Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/46/015

Address :
St Peter's Church of Ireland Antrim Road, Belfast Co.Antrim BT15 5GH

Townland:
Ballyaghagan

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
25/11/1987 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:
130-5

IG Ref:
J3329 7816

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Free-standing Gothic Revival church dating from 1898 to designs by architect S.P. Close and constructed by the firm Henry Laverty & Sons. Rectilinear plan set on a west-east axis having side aisles to north and south, projecting gabled sanctuary to east dating from 1900, projecting gabled entrance porch to south and chapel to north dating from 1932, single-storey extension to north and single-storey rendered church hall to north-east built in 2007. The church is set within its own grounds at the corner of Antrim Road and Fortwilliam Drive. Pitched natural slate roof with black clay roll-top ridge tiles. Raised stone verges with sandstone kneelers and splayed roll-top copings. Stone finials on apex stones to various designs. Moulded cornice supporting uPVC ogee guttering discharging to uPVC rectangular-section downpipes. Lean-to roof to aisles. Squared and snecked rock-faced sandstone walls with raised chamfered plinth course, diagonal buttresses having stepped splayed copings. Pointed arch traceried window openings with smooth ashlar chamfered surrounds, moulded hoods on square label stops with rock-faced headers over, splayed sills and stained glass (unless stated otherwise). West Elevation: The church is aligned W-E. Three-bay gabled entrance to centre flanked by single-storey aisles to north and south having gabled abutments. Large pointed arch three-part tracery window with carved stone mullions and leaded glass with secondary glazing, moulded sill course. Circular window over with stone cusping. Pointed arch door opening with smooth ashlar chamfered quoins and moulded surround with double timber panelled door. Pointed arch windows flanking entrance door with smooth ashlar chamfered quoins and leaded glass inset with protective metal grilles. Pointed two-part tracery window to aisles and porches having protective metal grilles. Three-stage diagonal buttress with splayed copings. North Elevation: Large pointed arch two-part tracery window to north transept having chamfered mullions, moulded sill course and hood. Three-stage diagonal buttress with splayed copings. Pointed segmental arch to clerestory having three-part pointed arch tracery with trefoils and leaded glass. North porch with pointed arch opening with two-part tracery window with chamfered mullions and smooth ashlar quoins. Pointed arch opening to north extension with leaded glass and protective metal grilles. Pointed segmental arch door opening. East Elevation: Large pointed arch five-part tracery window to east sanctuary with splayed sill course. Three-stage diagonal buttress with splayed copings. Pointed arch opening with two-part tracery window to east side of south transept. South Elevation: Large pointed arch two-part tracery window to south transept having chamfered mullions, moulded string course below the splayed cill, moulded hood and square label stops. Three-stage diagonal buttress with splayed copings. Pointed segmental arch to aisle and clerestory having three-part pointed arch tracery with trefoils and leaded glass. Pointed arch windows to sanctuary with moulded sill course, flanked by three-stage buttress with splayed copings. Pointed arch door opening with smooth ashlar chamfered quoins with moulded surround having double timber panelled door opening. Setting: The church is set within its own grounds with an adjoining church hall to the north-west built in 2007. Mature tree lined boundary to north with gateway having chamfered timber posts with carved oak decorative gates, decorative cast-iron brackets leading to three steps and pathway. South-west gateway having chamfered timber posts with set of double carved oak gates with cast-iron brackets, south-east gateway having metal post with double timber sheeted entrance gates. Site is a mixture of lawned and tarmaced parking areas. Materials: Roof : Natural Slate RWG : uPVC, with some retained cast-iron to north Walling : Scrabo sandstone with Scottish Giffnock sandstone dressings Windows: Leaded stained glass/ Leaded glass

Architects

Close, R M

Historical Information

St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, a late-Victorian Gothic Revival church located on the Antrim Road, was constructed in 1898-1900. The third edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02) shows that St. Peter’s Church was located in a rapidly developing area of Belfast. In addition to the gentleman’s mansions and merchant’s manors that had formerly characterised the area, the development of new housing and terraced streets had transformed the Antrim Road into an increasingly residential area. Barton states that ‘as the nineteenth century progresses, North Belfast ceased to be the preserve of the wealthy elite [and]in the final decades of the nineteenth century, the aspiring lower middle classes also began moving into the northern suburbs.’ Between 1861 and 1911 the Church of Ireland population in Belfast almost quadrupled from 30,000 to 118,000 (Barton, pp 11-12). The increase in the local population necessitated the construction of a new house of worship for the Church of Ireland in the area. St. Peter’s Church of Ireland was constructed on land that belonged to the O’Neill’s of Parkmount House, which was acquired for £1,200. The church was designed by Samuel Patrick Close (1842-1925), a local architect who had served his apprenticeship in the offices of Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon before establishing an independent practice at Waring Street in 1872. Close carried out a large number of commissions on behalf of the Church of Ireland and was also responsible for the design of St. Patrick’s Church on the Newtownards Road (HB26/07/002) and Fisherwick Presbyterian Church on the Malone Road (HB26/17/014). The construction of the church was carried out by Henry Laverty & Sons and the Natural Stone Database records that it was constructed of locally-quarried Scrabo sandstone with Scottish Giffnock sandstone employed as a secondary material (DIA; NSD). St. Peter’s Church of Ireland was constructed between 1898 and 1900 with the foundation stone laid on 28th May 1898 and the officially opening of the building on 29th June 1900 (St. Peter’s Day). The Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of the new church at £166 upon its completion. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that when the church was opened it was not complete but was only half its current size consisting of the chancel, transepts and one bay of the current nave. Larmour states that the interior detailing of the church reflected Close’s interest in Irish Revivalism: ‘the east window of the south transept is based on tracery at Culfeightrin Old Church; a south window of the chancel is based on the east window from Devenish Island (now in the parish church at Monea, Co. Fermanagh); and label stops in the transepts are carved with interlacing Celtic beasts derived from panels of the Clogher Cross. They spell out ‘DEUS’ at upper level and ‘AMEN’ lower down’ (Larmour, p. 63). The terracotta panel installed over the altar was by George Tinworth (1843-1913), a London-based sculptor, and depicted the scene of the women at Jesus’ empty tomb. The Irish Builder notes that the carved church organ case was installed in 1903 by Harry Hems and described it as the ‘handsomest carved organ case in Ireland’ (Irish Builder, p. 1658). The first church hall (now demolished) was designed by A. W. Brown and was constructed in 1927, resulting in an increase in the total rateable value of the church to £252. Following the First World War a Victory Window was installed in the south transept of the church (as a memorial to those from the congregation who had died in the conflict) to designs by Messers James Powell & Sons of London. This firm were also responsible for the Kinahan ‘Motherhood Window’ in the chancel, and the McNeill memorial window in the south transept. A memorial tablet, listing the names of the parishioners who fell in the war, was installed below the window. Both the window and the memorial tablet were unveiled on 21st November 1920 (Barton, p. 37). The church was completed in 1932-33 when the western end of the church was added. The extension had originally been designed by S. P. Close in 1898 but was carried out by his son Richard Mills Close, following his death in 1925. The 1932-33 extension resulted in the lengthening of the nave by two bays, the addition of the baptistery, the entrance porch, the vestry and the completion of the west front of the building. Barton states that the extension allowed the church to accommodate a congregation of 450-500. In 1932 side chapel reredos depicting Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven were added by Morris Harding who also designed the Portland stone font located in the baptistery (Larmour; DIA). The ‘War Memorial Window,’ located in the north transept and by local glaziers Messers W. M. Morris, was unveiled on 11th November 1955 in memory of those who fell in the Second World War. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the extended church had been increased to £490. The value of the building was subsequently raised to £880 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72). St. Peter’s Church of Ireland was listed in 1987. In July of that year a bomb exploded outside the adjoining Landsdowne Court Hotel causing collateral damage to the roof, stonework and windows of the church. The subsequent restoration of the church involved the reslating of its roof and the restoration of the exterior sandstone. Concurrently, a restoration of the interior was undertaken which included the reconstruction of the church organ (costing £15,000) and the restoration of the damaged stained glass windows. The church was reopened in 1989 following its restoration (Barton). In addition to its own interesting internal features, St. Peter’s Church also possesses furnishing from two local churches. Following the closure of the Chapel of the Resurrection (HB26/51/002) in the 1970s due to vandalism, a number of its furnishings were removed and installed in St. Peter’s side chapel (which was subsequently renamed the Chapel of the Resurrection). When St. James Church of Ireland (HB26/42/002) was deconsecrated in 2007 several of its wooden church carvings were relocated to St. Peter’s Church. The NIEA HB Records note that the church was damaged during the Northern Ireland Troubles by the explosion of a bomb outside the church on 31st July 1987. The church underwent an extensive renovation in 1995 that included the cleaning and repointing of its external stonework, the replacement of all leadwork and the reslating of the roof on its south aisle with salvaged green slates. In 2008 the original church hall of 1927 was replaced with the current single-storey McCollum Hall (NIEA HB Records). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/4 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02) 2. PRONI OS/6/1/57/5 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1931) 3. PRONI OS/6/1/57/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1936-38) 4. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/H/1-7 – Annual Revisions (1897-1930) 5. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/12 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) 6. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/16 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 7. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1943) 8. Irish Builder (1903) 9. First Survey Record – HB26/46/015 (1970) 10. NIEA HB Records – HB26/46/015 Secondary Sources 1. Barton, B., ‘A history of St. Peter’s Parish Antrim Road Belfast’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2009. 2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com//buildings.cfm?bk=2616 3. St. Peter’s Church of Ireland website - http://www.stpeters.connor.anglican.org/stpeters/

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

A well preserved Gothic-Revival church constructed at the turn of the 20th century to designs by Samuel Patrick Close in 1898 and officially opened on 29th June 1900 (St. Peter’s Day). Close, who had served his apprenticeship in the offices of Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon, had undertook a number of commissions on behalf of the Church of Ireland. The original footprint was cruciform in plan and consisted of the chancel, transepts and just one bay of the current nave. Following the death of Close in 1925, his son Richard Mills Close, saw through the church's completion by the addition of two bays to the nave, the baptistery, the entrance porch, the vestry and the remainder of the west frontage, all of which had already been designed by his father, Samuel Patrick. The church is of considerable historical and social significance. Despite damage from a bomb explosion in the adjacent Lansdowne Hotel in 1987, the church was repaired and then later extensively renovated in 1995. It has been well maintained since and retains many exquisite internal features. Of artistic merit are the stained glass windows, many which reflect Close's interest in 'Irish Revivalism'. In addition, St. Peter’s Church houses significant artefacts from two other churches which have since been deconsecrated, namely Chapel of the Resurrection (HB26/51/002), and St. James Church of Ireland (HB26/42/002). The Church's prominent position on the Antrim Road terminates a vista from the North Circular Road. Mature trees line the West boundary which then banks down to a lawn in front of tarmaced paths and a parking area. The timber gate posts and carved oak gates with cast iron brackets and hinge posts add further interest to the this important building.

General Comments

Listing Criteria R - Age and S - Authenticity also apply.

Date of Survey

17 June 2014