Methodist Church, West Street, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim

Methodist Church, West Street, Carrickfergus

This is a church built in plain Gothic Revival style, comprising a rectangular nave with shallow transepts and a semi-octagonal stair turret positioned to one side of the entrance gable. The main entrance faces south.

The south elevation presents a smooth cement-rendered entrance gable with projecting moulded plinth and projecting moulded cornice to the gable coping. Projecting plain stringcourses form the cills to windows and mark the springing point of upper windows. All render and plasterwork is uniformly painted. The central entrance consists of a pair of modern rectangular timber panelled doors topped by a plain fanlight with original Gothic arched framing, recessed within a Gothic archway featuring moulded and stop-chamfered reveals containing circular colonnettes, with a moulded label above. The doorway is flanked by single narrow lancets in raised surrounds with moulded and stop-chamfered reveals containing leaded lights with later storm-proof glazing. Above the entrance are four graduated lancets with similar surrounds and glazing, surmounted by a small circular window in the apex of the gable. A modern concrete doorstep leads onto a concrete ramp approached by a flight of concrete steps bounded by cement-rendered plinth walls and modern steel railings. Set back to each side of the entrance gable are a narrow bay to the right containing a tall lancet surmounted by a small circular window, and a semi-octagonal stair turret to the left with walls rendered as described, including stringcourses with the addition of dentil cornices to the eaves. Each face of the stair turret contains a tall narrow lancet above a quatrefoil-panelled roundel in a raised circular surround; the roundel on the canted face to the front is covered by a later timber noticeboard. Moulded cast iron gutters edge the eaves of each side bay and the return of the entrance gable, with circular cast iron downpipes.

The west elevation comprises the nave wall containing three tall lancets, with the semi-octagonal stair turret projecting to the right and a shallow gabled transept projecting to the left. The transept gable contains a graduated triplet of lancets surmounted by a circular window in the apex. Roofs, wall render, rainwater goods and storm-proof glazing are as described for the south elevation.

The east elevation comprises the nave wall containing three tall lancets, rising to a higher gable to the left, with a shallow transept projecting to the right. Walls are smooth rendered without plinth, stringcourses or window surrounds, with plain projecting stone cills and a moulded cornice to the nave but flush verges to the transept gable. Cast iron rainwater goods are as described. The raised gable to the left contains a tall lancet surmounted by a circular window in the apex; the transept gable contains two lancets. Storm-glazing is as previously described.

The north elevation comprises a plain rear gable, smooth rendered and painted, with the track of lean-to projections now removed to make way for the modern hall complex. Cast iron rainwater goods run to the return sides of the transepts at each extremity of the main new gable. Projecting from the rear gable at the right-hand side is a modern single-storey red brick link block connecting with the modern halls complex, whilst across the left-hand side of the rear gable is a modern steel fire escape stairway.

The building stands on a corner site within the built-up area of the town, facing onto a side street at the front but set back slightly behind a low plinth boundary wall containing a modern open concrete ramp to the main entrance. The west elevation faces onto the main road and a deep paved pedestrian area, set back behind a low plinth boundary wall containing an open paved area, with the plinth wall smooth cement rendered. To the rear stands a two-storey flat-roofed modern church hall complex in red brick connected to the rear of the church by a low single-storey red brick link block. The east elevation overlooks a side yard, hard surfaced and containing some mature trees, bounded by an old basalt rubble wall to the east, a modern halls complex to the north, and entered by a set of modern iron railings and gates to the south, abutting the entrance gable of the church.