Craigy Hill Presbyterian Church, Churchill Road, Larne, Co Antrim

Craigy Hill Presbyterian Church stands on an elevated site at the head of an inclined green within a post-war housing estate in Larne, Co Antrim. Built between 1960 and 1961 to designs by Houston and Beaumont, architects of Belfast, with H. Girvan and Sons as builder, the foundation stone was laid on 28 May 1960 and the church officially opened on 11 March 1961.

The church is a mid-20th century building in a modern style, comprising a gabled rectangular main structure with glazed links to a tall reinforced concrete open bell tower at the entrance front and a small annex to the rear. The main entrance faces north.

The external walls are rendered in wet dash with crushed stones. Roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, gabled to the church and hipped to the annex; porches have flat asphalt roofs with copper fascias. The front porch on the north side is timber framed with glazed long sides and mahogany front doors (later replacements, now inappropriate). End doors through the belfry walls are oak panelled and glazed with tubular chromium handles, all original. The belfry is entirely of reinforced concrete with roughcast outer surfaces and smooth untreated finish to inner faces. Iron steps ascend one inner face of the belfry through two intermediate landings with iron railings to the top level.

The long walls of the church feature square clerestorey windows, mainly fixed lights of plate glass except for three with top-hung opening vent lights. These have thick plastic frames (replaced c.1989) replacing the original thin metal frames. Expansion joints run along the long walls, and cast iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. A rectangular projecting bay with swept roof extends from the east end of the north side, with deep concrete window framing in an irregular rectilinear pattern. The east gable is blank; the west gable is recessed between projecting end walls and oversailing eaves. The timber fascia and sheeted soffits were replaced in 1989 after fire damage but to the original style. A large mullioned window with staggered transoms has been rebuilt in hardwood to the pattern of the original softwood window, though the cill height was raised from ground level and the surrounding walling re-rendered with larger aggregate. The rear porch is smaller than the front porch, with a store room added behind finished in untreated render. The annex features large replacement windows in plastic frames. Security grilles in timber frames are affixed to lower windows throughout the building.

The church stands within its own curtilage comprising lawns and a large tarmac area. The site is bounded by concrete post and wire fencing with two gateways of rectilinear ironwork set in plain concrete brick piers. A noticeboard of ply panel in rectilinear ironwork framing and concrete paving with rectilinear ironwork handrails complete the setting.

In 1989, the west gable was damaged by malicious fire which also destroyed an adjacent church hall. The building retains characteristic features and details of the mid-20th century period, though some original elements have been altered or replaced.