Comber Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church, Mill Street, Comber, Co. Down

Comber Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church

A two-storey Classical Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of 1838, situated on a rise to the south of Mill Street, to the west of Comber town centre. The building is approached either via a pedestrian lane from Mill Street or a drive from High Street to the south, and stands within its own partially wooded grounds. A small graveyard lies to the north side, while the manse and church hall, both of later date, are positioned to the south.

The rendered façade is dressed with light sandstone elements including columns, pilasters, pediment and parapet. The front façade faces west and features a central pedimented bay. Within this bay is a ground floor doorway with panelled double doors and a simple stone surround topped with a pedimented entablature on curved brackets. A decorative stone date panel reading '1838' sits high above the doorway. Plain pilasters with simple capitals and bases flank the central bay, with Ionic columns positioned to the inner side of each. These support a relatively plain entablature topped with a pediment. To either side of the central bay are narrower outer bays, each with pilasters to their inner and outer edges supporting a frieze and cornice, topped with a parapet bearing panelled end piers. Within each outer bay is a high-level stairwell window with semicircular head and Georgian paned sash frame, resting on a moulded cill course. Tall bases run beneath both outer bays.

The north façade extends to the right with a bay similar to the outer bays on the front, but with a recess in place of the window. The remaining façade is largely plain, lacking frieze or parapet. At ground floor are four evenly spaced windows with segmental heads; the two to the left now contain stained glass whilst those to the right retain their original multi-pane frames. The upper level has four larger windows similar to the front stairwell windows, again with stained glass to the left and original sashes to the right. In-and-out quoins mark the left (east) edge. The base of the north façade, to the left of the bay, is finished in greywacke rubble with rendered coping.

The south façade mirrors the north façade, handed, with stained glass only to the far left (east) window on each level. The rear (east) gable features a large two-storey gabled projection to its centre. The north face of this projection has two ground floor windows, similar but slightly smaller than those to the right of the north façade, and two first floor windows also slightly smaller than the upper level right windows on the north façade. In-and-out quoins mark the east edge. The south face is similarly arranged but with a doorway replacing the left hand ground floor window. A tall boiler house chimney is attached to this face.

Most of the façade is finished in lined render, with bay pilasters, columns, front door surround, entablature, pediment and parapet executed apparently in sandstone. Sections of this stonework may have undergone 'plastic' repair, though this is difficult to ascertain with certainty. The entire façade, save the central bay to the front, was once covered in plant growth supported by iron pins; these pins remain in position and have caused considerable rust staining. The roof is gabled and covered in natural slate, with cast iron rainwater goods. The forecourt to the west, along with walkways around the church, is now surfaced in tarmac.

The church was built in 1838 on land donated by local mill owner James Andrews. Andrews, who operated a windmill close to the site and had planned to build a new house nearby, generously gave this plot free of charge to the Non-subscribing congregation after they had been refused a lease of land to the west of Killinchy Street by Lord Londonderry. The church was originally scheduled to hold its first service in early January 1839. However, the infamous 'Great Wind' of 6th and 7th January 1839 blew off the roof of Andrews' nearby windmill, which fell onto the church roof, severely damaging the new building and delaying the installation of the minister by a year. The gallery does not appear to be original and was likely added in the late 19th century. The original ceiling was removed at some later point following a major portion's collapse.