Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church, Prospect Road, Bangor, Co. Down, BT20 4LN

A double-height Victorian Presbyterian church with tower built in 1898-9 with extensions and tower dating from 1966 and 1990; located on the corner of Hamilton Road and Prospect Road in the centre of Bangor. Rectangular on plan; gable fronted flanked by three-stage tower to southwest and gabled stair-wing to southeast; M-profile projections to east and west abutted by quadrant extensions to south re-entrant angle. Modern extension (of no interest) to north, accessed by single-storey linking block porch. Pitched natural slate roof with raised stone skews with kneelers. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting sandstone eaves. Walling is uncoursed rock-faced ashlar (reconstituted stone to later extensions) with angled buttresses having stepped masonry offsets. Windows are a variety of stained glass set in sandstone ashlar surrounds (reconstituted stone to later extensions) with chamfered sloping sills. The principal elevation faces south and has gothic five-pane mullioned window with label mould; to ground floor are paired portals in neo-Romanesque style, inset with half-engaged colonnettes having round capitals arranged in groups of three. Tower has balustrade parapet and pinnacles; gothic louvered lancet vents in triple formation to belfry stage; exposed section has replacement timber door to ground floor with chamfered sandstone surround and label mould. To west elevation, M-profile block has a mullioned window to each floor at either side, set in recesses to ground floor arranged in 1-3-1 formation, and tripartite gothic transom-and-mullioned windows to first floor. Quadrant has paired windows (gothic to first floor) with continuous sandstone surround; divided by central buttress. The north elevation is completely abutted by modern extension. The east elevation is a mirror of the west elevation, projecting wing to left having gothic tracery window to first floor and replacement timber door having chamfered sandstone surround and label mould, accessed by single stone step. Setting Prominently located to the west of Bangor town centre; entrance to south dominated by stepped access. Reconstituted stone wall to either side of steps extending round to west; having saddleback copings and square piers with squared masonry caps, surmounted (to south only) by cast-iron railing. Roof: Natural slate Walling: stone and reconstituted stone Windows: Stained glass RWG: Cast-iron