services were limited; however the current Baptismal font dates from 1943. The end of the war allowed the church to undertake a much needed renovation of the building; in 1951 the lecture hall beneath the church was reconstructed and a new heating and lighting system was installed throughout. In 1953 new choir stalls were purchased and a remembrance table dedicated (designed by a Mr. Boyd Scott). Not long after this refurbishment dry rot was discovered in the roof timbers and walls of the church requiring a repair project which cost £27,000 and was carried out 1963 64. During periods of civil unrest, May Street Presbyterian Church was frequently targeted with much of its original glazing being lost; protective screens were installed on the windows facing Alfred Street in 1974. However, the church’s windows to the rear of the building were badly damaged when a bomb exploded in Alfred Street in 1977. It was during this backdrop that May Street celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1979; in that year the church was given the award by the NI Amenity Council for the best kept building in central Belfast, the first time a church had been granted the honour. In 1984 further repairs were carried out on the church and in 1988 May Street Presbyterian was listed along with its adjoining hall (Torney, pp 17-82). May street Presbyterian Church has continued to operate for over 180 years and is historically significant as the church of the Rev. Henry Cooke for which it has become a tourist attraction in the centre of Belfast; however the church also continues to reinvent itself as the conversion of the former hall in the basement into a cafe c. 2005 shows (May Street Presbyterian Church Website). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1832-33 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/2/B/7/1A – Griffith’s Valuation 1859 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/1 – Annual revisions 1863-1881 8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/24 – Annual revisions 1882-1905 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/35 – Annual revisions 1897-1905 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/P/4 – Annual revisions 1906-1915 11. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/P/8 – Annual revisions 1916-1930 12. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/22 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 13. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/52 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-1972 14. Lewis Topographical Dictionary (1837) 15. McComb’s Presbyterian Almanac and Christian remembrance (1841) 16. Builder, Vol. 16, 11 Sept 1858 17. Belfast Street Directories (1861) 18. Irish Builder, Vol. 55, 7 Jun 1913 Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friars Bush Press, 1985. 2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. 3. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 4. Torney, C. R., ‘Through the years in a city centre congregation 1929-1987: May Street Presbyterian Church’ Belfast: Unknown Publisher, 1987. 5. Williamson, J., ‘May Street Presbyterian Church centenary: A history of the congregation’ Belfast: The Linenhall Press, 1929. 6. First Survey Record – HB26/30/031A (1988) Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. May Street Presbyterian Church Website - http://www.maystreetchurch.co.uk

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance Z. Rarity V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

May Street Presbyterian Church is a good example of a church with a classical façade, built to designs by architect William Smith and completed in 1829. The church occupies a prominent city centre location to the south side of May Street in Belfast city. Essentially of classical character and proportions, the buildings architectural fabric is largely intact with a well-preserved interior. The grand portico and fluted Ionic columns ensures that the church has a fitting entrance from street level. The railings to the front contribute positively to the setting and are integral to the overall appearance of the church. There is group value with the adjoining Presbyterian Church hall (HB26/30/031B). Of significant historical and architectural interest, the church plays an significant role in the social history of Belfast city, and remains a focal point for the Presbyterian community in the city. .

General Comments

Date of Survey

15 April 2011