Second Comber Presbyterian Church, Killinchy Street, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5AP

Second Comber Presbyterian Church

Second Comber Presbyterian Church stands on a rise to the west of Killinchy Street, to the south of Comber town centre. Built in 1839, this two-storey gabled Presbyterian church presents a striking classical form tempered by gothic window openings. Despite substantial later extensions, the building retains an impressive street presence, with clean lines and painted render giving it an almost 1950s appearance.

The front (east) façade is organised around a central projecting bay containing the main entrance. The entrance comprises timber panelled double doors with a moulded surround and a pedimented entablature supported on decorative brackets, now executed in a mixture of sandstone and render. The bay is framed by pairs of plain sandstone double pilasters. Above the entrance sits a pointed arch window with stained glass, set within a largely sandstone surround and resting on a narrow cill course. To either side of this central feature are outer bays, each containing a much taller pointed arch window of identical gothic form, also with pilasters, cill course and sandstone surround. The entire front façade, excluding pilaster work, is finished in lined painted render and terminates with a sandstone entablature and cornicing. Above this runs a panelled sandstone parapet with a central pediment—forming the gable—which bears a moulded date stone inscribed '1839'.

The north façade features a slightly projecting stairwell bay on its left side, which repeats the styling of the front outer bays with pilasters, lined render, entablature and parapet, but substitutes a tall pointed arch recess for a window. To the right of this bay are four tall pointed arch windows of similar character to those on the front. This section lacks the entablature and parapet of the front, terminating instead with a simple sandstone eaves course and a pilaster to the right-hand edge. The south façade mirrors the north façade in all respects.

The roof is covered in natural slate with a small rendered chimney stack to the west. Cast iron rainwater goods are in place. A series of three sets of modern steps with handrails provide access up the rise to the front entrance. The modern boundary wall to the east (roadside) of the church grounds is of recent construction.

The church was built in 1839, following a split within Comber's original Presbyterian congregation. Originally, a small projection on the west gable housed a session room, but this was removed in 1861 when a schoolhouse and manse were constructed to the rear, funded largely by session member John Smyth of New Comber House. The schoolhouse later served as a church hall before being demolished around 1994 and replaced by a modern hall. The manse, extended at various stages, still survives to the west of the church. The church building itself appears to have undergone renovation in the 1950s.