Former First Larne Presbyterian Church, 6 Bridge Street, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 1LW

Former First Larne Presbyterian Church

This is a two-storey building constructed around 1837 as a Presbyterian church, with an addition made in 1877 to enlarge its seating capacity. It stands on a corner site within the built-up area of Larne, set back slightly from a main road behind boundary walls and railings. The building is no longer in use as a church; the congregation relocated to a new building elsewhere following road re-routing in the vicinity, and the last service took place on 26 February 1978. It has subsequently served as a furniture store and latterly as a snooker club.

The building displays distinct architectural proportions in a classical Italianate style. The main entrance faces west, with the western elevation presenting a symmetrical composition of two storeys and three windows wide. The hipped roof is covered in Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, rising behind a parapet that steps up at the centre to contain a datestone inscribed 1627, referring to the foundation of the congregation rather than the date of the present building fabric.

The western elevation features channelled rustication to the ground floor. The first floor is smooth stuccoed with rustication to the extremities. Single pilasters with fluted upper portions stand between the central window and outer windows, with paired pilasters beyond to each side. Two moulded string courses run horizontally at intermediate level, beneath a moulded entablature with a prominent dentil cornice. The first floor windows have moulded surrounds with keystones and cornices on ornamented brackets; these are segmental headed but have been blocked up with chipboard panels. Ground floor windows are similar but with rectangular headed openings, also blocked. A fluted frieze runs across the front between ground floor openings, extending to each extremity. The central doorway is segmental headed within a rectangular surround, with mouldings, brackets and keystone consistent with the window details. It opens into a recessed porch with a terrazzo floor, fronted by a shutter door and rectangular glazed aluminium doors with rectangular fanlight.

The north elevation is two storeys tall and eight windows wide on the first floor, with a smooth rendered wall painted as the west face, and quoins to the extremities and a moulded plinth. First floor windows are segmental headed in unmoulded openings; ground floor windows are rectangular headed, also with unmoulded openings. Most windows have been blocked with smooth cement render except the extreme right ground floor window, which is covered with fibre glass security glazing. A new wide rectangular opening has been created near the left hand end of the ground floor with a smooth cement finish. A moulded string course runs near the top of each row of windows at the level of the sills to both floors. The east elevation is a gable end of the main body with lower gabled projections. The main gable is painted stucco with a large patch of later unpainted smooth cement render; a round headed window at upper level is now blocked with unpainted render. The south elevation mirrors the north with eight windows to each floor, all blocked with cement render. A single-storey extension projects from the right hand end with a roof of Bangor blue slates; the wall is smooth rendered and painted. This extension has a rectangular doorway to the left with a flush door and rectangular fanlight, now blocked with chipboard, and three rectangular windows to the right—the first two are timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1 with horns, fitted with metal security grilles; the third is blocked with cement render. Three concrete steps lead up to the doorway, with concrete plinths surmounted by original wrought iron railings with ball finials. Similar railings and plinths return across the front to contain concrete steps down to a basement area.

The walls are throughout stuccoed and painted, though the paint is cracking and peeling in many places. Windows and downpipes show considerable damage and alteration. Moulded cast iron guttering and rectangular and circular cast iron downpipes, some with missing or damaged portions, are present on various elevations. Spalling is evident to lower sandstone string courses and cills on the south elevation.

The boundary treatment comprises a smooth cement rendered wall with sandstone coping, surmounted by original cast iron railings. The front gateway consists of a pair of square sandstone piers with moulded caps flanked by a pair of original cast iron gates. A wide opening has been created to the north-west corner with a new concrete blockwork pier. The boundary continues around the north elevation with similar railings and a short concrete block return wall at the west end; a section of original railings remains to the south of the building.

The building's architectural qualities have been very severely diminished through extensive internal and external alterations. It can no longer provide a positive environmental influence in an area where the original setting has been badly spoiled by the immediate presence of an elevated reinforced concrete highway running alongside it to the south. The building is abutted to the rear by a two-storey cement rendered structure. Surrounding the building are concrete areas: to the north side bounded to the east by a high cement rendered wall of an adjacent building in Point Street; to the front with concrete pavings from the gate to the doorway; and to the south, partly closed off by the original railings.