First Dromore Presbyterian Church, 3 Diamond Road, Dromore, Co Down, BT25 1PQ

A free-standing stone Presbyterian Church in Gothic-Revival style; dated 1915 and located to the east side of Diamond Road in Dromore. Rectangular-plan and gable-fronted with flanking lower stair-wings; set on an east-west axis with two-storey chapter house to rear. Pitched natural slate roof with crested terracotta ridge tiles, raised stone skews and pinnacles to gables; chimneystack to east. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is random-coursed rock-faced stone on a chamfered plinth with free-stone dressings and buttresses having stone pinnacles and offsets; carved blind-arcaded Gothic stone parapet with pinnacles to stair-wings. Windows are lattice leaded-and-stained glass lancets in stone surrounds with chamfered sills. West-facing, comprising double-height gabled vestibule flanked by stair-wings (lower). Gothic cinquepartite diminishing lancets, cusped L-tracery to central pane, all in stone surrounds over offset platband. To ground floor are paired Gothic portals, slightly inset with carved stone semi-engaged half-columns having acanthus leaf capitals. Nine-panelled timber doors are divided by a stone shaft with carved Gothic niche rising to impost level. Datestone above doors reads “1915”. Stair-wings each have two lancets (at different heights) surmounted by a quatrefoil with hood mould. The north elevation has five sets of evenly spaced tripartite lancets divided by lancets; stair-wing at right has one window to gallery and paired windows to ground floor. The east (rear) elevation is abutted to right of centre by the two-storey chapter house with tall chimneystack. Irregular fenestration and timber-sheeted entrance door to east elevation; three windows to north elevation, and four windows to south elevation (pointed arch-headed to first floor and square-headed to ground floor). The south elevation has five sets of evenly-spaced tripartite lancets; stair-wing to left has one window to gallery and paired windows to ground floor. Setting Located at the southern edge of the town and surrounded by late-twentieth century housing developments. Modern red-brick church hall (c.1960) to north of site with tarmacadam parking area; church is raised on the brow of a hill and lawned to two sides with graveyard at south. Tarmacadam to front and bounded to road by a rendered wall with coping stones; original alcoved entrance to centre comprising arrowhead metal gates and railings supported by square cast-iron piers surmounted by ball finials. Graveyard has a variety of headstones; the earliest visible inscription found dating from 1819. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Random coursed rock-faced stone Windows: Lattice leaded-and-stained glass lancets RWG: Cast-iron