Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB09/05/014

Address :
Sandholes Presbyterian Church 8 Kiltyclogher Road Cookstown BT80 9AU

Townland:
Skenarget

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
01/10/1975 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:
141-02

IG Ref:
H7886 7255

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Owner Category

Church - Presbyterian

Exterior Description And Setting

A T-shaped slated and gabled church with a gabled heating chamber and modern lean-to extension to the rear. It stands in a small rural village, overlooking the public road but set back from it within its own grounds. The main entrance faces east. The east elevation comprises the entrance gable projecting forwards with the walls of the main lateral block set back to each side. Walls are finished with pebble-dash, with stone quoins to the extremities of the entrance gable, a smooth rendered plinth, and window dressings in a kind of long-and-short work executed in smooth render. Roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with timber barge boards and fascias. Rainwater goods are of upvc. The entrance gable contains two rectangular windows, one to each side of the central entrance, glazed with decorative leaded lights, with projecting stone cills. The main entrance contains a pair of rectangular timber panelled double doors with a panelled tympanum over, set in incised panelled smooth rendered pilasters with rendered keystone block dressings to the head. It is approached by a flight of three concrete steps and has later tubular metal handrails fixed to the front wall to each side. Above the doorway is an ocular window in a moulded sandstone surround containing a star-shaped glazing pattern but blocked up on the inside with brickwork. The side walls of the front projection each contain a larger rectangular window with decorative leaded glazing, towards the rear, and a narrow blind window opening near the front, the latter being blocked with pebble-dash. The front walls of the main lateral block have quoins of smooth cement render, and each contains a large rectangular window filled with simple tinted leaded glazing. The southern one of these walls also contains a recessed datestone set in a rectangular moulded sandstone surround and inscribed "This Meeting House Was Built by the Congregation of Sandholes in the Year 1794. Revd. Tho. Dickson." The south elevation of the lateral block has similar walling to previous but also a moulded rendered stringcourse linking window heads, and vertical strips of smooth render at the extremities. There are three windows, two rectangular ones flanking a central Gothic arched one, all containing simple tinted leaded glazing with plain raised rendered surrounds. The west or rear elevation consists of the long wall of the lateral block with an unbroken roof, but with a gabled projection to the left hand extremity and a lean-to projection in the centre. There is one large rectangular window glazed as to the south elevation, in the main wall to the right, and a similar one in the main wall between the two later projections. The lean-to projection has walls of roughcast and contains rectangular windows in each wall, containing either small paned metal frames or upvc framed fixed lights and opening vents. There is also a doorway, in the south side, containing a modern glazed and panelled rectangular door. The gabled projection has partly pebble-dashed and partly smooth rendered walls, blind to the south and west sides, but containing a small window and two doorways on the north side. The window is small-paned in timber, set in a simple smooth rendered surround. The doorways contain rectangular timber sheeted doors. The north elevation of the lateral block is similar to the south except there is no stringcourse linking the three windows. SETTING: The church is approached from both an original main gateway by a tarmac path on axis with the main entrance, and from the north where there is a large tarmac carpark in front of the modern church hall itself approached by a modern gateway. The original main gateway comprises a pair of 19th century ironwork gates set between octagonal chamfered stone posts, recessed slightly behind curving screen walls, of roughcast finish with broad weathered sandstone copings which continue as the front boundary walling to each side, continued at the north end by lower rubble stone walls with large stone copings which bound the carpark. On either side of the tarmac driveway are lawns with some plantings; to the rear of the church is a graveyard with a line of very mature tall trees marking the boundary on the south side. To the south-east of the church is a low-eaved corrugated metal roofed store with whitewashed walls which has its ground floor or basement at a lower level in the yard of the former church school-house to the east of that. Modern timber palisading now divides the school ground from the churchyard. Well to the north of the modern church hall is the former manse, retained in the ownership of the church but let out to private residents.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Built originally in 1794-8 as a rectangular barn shaped building running parallel with the main road, under the aegis of Rev Thomas Dickson who was minister here from 1787 until his death in 1816; enlarged into a T-shape in 1861 by the addition of a gabled projection at the front; buttresses built to support the rear wall of the church in 1885; renovated in 1931, which included inserting the stained glass windows; installing a new ceiling; and installing new pews and pulpit, brought here from what is now Derryloran Parish Church Hall in Cookstown but was then the 2nd Presbyterian Church in Cookstown whose congregation had merged with that of Molesworth Street in 1928. In 1954 the lower part of some walls inside were lined with brown tiles; in 1959 an organ was installed in the first floor room above the vestibule which had formerly been the session room, and a new session room and choir room was added to the rear of the church. In 1978 a new roof structure was inserted as the original was sagging. The manse which stands a short distance to the north was built c 1862; the school-house next to the front gateway was built in 1871-2; the front boundary wall, and presumably therefore also the main gateway, was built in 1885; and the church hall immediately to the north of the church was built in 1962. The church was whitewashed previously with plain surrounds to the door and window openings as seen in early 20th century photographs. The date when the present pebble-dash finish and raised rendered surrounds to openings were added is not recorded but it was probably in 1931 when the present leaded lights and stained glass windows were inserted. References - Primary Sources 1. Plaque on outside of building inscribed with the date 1794. 2. OS Map of 1833-4. Secondary Sources 1. UAHS, Dungannon and Cookstown (Belfast, 1971), p 45. 2. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), p 484. 3. Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982 (Belfast, 1982), pp 746-747. 4. J.E. Barr, History of Sandholes Presbyterian Church 1794-1994 (1994).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

This is a T-plan church, not originally designed as such, but evolved as such by a mid-19th century addition to a late 18th century church of simple rectangular plan and so-called 'barn' form. Previously of very simple exterior appearance it has been slightly classicised to the front in a naïve manner by the addition of a form of long-and-short rendered surrounds to openings. Its reuse of furnishings from another church elsewhere in the area is an aspect of local interest, and its sequence of changes demonstrates an historic development It is of social interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

09 February 2008