Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/01/040

Address :
Ballinderry Middle Church Lower Ballinderry Road Brakenhill Glenavy Crumlin County Antrim BT28 2JH

Townland:
Ballykelly

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
20/03/1986 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
145/13

IG Ref:
J1508 6723

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Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

Gable-fronted double-height rendered church, dated 1668. Rectangular on plan facing west, set on an elevated site on the south side of Ballinderry Road Lower with a lych gate erected c.1902. Extensively restored and modified c.1902, including the replacement of the roof, the addition of a bell-cote, gallery and external steps. Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles set behind slightly raised moulded stone coping to either gable end and terminated in sandstone gable shoulder stones and carved skew corbels. Replacement iron guttering on iron brackets to exposed timber rafter feet and iron downpipes. Dry dash rendered walling. Square-headed window openings, modified c.1902, with timber-framed multi-pane arched fixed-pane lights having bulls-eye glazing. Gabled front west elevation is surmounted by a plain rendered bell-cote with sandstone coping, a square-headed bell arch with cast-iron bell and date stone below inscribed; '1668 1902'. A pair of oculi with spoked iron windows light the gallery to the upper level. Central square-headed door opening with moulded timber architrave surround on masonry plinth blocks housing a segmental-headed opening with a pair of raised and fielded timber panelled doors with iron furniture. North nave elevation is three windows wide and abutted to the west end by a stone staircase with rubblestone coping and arches below giving access to the gallery via a square-headed door opening with recessed diagonally-sheeted timber door adorned with decorative iron furniture. East gable has a single square-headed east window with five arched lights and a single transom. South nave elevation is two windows wide. Setting: Set on an east west axis on the south side of Ballinderry Road Lower on a landscaped elevated site containing many stone and marble grave markers and box-tombs dating from the late seventeenth-century to the present. Bitmac footpath leads from the front entrance to the lych gate. Lych gate erected c.1902, having a pitched terracotta tiled roof with terracotta ridge comb tiles, king-post trusses to the front and rear with arched trusses within, all supported on timber posts and a low rendered wall with sandstone saddle-back coping and pair of decorative sheeted timber gates with turned squat balusters. The cross member of the front truss has carved raised lettering stating; 'I.Am.The.Resurrection.And.The.Life'. To the east the vehicular entrance has a set of unusually designed cast and wrought iron gates supported on intricately detailed cast iron pillars. Roof Natural slate RWG Iron Walling Dry-dash render Windows Fixed-pane arched multi-pane

Architects

Fennell, William J

Historical Information

Ballinderry Middle Church appears on the first Ordnance Survey for the Ballinderry area in 1832. It is depicted as a small oblong building on the road between Lower and Upper Ballinderry where it is recorded by the name ‘Old Church.’ A small building by the church entrance may be an out office or gate lodge, however this is unclear; a graveyard is also included within the grounds. Although the church is not listed in the Townland Valuation, the contemporary Ordnance Survey Memoirs for the area (1833-38) state that the church measures 66 ft by 27 ft. Inside the church was capable of accommodating a congregation of 275 people. The writer stated that it was impossible to ascertain the date or cost of erection as ‘from its present appearance I conclude that it is many years since erected.’ At that time, the ‘Old Church’ was only used for burial services, due to the erection of Upper Ballinderry Church in 1824, and it was debated whether the church should be demolished or repaired. Unfortunately the Church was not repaired and fell into further neglect being recorded on the second Ordnance Survey map in 1857 as a ‘Church in ruins.’ The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation valued the Church at £6., a value which was maintained until the cancellation of the Annual Revisions in 1929. In 1902 the Church was extensively restored by William John Fennell, a Belfast based architect who was also responsible for restoring other religious structures such as the High Cross of Downpatrick (Irish Builder, Vol. 43, 27 Feb 1902, p. 1048). Brett states that Jeremy Taylor, the Bishop of Down, decided to erect Ballinderry Middle Church in 1666 to replace an older church in the parish, however, he died before its consecration in 1668. Taylor was a former Chaplain of King Charles I who was deprived of his living under Cromwell. Retiring to Wales he wrote two famous books ‘Holy Living’ and its follow up ‘Holy Dying.’ Taylor came to Ballinderry in 1658 to live with his patron, the Viscount Conway and resided there until he was installed as Bishop of Down with the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. With the restoration of the Anglican Church as the national church, Taylor was charged with depriving Covenanting Presbyterians in 36 parishes of their tithes and pulpits. He died aged 54 (Brett, p. 30). In 1791 work was carried out on the church roof replacing the original shingles with Aberdovey slates (Brett, p. 30). Bigger and the architect W. J. Fennell (who carried out the 1902 restoration of the church) tell us that in 1823 the new Parish Church of Ballinderry was planned to be built over the Middle Church, however, this plan was overruled and the Parish Church was constructed in Upper Ballinderry. In 1824 the Middle Church was abandoned for all except burial services and in 1834 the Church and graveyard were enclosed with an iron fence and gates. In 1869 the original 13 cwt church bell, cast by Sir George Raidon in 1681, was taken down and sold in Dublin for £6. 10s. 6d. In 1859 the Royal Arms of Charles II were removed from Middle Church and rehung in the Parish Church (Bigger and Fennell). In 1902 the Rector Canon Sayers, antiquarian F. J. Bigger and the Architect W. J. Fennell undertook a restoration of Ballinderry Middle Church under the patronage of Mrs Walkington who commissioned the work in remembrance of her late husband Samuel Walkington. As part of the restoration work the church was reroofed and the windows were re-glazed (Brett, p. 30; Kelly, p. 43). During this period the road between Upper and Lower Ballinderry was diverted and a new Lych gate was erected forming a new pathway from the main road (NIEA File). Craig states that the church is ‘rather an ordinary little building, moving us more by its illustrious associations and its box-pews and pulpit of oak rather than by much architectural character’ (Craig, p. 149). Brett does however admire the interior and prints an uncited quotation stating that ‘in no country church could better examples of the conditions under which worship was held three hundred years ago be found – the great family pews, high and uncomfortable, the old central pulpit in three stages rising one above the other; the wide stoned aisle, the small red-tiled chancel, and the bell-cot on the west gable.’ Kelly states that the oldest headstone in the adjoining graveyard dates from the 17th century (Kelly, p. 43). Although Bigger and Fennell state that it was moved to the Parish Church around 1824, Brett noted that an offering chest bearing the date 1706 resides within the Church, obviously having been returned at an unclear date. A wall cupboard (1668) and a hatchment bearing the arms of Jeremy Taylor are also situated within. In 1955 a new bell was given to the church by the Higginson family to replace the bell sold in 1861 (Brett, p. 30). Ballinderry Middle Church was listed B+ Category in March 1986. Kelly states that the church still possesses its original pew boxes and, in order to maintain the character of the old church, no electricity has been installed requiring services to be conducted by candlelight (Kelly, p. 43). References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/63 – Field Map c.1830 2. PRONI VAL/1/B/167 – Townland Valuation 3. PRONI OS/6/1/63/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832 4. PRONI OS/6/1/63/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1857 5. PRONI OS/6/1/63/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-1901 6. PRONI OS/6/1/63/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1921 7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/55 – Griffith’s Valuation 1859 8. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/8 A – Annual Revisions 1862-1863 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/8 B – Annual Revisions 1869-1881 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/8 C – Annual Revisions 1881-1894 11. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/8 D – Annual Revisions 1894-1912 12. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/8 E – Annual Revisions 1913-1929 13. Irish Builder Vol. 43, 27 Feb 1902, p. 1048 (Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/). Secondary Sources 1. Bigger, F. J; Fennell, W. J., ‘The Middle Church of Ballinderry and Bishop Jeremy Taylor’ Belfast: Marcus Ward & Co., Ltd. C. 1920s. 2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Antrim’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996. 3. Craig, M., ‘The architecture of Ireland: From the earliest times to 1880’ Dublin: Batsford Ltd, 1989. 4. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009. NIEA file – HB19/01/040. Online Resources Glenavy History: http://www.glenavyhistory.com/ (Genealogy website).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Gable-fronted double-height rendered church, dated 1668. A modest church structure on an elevated and unspoiled rural site extensively renovated in the early twentieth-century. The simple exterior houses a remarkably intact seventeenth-century interior complete with original oak furnishings. Now in occasional use, the church was salvaged from near ruin by architect William John Fennell whose interventions enhance the appearance of this important and rare mid - seventeenth century church.

General Comments

Date of Survey

07 December 2010