Ballydown Presbyterian Church, 151 Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 4JP

Free-standing single-cell single-storey double-height rendered church, dated 1904, replacing an earlier church built in 1798. Designed by William Wright Larmor. Rectangular on plan set on an east-west axis on a sloping site at a lower level to the south of Castlewellan Road. Pitched natural slate roof with decorative terracotta ridge comb tiles with cement coping to raised gables and decorative moulded kneelers to eaves. Moulded cast-iron guttering supported on moulded eaves corbels and square-profile downpipes with decorative brackets. Pebbledash rendered walling with smooth rendered plinth course, decoratively moulded render quoins and continuous moulded sill course. Pointed-headed window openings with stop-chamfered smooth rendered surrounds, hood mouldings and coloured leaded glazing with storm glazing. Symmetrical gabled east front elevation has a tripartite window opening to the upper level with continuous hood moulding and moulded sill. Decoratively moulded plaque above the entrance states; ‘BALLYDOWN / BUILT 1798 / REBUILT 1904 / PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH’. Diminutive pointed-headed window openings flank a central pointed-headed door opening having deep moulded archivolt supported on pair of plain columns resting on plinth blocks with hood moulding and original diagonally-sheeted double-leaf timber doors with decorative iron door furniture. Door opens onto concrete paved platform and three steps with universal access ramp. South elevation is six windows wide. Gabled west elevation has two pointed-headed window openings to the upper level with decorative stained glass windows. The gable is abutted by an off-centre lower gabled rear entrance porch having pitched natural slate roof, detailed as above. Pointed-headed door opening with hood moulding and vertically-sheeted woodgrained timber door having decorative iron door furniture, opening onto two moulded concrete steps with steel universal access ramp. North elevation is six windows wide. Setting Positioned on a sloping site at a lower level to the south of Castlewellan Road, encircled by bitmac paths and stone and marble grave markers located mainly to the north, west and south. Two bitmac drives rise to meet the road, that to the west opening onto the road via decorative wrought and cast-iron gates supported on rendered brick piers with gableted capstones. To the west of this entrance is a two-storey rendered house, built c.1950. To the northeast of the site is a detached rendered church hall built c.1980 with large parking area. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Pebbledash render Windows Coloured leaded glazing RWG: Cast iron This building was demolished prior to listing in 2019.