Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/169

Address :
Presbyterian Church 32 Townsend Street Belfast Co Antrim BT13 2ES

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
09/10/1985 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:
130-13NW

IG Ref:
J3320 7458

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Owner Category

Church - Presbyterian

Exterior Description And Setting

A free-standing gable fronted double-height asymmetrical French Romanesque style Presbyterian church, dated 1875, built to designs by Young and MacKenzie. Rectangular-on-plan facing east with central east-west aligned nave with north and south gallery nave arcades, entrance vestibule and double gallery stairwells at east. Single-storey extension at west containing ministers room and prayer room. Situated between the Lower Shankill and Lower Falls/Divis Street area of Belfast, to the west side of Townsend Street. Pitched natural slate roofs with blue/black clay ridge tiles; lead-valleys; stone verges supported on moulded skew-corbels; chimney at west verge; east verge supported by moulded corbel table; cast-iron ogee rainwater goods supported on exposed overhanging rafters. Walling is roughly coursed rock-faced red sandstone with ashlar dressings; gallery nave arcades have angle buttresses with offsets and projecting gablets. Nave windows at ground floor are paired cusped lancets with leaded glass; at gallery level windows are bi-partite segmental arched leaded lights with cusped oculus over, unless otherwise stated. The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrically arranged, comprising a central gabled bay abutted at ground floor with projecting gabled entrance comprising a multiple arcaded entrance consisting of five collonnettes with carved capitals and frieze supporting four torus moulded segmental arches, inner arch has a carved leaf detail, outer collonnettes surmounted by gablets. Central granite collonnette divides paired timber panelled timber doors. Tympanum is carved with carved oculus at centre containing the open bible at centre and the burning bush at right and left. Carved inscription on tympanum reads; GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST/AND/ON EARTH PEACE GOODWILL TOWARD MEN. Entrance flanked by diminished segmental arched window with tours moulded architrave and splayed sill. Surmounting principal entrance is a Lombardy frieze located below a moulded stringcourse with fleuron detailing; surmounted by large paired leaded stained glass windows, each comprising three segmented arched lancets with seven oculus lights over contained within a double segmental arched architrave supported on paired collonnettes. Paired windows surmounted by oculus over containing trefoil. Tower at north-east detailed as central nave with bellcast pyramidal roof, set back angle buttresses with ashlar offsets, shafts continuing to roof. East elevation contains entrance at ground floor with two blind oculus over, second stage contains paired segmental arched windows, third stage is blank. Entrance comprises a double segmental arched entrance consisting of paired collonnettes with carved capitals supporting two torus moulded segmental arches, inner arch has a carved leaf detail, arches surmounted by segmental arched hoodmould with head-stops, moulded tympanum. Tower at south-east detailed central nave; east elevation is detailed as north-east tower at first and second stage; second stage surmounted by pyramidal roof behind parapet Lombardy frieze with attached pinnacled clasping buttresses. Triple entrances at east all accessed via five masonry steps which run the entire length of the east elevation, replacement handrails at centre. South elevation is six windows wide with south-east tower attached at right. Each bay contains a single window at ground floor and gallery level, bays divided by set back angle buttresses with ashlar offsets and gablets projecting through roof. Tower south elevation is as east with paired windows (diminished) at half-landing level at left, single window at right. Entrance porch abuts nave second bay from left. Entrance porch is detailed as nave with pitched natural slate roof and stone verges, replacement rainwater goods, segmental arched opening at east and west with ovolo moulding, flooring is polychromatic geometric floor tiles, double timber panelled doors access the nave. West elevation comprises triple gables abutted at ground floor by a curved single-storey lean-to extension. Gallery nave arcade gables contain a single window. West extension contains a replacement glazed timber panelled door with two timber sashes at left, three timber sashes at right, timber panelled door at south accesses the boiler house via two masonry steps. North elevation with entrance porch is detailed as south with some replacement rainwater goods. Setting: Townsend Presbyterian Church is situated on the 'Peace-line' between the Lower Shankill and Lower Falls/Divis Street area of Belfast. It is also sited beside the main cross-city motorway and is 5-10 minutes walk from the city centre. Former School House is located at west, memorial hall at south dated 1939-1945; car park at north is enclosed at north by rendered walling, church ground enclosed at east by cast-iron railings with the initials JH on decorative cast-iron piers. Roof: Natural Slate RWG: Ogee cast-iron Walling: Roughly coursed rock-faced Windows: Various leaded lights

Architects

Young & Mackenzie

Historical Information

Townsend Street Presbyterian, a Gothic Revival Church with Romanesque elements, was constructed in 1876-78 replacing an earlier meeting house that had stood on the same site since 1833 and was depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map in that year as an oblong-shaped building on the western outskirts of Belfast town (providing the street name). There had been little alteration to the layout of the Presbyterian Meeting House by the second edition of the maps in 1858, however the map recorded that the western development of Belfast in the intervening years had resulted in the construction of housing in the area surrounding the church. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1860) recorded that the original Presbyterian Church, along with its sexton’s house, was valued at £200. The Belfast Newsletter states that the current church was opened on the 13th October 1878 after approximately £10,000 had been expended upon its construction. The church was constructed to designs by Young & Mackenzie, an architectural partnership formed between Robert Young and his former pupil John Mackenzie in 1867/68; the Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that ‘by the beginning of the twentieth century Young & Mackenzie had developed the most successful architectural practice in Belfast ... [becoming] the leading architects for the Presbyterian Church in the North-East and also receiving some of the most important commercial commissions in the city.’ When originally completed Townsend Street Presbyterian Church lacked its current tower which was added prior to 1901; the builder contracted to realise Young & Mackenzie’s design was a Mr. William McCammond who carried out construction utilising Scrabo Freestone (Belfast Newsletter; Dictionary of Irish Architects). When completed Townsend Street Presbyterian Church was valued in the Annual Revisions at £200, the same rate as its predecessor; it was not until the Belfast Revaluation in 1900 that the church was increased in value to £320; in that year the valuer noted that the church was installed with gas fittings and possessed a schoolhouse to its rear (see HB26/50/196B) that was built at the same time as the church in 1876-78 and was valued at £80, as well as a two-storey sextons house (now demolished) that was valued at £16. The third edition of the Ordnance Survey map for Belfast records that the current square-shaped bell tower had been added to the church prior to 1901-02, contributing towards the increase in the value of the building; also the map first depicted the schoolhouse to the rear of the church (now utilised as the church hall). There was no further alteration to the value of the site by the end of the Annual Revisions which were cancelled in 1930, however in 1935 the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland increased the church’s rating to £580; the rear schoolhouse, by that time being utilised as the church hall, was revalued at £80. Between 1930 and 1931 John MacGeagh (1901-1985), a Belfast-based architect, had carried out a number of alterations to the rear schoolhouse converting the structure into a lecture hall and venue for congregational events; the alteration work was contracted to Cairn Bros. of Kandahar Street, Belfast (Irish Builder, p. 563; p. 688). Townsend Street Presbyterian remarkably emerged unscathed from the 1941 Belfast Blitz and after the end of the Second World War was included in the second revaluation of Northern Ireland; by the end of the scheme in 1972 the joint value of the church and its hall stood at £1,600. Kirkpatrick states that the original meeting house on the current site was officially opened in 1835 (two years after its construction), the congregation was an extension of Fisherwick Presbyterian Church (HB26/17/014) which had been established in 1828 but was overwhelmed by the growing population of the Smithfield area. The current building was opened in 1878 during the incumbency of the Rev. William Johnston (1818-1894), a twice appointed Moderator of the General Assembly who served his congregation for 45 years; Kirkpatrick states that the Rev. Johnston ‘was the acknowledged leader of the General Assembly in the 1870s, and the congregation of Townsend Street grew very significantly under his ministry’ resulting in the need to construct an enlarged meeting house to accommodate an expanding flock. The current church, when first opened, could accommodate a congregation of 1,400 (Kirkpatrick, pp 154-55). Presbyterian Church design underwent marked development during the mid-19th century away from the established classicism of the Georgian period to designs incorporating the innovative elements that characterised Victorian experimentation. The Presbyterian Church had resisted, and was late to adopt, the new stylistic methods of the period; Brett states Townsend Street Presbyterian Church is ‘a good example of the dilemma facing the old-fashioned Presbyterian’ as it, stylistically, is ‘a remarkable mongrel of a church,’ the facade and cathedral-Gothic doorway are fine [but] the side view less impressive, largely because of the clumsy way in which the buttresses protrude through the roofline. The tower rather aspires to be a spire, but funks it at the last minute.’ Brett noted the disparities of style could also be viewed on the inside, the interior he described as ‘a very tall and broad Georgian preaching-house [in style], with a curved rear wall and seating arrangements like those of a continental parliament’ (Brett, p. 51). Larmour states that the church is notable for its Romanesque French triple doorways and, like many of Young & McKenzie’s designs, the interior has been galleried on three sides (Larmour, p. 46). The interior’s stained glass windows were installed in two stages, in 1913 and 1921-22 by Ethel Rhind (1878-1952), a Dublin-based mosaic and stained glass artist who was a pupil of Alfred Child (Dictionary of Irish Architects). Townsend Street Presbyterian Church was listed in 1985. During the Troubles the church, situated at an interface between Divis Street / Lower Falls Road and the Shankill Road, experienced a drop in attendance figures, this was compounded by the redevelopment of the area and the construction of the Westlink A12 road in 1981-83 which further isolated the church from its congregation. However, despite these challenges the congregation of Townsend Street Presbyterian has continued to meet at the site, the current attendance stands at approximately 160 families (Kirkpatrick, p. 154). 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/7/5F-G – Griffith’s Valuation 1860 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/E/1-24 – Annual Revisions 1862-1930 8. PRONI VAL/7/B/12/5 – Belfast Revaluation 1900 9. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/18 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 10. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/37 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72 11. Belfast Newsletter (30 Sept 1878) 12. Irish Builder, Vol. 72 (21 June 1930; 2 Aug 1930) 13. Belfast Street Directories (1861-1943) 14. First Survey Image – HB26/50/169 (No Date) 15. Ordnance Survey map – 130-13NE (1959-60); 130-13NW (1960) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985. 2. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006. 3. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects website - 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

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

A free-standing gable fronted double-height asymmetrical French Romanesque style Presbyterian church, dated 1875, built to designs by architects Young and MacKenzie. The former lecture hall, school house and sexton's residence to the rear (HB26/50/169B) was designed along with the church. The elaborate triple entrance at east comprising three stage tower at north-east and two stage tower at south-east form part of an inposing and decorative façade. Much historic fabric and detailing survive, including the rich interior with original leaded cusped windows by Ethel Rhind and gallery nave arcades supported on cast-iron colums with gothic capitals, making this a church of significant architectural merit. A notable incumbent was the Rev. Henry Johnston, who was prominent in the Church. This is a fine example of the type surviving in original condition and of the work of a notable practice. The church and former school make an imposing group and together represent the development of Presbyterianism in the City.

General Comments

To be renumbered as HB26/50/169A

Date of Survey

18 October 2012