Christ Church, Church of Ireland, 27 Hillsborough Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT28 1JL

Christ Church is a Gothic Church of Ireland church built in 1840, situated on a slightly elevated site to the east of Hillsborough Road in Lisburn. The building is constructed on a cruciform plan with an east-west axis, featuring a two-stage tower to the west gable, a projecting chancel gable to the east, and four single-storey gabled entrance porches.

The exterior is built of random-coursed squared and tooled basalt with chamfered sandstone ashlar details and a chamfered string course at plinth level. Pitched natural slate roofs with black clay ridge tiles, lead valleys and raised sandstone coping to all gables are topped with trefoil apex stones and gableted kneeler stones to the transepts and porches. Replacement metal rainwater goods hang from brackets to the chamfered sandstone eaves.

The west elevation is dominated by a square-plan two-stage Gothic tower of random-coursed tooled basalt with sandstone ashlar details. The lower stage, which is double-height, has angled sandstone buttresses with off-sets, gablets and poppy-head finials at either end. A sandstone panel spans the west elevation with a cusped tracery panel containing an iron clockface. Two oculi with hood mouldings flank the tower. The upper stage features octagonal sandstone piers at the corners rising as spires with cusped geometric balustrades and arcaded corbelled courses below. Paired Gothic-arched belfry openings with hood mouldings and timber louvres are positioned to the north, west and south sides, with single lancet windows to the west and south elevations featuring hood mouldings and stained glass. A small gabled entrance porch with dated stonework of 1982 abuts the north side of the tower.

The pointed-headed window openings throughout the church are executed in chamfered sandstone ashlar with splayed sills, stained glass and storm glazing. The north nave is two windows wide with double-height window openings having simple Y-tracery. The north transept, built circa 1860, features battered walls and a double-height flush sandstone ashlar plate tracery window with replacement coping to the gable. A small gabled entrance porch with a pointed-arched door opening, replacement diagonally-sheeted double-leaf timber door and lozenge window openings to both sides abuts the west cheek of this transept, which also has replacement sandstone coping and battered walls.

The rear east elevation is abutted by a gabled chancel projection built circa 1890, which features a flush sandstone ashlar plate tracery east window. To the northwest corner is a lower vestry block built circa 1935, with steel-framed windows and a replacement timber door. A further gabled porch built circa 1935, with replacement sandstone coping, abuts the south of the chancel and includes a pointed-arched door opening, double-leaf timber doors and a pointed-headed window opening with a steel-framed window to the side.

The south side elevation is abutted by a south gabled transept built circa 1860, and a lean-to side aisle with a small gabled entrance porch set at an angle to the outer corner, both built circa 1890. The aisle features paired lancet windows in flush sandstone ashlar with stained glass. The entrance porch has replacement sandstone coping to the gable, a pointed-arched chamfered sandstone door opening with diagonally-sheeted timber doors and diminutive pointed-arched openings to either side below the overhanging eaves.

The church is set on an elevated landscaped site surrounded by mature deciduous and coniferous trees. A bitmac parking area extends to all sides, enclosed to the road by a random rubblestone wall with stacked coping. Two bitmac footpaths to the northwest and southwest open onto the street, each with decorative cast-iron gates on carved stone piers. Vehicular access is to Church Lane and Smithfield Street.