Presbyterian Church, Church Green, Dundonald, Co Down

Presbyterian Church, Dundonald

This Presbyterian church stands on an elevated and historically significant site on the north side of Church Green in Dundonald village. Built in 1839–40 to a design by the architects Messrs. Black of Belfast, the building occupies the location of an earlier church. The foundation stone was laid on 4 July 1839 by Robert Gordon of Florida Manor, and the church opened for worship on 28 June 1840. It is grade B1 listed and has group value with the adjacent former National School.

The church is a plain hall church with shallow transepts and a narrow choir, displaying simply-styled Gothick features including battlements, pinnacles, and arched windows. The intricate interlocking fenestration pattern survives in most windows, making this Gothick style relatively unusual for the period. Walls are stone, rendered in cement with plaster features and painted. All window and door openings have chamfered sides and arches, surrounded with flat plaster bands and Gothick hood mouldings. Windows have shallow projecting sills in render. The roof ends in gables to the north, east, and west, and is hipped to the south.

The main north-facing elevation addresses the churchyard and is three bays wide, with a wide advanced central bay between narrower side bays. Each bay corner features raised rendered quoins rising full height to moulded plinths supporting reduced-width square pinnacles with pyramidal caps. The walls are topped with battlements between the pinnacles, with a string course moulding at the base of the pinnacles. A lower string course runs around the building at arch springing level. The two side bays each contain a single narrow Gothick lancet window set off-centre. The central bay has two doors placed symmetrically, each with a traceried fanlight above. At string course level over the doors stands a central ogee-headed window. This bay rises to a gable topped with a round pinnacle supported on a projecting pendant bracket and capped with a conical form set on a moulding.

The east elevation is three bays of different widths. From left to right: the side wall of the south end of the church with a single window; a central bay set forward with a single window, detailed as the central bay of the main façade; and a right-hand bay set back but otherwise identical to the central bay. A string course moulding runs across at arch springing level.

The south elevation faces Church Square. To the right stands the adjacent national school, followed by the plain end wall of the nave, with the chancel projecting forward into the Square. Each side of the chancel has a single window. The gable bears a datestone—MDCCCXXXIX (1839)—set high in a panel with frame moulding, the lower string course running around the panel.

The west façade mirrors the east elevation but includes a link to the school from the right-hand (chancel) bay.

Windows are timber-painted; rainwater goods are cast iron, painted; doors are original timber, sheeted, and painted. The roof is natural slate.

The interior is notable, retaining fabric and detailing from the nineteenth century. In 1888, a new pulpit and choir enclosure were installed by Mr. James Beggs of Ormeau Road, Belfast, at a cost of £41 14s 6d. Six years later, the roof was repaired and a new ventilation system installed. The choir enclosure was enlarged at that time and again in 1938 and 1957. The church appears to have been extended to the north in the mid-1900s, with sources suggesting 1955; much internal detailing dates from this period.

The setting comprises an extensive forecourt in tarmac; the churchyard is otherwise laid to grass and bounded by a plain rendered wall with flat concrete coping. Modern pedestrian and vehicular gates provide access. The south elevation sits directly on Church Square.

The adjacent former National School (HB25/05/009), built in 1844, remained in use as a school until 1901 and is now used by the church as a minor hall, contributing significant group value to the site.