Holy Trinity C of I Church, Ballysillan Road, Belfast, Co.Antrim

Holy Trinity Church of Ireland, Ballysillan Road, Belfast

A late Gothic Revival church built in 1954–6 to designs by local architect E.P. Lamont. The building is constructed in English garden wall bond red brick with reconstituted stone detailing and stands in its own grounds to the north-east of the junction between Ballysillan and Old Park Roads.

The church follows a rectangular plan oriented north-east to south-west. The main body comprises a double-height central nave with single-storey narrow side aisles. A gabled chancel projects to the north-east, with a small vestry abutted to its east side. A large three-stage square tower with corner pinnacles is situated to the west. A projecting entrance porch with basement level is positioned to the south-west.

The roof to the nave is pitched and gabled natural slate, set behind a raised parapet with reconstituted stone roll-top coping and terracotta roll-top ridge tiles. The tower has a crenellated parapet with flat roof and corner pinnacles. Rainwater goods comprise original cast iron square-section hoppers and downpipes with trefoil-headed brackets.

The front elevation presents a gabled facade with corner buttresses to the nave and side aisle. The central projecting flat-roofed single-storey porch with basement level houses the main entrance, accessed via a flight of concrete steps flanked by steel railings arising from square red brick piers, which are topped with cast iron lampposts. The main door is Perpendicular in style with a recessed pointed arch opening set within a square-headed surround, recessed by an archivolt with three flanking colonnettes. A trefoil moulding decorates the spandrel; corbel stops terminate the hood mould. The door is double-leaf timber, hung with six horizontal panels. The gabled nave is pierced by a large central Perpendicular tracery window matching the main window of the chancel, fitted with additional storm glazing, and featuring a hood mould with corbel stops.

The north-east elevation is dominated by a large central chancel window within a four-centred reconstituted stone arch surround. The window has multifoil lights to the top, trefoil lights to the upper stage, and two-foil lights to the lower stages; a wire mesh screen is currently in place. The tower is set back to the north-west side of the chancel and features a small square-headed doorway at ground floor, a two-foil headed light to the second stage, and Perpendicular louvered tracery at bell stage. A small pitched and gabled vestry projects from the chancel to the south-east, with a small abutting porch housing a square-headed bevelled-edge reconstituted stone door surround and a nine-panel timber door. Corner buttresses are present to both vestry and porch.

The north-west elevation, viewed from Ballysillan Road, shows a six-bay nave pierced by Perpendicular tracery windows positioned above corresponding bays of the single-storey side aisles. Nave windows contain six lights divided by two mullions and one transom, set within a depressed pointed arch with trefoil-headed upper lights and coloured leaded glazing. The side aisle features paired windows with two two-foil window lights set within square-headed reconstituted stone surrounds. Each bay is divided by stepped buttresses; angle buttresses are positioned at the south-west corner. A raised parapet with reconstituted coping and string course runs to the roof of the nave, chancel, side aisle, and projecting flat-roofed porch to the south-west. The large three-stage square tower to the north-east has a small two-foil headed light to the second stage, corner buttresses, and a louvered pointed arch opening at bell stage crowned by a crenellated parapet with large corner pinnacles. A deep string course demarcates the bell stage. The chancel has a single Perpendicular tracery two-light window to the north-east of the tower and corner buttresses.

The south-east elevation is similar to the principal elevation, with a six-bay nave featuring large Perpendicular-style tracery windows and simple double windows with two two-foil lights to the side aisle, each bay divided by buttresses. The chancel to the right has a projecting gabled vestry with a tracery window and a small flat-roofed porch with a two-leaf timber door abutted to its left, with a smaller porch abutted to the right. The side of the main flat-roofed projecting entrance porch and steps are located to the left of the facade. The nave has a small square-headed two-light window to the basement level at the first bay from the left.

The principal entrance to the church is from Old Park Road through iron gates hung on square-section red brick piers. A tarmacked drive leads to the steps of the main entrance porch. Vehicular access is also available from Heylake Park entrance to the south-east, where a ramp provides disabled access; a pedestrian gate is located at the north-west boundary. The setting includes a red brick two-storey rectory with private garden and a red brick church hall to the north and north-east of the church. The area around the church is set to lawn with some established trees and hedging to the boundary.