Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Crumlin, Co Antrim

Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, Crumlin

This octagonal blackstone church stands on Main Street in Crumlin, County Antrim. The building is dated 1835, as recorded on a shaped datestone set in a moulded surround on the entrance front.

The church presents a symmetrical north elevation comprising a gabled and pedimented two-storey projecting entrance bay, with the side elevations of the main octagonal body angled off to the rear. The walls are constructed of rubble basalt in rough courses with roughly squared quoins. A projecting plinth of basalt rubble is finished with squared sandstone coping, while brick dressings frame the window and door openings. A projecting platband runs continuously at first floor level around the church. The upper stages of the walls have been later cement grouted.

The entrance comprises a central doorway with a segmental arched opening containing double doors with folding side panels, all finished with raised and fielded panelling. The plastered reveals are finished flush to the stonework. A large concrete doorstep precedes a deep stone-paved area in front of the entrance, approached by three steps on all sides. On each side of the entrance door is a segmental-arched window with flush plastered reveals and projecting stone cills. These windows are timber vertically hung sliding sashes with 6 over 6 panes and margin lights, fitted with horns. Modern steel mesh protective grilles are bolted over these windows.

The first floor of the entrance bay contains two windows of the same sashed design but set in semi-circular arches. Between them is the shaped datestone inscribed 'MDCCCXXXV' in its moulded surround. The entrance bay is surmounted by a plain pediment. The side walls of the projecting gabled entrance bay feature a blank window recess to the ground floor, segmental arched and blocked with painted stucco, and a semi-circular arched sashed window to the upper floor. The walling continues in rubble basalt with brick dressings; the plinth is later cement rendered. A projecting brick eaves course supports cast iron guttering and downpipes. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates in regular courses behind the front gable coping. A small square brick chimney with modern pots sits on the ridge at the rear of the porch projection.

The side elevations of the church body display similar character, with segmental-arched windows to the ground floor and semi-circular arched windows to the upper floor. The plinth is cement rendered and contains square sandstone panels drilled with a hexagonal arrangement of ventilator holes. A red brick eaves course supports cast iron guttering and downpipes, which run down the centre of the main side walls, breaking through the first floor platband. All windows are protected by steel mesh grilles. The main roof is slated as the porch, with prominent rounded tiles at the ridges.

The rear wall mirrors the side elevations except that its windows are timber vertically hung sashes with 6 over 9 panes and margin lights, set in semi-circular arches. These windows break the line of the first floor string course.

The church stands in its own grounds set well back from Main Street. The front portion of the grounds comprises a graveyard planted with yew trees, with no memorials of special architectural interest. The grounds are grassed with a rough tarmac area in front of the church. The northern boundary is formed by the unprepossessing backs of buildings on Main Street. The sides and rear are bounded by concrete post and wire fences with tall trees around the fringes of the rear portion. A painted heating-oil tank is located conspicuously in the central area of the grounds, slightly spoiling the setting.

The gateway opening from Main Street comprises a pair of original heavy iron gates of restrained ornamental design, mounted on square piers. These piers are rusticated on the side facing the street front and panelled to the sides and rear with roughcast panels. Large overhanging flat sandstone caps finish each pier. The western pier abuts an old gabled roughcast building of no architectural interest, while the eastern pier abuts a modern gabled rustic brick house. The driveway is of rough hard surface and curves round to approach the church. Rusticated surrounds to coved short front screen walls, finished with roughcast panels on the street front, complete the gateway structure.