Ryans Presbyterian Church, Old Newry Road, Finnard, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5BG

Ryans Presbyterian Church

Ryans Presbyterian Church is a much-altered mid 19th-century Presbyterian meeting house prominently located on the roadside at Finnard, retaining much of its original external form but substantially changed during the 20th century. The building was constructed between 1840 and 1843, with the foundation stone laid on 8 May 1840 by James Parker of Mount Kearney and the church opened by Reverend H. Cooke on 16 June 1843. It was built by the congregation of the Presbytery of Newry, affiliated to the Synod of Ulster, following a split in the local congregation. The site was purchased from John Crawford of Finnard House. The building took three years to complete and was designed to accommodate 320 people, with capacity increased to 430 following the completion of the gallery by 1865.

The church is a rectangular plan structure set in a small churchyard on the north side of Old Newry Road. It is constructed with line-rendered and painted walls and has a hipped natural slate roof with advanced masonry eaves course carrying half round metal rainwater goods. Stepped V-channelled quoins are applied to the front corners only. The principal elevation faces south and features a central front entrance comprising a pair of modern tongue-and-groove sheeted doors with modern stained glass fanlight in a semi-elliptical opening. A window flanks either side of the front doors, with three similar windows to the first floor. All are semicircular headed modern Y-tracery stained glass fixed lights with roughly dressed painted granite cills.

The left (west) and right (east) elevations are identical, each containing three large tall windows similar to those on the façade but with hopper-type opening lights. A 1923 photograph records that the church originally had Georgian glazing with 15/15 sliding sashes with spoked heads on the side walls and smaller similar windows on the façade. These were replaced with Gothic windows in 1931, significantly affecting the external character of the building. The rear (north) elevation has two large windows similar to those on the side elevations and a modern escape door at ground floor level to the left.

The exterior has been substantially altered. The façade was plastered around 1901 at a cost of £15-8-0. In 1904 the interior was refurbished for £49-7-0. The roof was rebuilt around 1960. The church closed for extensive roof repair between 1959 and 1963. During this closure, the interior was completely redesigned with new ceilings, pulpit, pew ends, organ and lighting and heating systems installed. The architect for these works was Major G W Reside of Newry. This radical interior reconfiguration left only the 1865 gallery of the original church remaining, and overall very little of the original church interior survives.

The churchyard is enclosed to the south (road) and east by a rendered and coped wall. Opposite the front doors is a pair of matching square-in-section gate piers with swept copings, which carry a pair of wrought iron gates with ram's horn finials to dog bars and main bars. The rear (north) and left (west) boundaries are defined by rubble stone walls. The churchyard memorials and tombstones date mostly from the mid 19th century.

The most significant monument in the churchyard is the Mills family mausoleum erected by Dr Mills' wife and sons in 1914, located immediately west of the church. It is constructed of V-channelled ashlar granite with polished granite detailing. The structure has a flat roof with chamfered coping and raised ogee corner blocks. The south face displays a polished granite stone inscribed 'MILLS' at the wall head. The east cheek features a beaded oak door with brass lock and polished granite architrave. Each remaining face has a similar architrave framing a white marble panel, with a pair to the west face. The north and west panels are blank. The south panel is inscribed with memorials to Dr Samuel Mills, Medical Officer to Donaghmore Dispensary (died 1914 aged 76 years), and his sons John Arthur Mills (died 1924) and William Sloan (died 1930). Abutting the north side of the mausoleum is an open grave surround with a polished grave headstone to William Hopkins Mills of Ardarragh (died 1898) and his wife and family, the last of whom died in 1961.

Adjacent to the church to the immediate west is a 1930s church hall, currently being enlarged, which is of no architectural interest. The listing includes the church and gates.