2nd Presbyterian Church, Trenchill Road, Ballyeaston, Co Antrim, BT39 9SJ

2nd Presbyterian Church, Ballyeaston

A Presbyterian church dating from 1787, located north of Trenchill Road in Ballyeaston. The building is a detached single-cell double-height structure with Italianate detailing concentrated around the entrance tower at the west end, while the nave itself is plainly detailed. The plan is rectangular with a rectangular porch and tower to the east gable-end, and a single-storey minister's room and boiler house to the south.

The walls are ruled-and-lined render over a projecting plinth, with rendered quoins. The roof is pitched and slated with clay ridge tiles, overhanging eaves, and timber bargeboards to the gable-ends; the porch has a flat roof. Windows throughout are round-arched-headed timber-framed with masonry cills and chamfered surrounds, containing leaded stained glass with central casement openings.

The principal elevation faces north and is five windows wide on the nave. Abutted to the left is a three-stage square tower. The first stage features rusticated banding and contains a round-arched-headed double-leaf timber entrance door with fanlight, flanked by projecting bays at the corners on an ogee-moulded plinth, terminating with a surmounting moulded string course. The second stage contains a single window flanked by paired pilasters at the corners, surmounted by a cornice. The third stage contains a pair of windows within a recessed bay, flanked by pairs of plain rendered pilasters at the corners, terminating with a cornice surmounted by a copper cupola. The east elevation is abutted by the porch and tower, with an exposed wall containing a single window to the left. The porch is centrally positioned with rusticated quoins over an ogee-moulded plinth, containing three square-headed stained glass windows to ground floor (the left is blind) with masonry cills, surmounted by a moulded string course. To first-floor level are paired pilasters to the left corner and three windows to the centre, with a cornice above continuing into the tower and surmounted by parapet coping. The south elevation has two windows to the centre, with the minister's room (featuring a cat-slide roof) abutted to the left, containing three square-headed timber 1/1 sliding sash windows and a modern timber entrance door with rectangular fanlight to the east. The west elevation contains two windows to the centre, abutted by the minister's room to the right.

The church is set within a churchyard with graveyard to the south and west (the earliest stone found dated 1859). A church hall to the east, dating from circa 1950, was built in the style of the church, with a further entrance porch to the south added circa 1970. The site is bounded to the north by roughcast walling surmounted by hedge and square gate pillars forming an alcoved entrance, supporting wrought iron double-leaf gates. Rainwater goods are replacement cast iron half-round guttering and round downpipes.

Historical Background

The first minister in the church was Reverend John Anderson, ordained in 1763. Reverend William Holmes of Ramelton was ordained in 1768, also taking services in Larne and Islandmagee. During the 1798 Rebellion, Holmes formed and trained the Ballyeaston Yeomanry, which used the field on which the Manse is now built, hence the name "Parade Manse". The original meeting house was situated in the townland of Rashee; the new meeting house was built on the current site in 1787. John Wright was ordained on 2 September 1813. On the union of the two Synods, the congregation became known as "Second Ballyeaston". Later ministers included Alexander Pollock, ordained June 1842; Andrew Burrows Porter, 1860–1902; and William Brann, 1901–1941, during whose tenure the congregation decided on extensive renovation of the church (1901–1903) and the building of a new manse in 1907. James Coulter served as minister from 1941–1965, during which time the Brown Memorial Hall was built. The present minister is Reverend Robert Archibald Boyd.

A stone to the left of the door on the north elevation reads: "The first stone of this house was laid by the Revd Wm Holmes June 9th 1787, Then 19 years minister of this congregation. Restored June 9th 1987. A Davidson." Another stone to the right of the door reads: "Renovated 1903…" followed by a list of previous ministers.

The external and internal detailing indicates that the 1903 renovation was not the only substantial change to the building. The pews are 19th century, much of the stained glass is modern, and there are no early memorials inside. The substantial remodelling in the early 20th century resulted in a church that is not among the best examples of the type, although the plan form and round-headed window openings survive from the original church foundation of 1787.