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

Christ Church, Church of Ireland, Hillsborough Road, Lisburn

Christ Church is a Gothic Revival Church of Ireland church built in 1840 to designs by Sir Charles Lanyon, set on a slightly elevated, landscaped site on the south approach to Lisburn, on the east side of Hillsborough Road. It is a cruciform building constructed of random-coursed squared and tooled basalt with sandstone ashlar detailing, oriented on an east-west axis. The church is an important architectural and historical landmark near the city centre, notable both for the quality of Lanyon's original design and for the way in which successive additions have largely succeeded in emulating his original detailing.

The building has pitched natural slate roofs with black clay ridge tiles, lead valleys, and raised sandstone coping to all gables. Trefoil apex stones sit above gableted kneeler stones to the transepts and porches. Rainwater goods are replacement metal on brackets to chamfered sandstone eaves. A chamfered string course runs at plinth level across the basalt walling. All window openings are pointed-headed, executed in chamfered sandstone ashlar with splayed sills, and are glazed with stained glass and storm glazing.

The principal west elevation is flanked by the tower and has a sandstone buttress to either end. To either side of the tower is an oculus with a hood moulding. The square-plan, two-stage Gothic tower is built of random-coursed tooled basalt with sandstone ashlar details throughout. The lower stage is double-height, with angled sandstone buttresses featuring off-sets and gablets with poppy-head finials. A sandstone panel spans the west elevation and contains a cusped tracery panel housing an iron clockface. At the corners of the upper stage, octagonal sandstone piers rise as spires, with cusped geometric balustrades and an arcaded corbelled course below. The upper stage also carries paired Gothic-arched belfry openings with hood mouldings and timber louvres to the north, west, and south sides. The lower stage has a single lancet to both the west and south elevations, each with a hood moulding and stained glass. A small gabled entrance porch, dated 1982, abuts the north side of the tower.

The north nave is two windows wide, with double-height window openings featuring simple Y-tracery. The north transept, built around 1860, has battered walls and a double-height flush sandstone ashlar plate tracery window, with replacement coping to the gable. A small gabled entrance porch also abuts the west cheek of the north transept; it too has battered walls and replacement sandstone coping, with a pointed-arched door opening, a replacement diagonally-sheeted double-leaf timber door, and lozenge window openings to both sides.

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

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

The original interior, although restored in parts, is largely intact.

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

Christ Church was built in response to the considerable growth of Lisburn's labouring population driven by the expansion of the linen industry in the early 19th century. It was established as a chapel of ease with free sittings for working people. The site was provided by the Marquess of Hertford, who also donated £400 towards construction. The contractors were Messrs Arthur Morgan and James Vernon, and the total cost was £4,800. The church opened in November 1842 and was first recorded on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857, captioned "New Church." At that time it comprised a simple hall and tower with a vestry projecting from the northeast corner. Griffith's Valuation of 1856 to 1864 records the church with dimensions given for the nave, chancel, tower, and vestry, and notes that wings were then in progress; the church was valued at £57.

Following the religious revival of 1859, north and south transepts and a gallery were constructed to accommodate a further 280 worshippers, the work completed in 1860. Until 1863 the church remained under the auspices of Lisburn Cathedral and was served by its curates; it was then endowed with its own parish, consecrated, and given its first Rector. In 1864 the Nicholson Memorial Hall was erected by Mrs Nicholson, mother of John Nicholson, hero of the Indian Mutiny. The church's valuation rose to £67 in 1881 and to £107 in 1890, reflecting further additions including a further aisle and porch. An extension designed by Seaver and Gibson was announced in the Irish Builder in August 1935, and appears to be the rear porch containing toilet facilities. During the 1970s an extensive renovation and reconstruction programme was carried out, including modernisation of the Nicholson Hall and construction of a new minor hall with porch and games room. In 1982 the porch abutting the tower was rebuilt and enlarged. The church halls were renovated in 1995, and the building was treated for dry rot, with new pews and flooring installed.