First Presbyterian Meeting House and Burial Ground, High Street, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1HB

First Presbyterian Meeting House and Burial Ground

The meeting house stands at the south side of the burial ground in a ruinous condition. It is roofless, with its original two storeys reduced to a single storey. The building is oriented south-east to north-west.

The walls are constructed of random rubble with brick dressings to the openings. The north-east gable has been reduced in height and is now coped with cement. The centre doorway features a timber lintel with a segmental brick relieving arch above it. To the left and right of the doorway are single window openings. All windows are tall with semicircular heads and no cills, their intrados being splayed internally. The original first-floor window openings, which align with those below, have been infilled. The side elevations are narrower than the gable. The north-west elevation contains a now-headless doorway to the left and a window to the right. The south-east elevation has two windows. The south-west side, which forms the boundary with the adjacent convent, is blank. To the east of the north-east gable stands a ruinous section of wall with one complete window opening remaining; others to its left and right are ruinous.

The churchyard is enclosed by a rubble stone wall with a retaining wall to the east end. It is grassed and has modern plots laid out with concrete paved paths. At the east end is a small graveyard containing 19th-century graves, tombs and memorials of particular note.

The Colvin Memorial is situated at the north end of a row of 19th-century graves at the south-east end of the graveyard. It consists of a rectangular white marble tablet fronted by a Gothic-headed and traceried cast-iron panel. The tablet is incised with names and dates, the earliest being Mary Ann Colvin, who died in 1864. The cast-iron encasement has a semicircular head with a projecting hood topped with a strapped ball finial upon which rests a dove. The memorial rests on a chamfered granite plinth and has an ill-fitting asbestos panel attached to its back. The plot is rectangular and delineated by a wrought-iron link chain hung from cast-iron piers. Each pier has a pitched top and is marked "Smith Patent Sun Foundry Glasgow". There is one at each corner and one at the centre of each side.

The Malcolm Memorial is also situated at the south-east end of the graveyard. It is a Grecian Revival mausoleum aligned east-west and executed in Roman cement. It is rectangular in plan with advanced corner piers, all on a plain base. Each elevation and pier tapers inwards as it rises. The north and south faces have inset white marble panels with moulded architrave. The south panel is illegible. The north panel states: "This monument is erected by the Presbyterian congregation of Newry who while they bow to the will of the most high deplore the loss of him who was during 14 years their beloved pastor May this marble speak to future time and stimulate the successive ministers and members of this congregation to follow his example and emulate his virtues". The west and east elevations both have a raised rectangular panel with embossed patera to each in-stepped corner. In this panel is a diamond-shaped inset of black stone with a white marble bible embossed. Each corner pier has a recessed vertical tapering panel with inverted segmental head and above is an inverted acroterion decorated with anthemion. The piers and each elevation are topped by a plain frieze with raised edges. Each pier has a shallow pyramidal cap and the whole mausoleum has a shallow hipped roof topped by a large foliated oval urn. It is set in a granite paved enclosure with plain spiked railings and a small integral gate to the east side.

The Alexander Memorial is a tapered ashlar granite obelisk with a pyramidal head, similar in style to but very much smaller than the Corry Memorial. It rests on a square pedestal with a projecting cornice with coved eaves and drip course. Each face of the pedestal is coffered, with those to the west and east inset containing inscribed slate tablets. The west panel commemorates Reverend Henry Alexander, this church's minister for 27 years, who died in 1868. The pedestal rests on a plinth comprising three granite steps.

The Reverend Mitchel tomb is a rectangular mausoleum aligned west-east and situated in an enclosure at the centre of a row of 19th-century graves at the south-east side of the graveyard. It is executed in Roman render in a neo-classical style with raised tapering piers to each corner, all resting on a raised moulded base course. Each pier has an inverted, embossed classical torch with an embossed laurel wreath above it, and is capped with a hipped render coping with moulded eaves. The whole structure is capped with a hipped overhanging render lid. The north and south faces have inset white marble text panels. The south panel is now unreadable, although a later inscription in the render below states: "In the same tomb must rightfully repose the honoured remains of Mary the noble wife help mate and friend of him whose name is inscribed above. Born 8th April 1788, died 8th April 1865". The north marble panel states: "He chose to obey God rather than man and endured much for conscience sake he fearlessly and ably advocated the sufficiency of scripture and freedom from human creeds with apostolic simplicity and mild persuasive eloquence he maintained that God is one that God is love and that he sent his son to be the saviour of the world as was his life so was his death, calm, peaceful, holy and like how he wished it to be inscribed on this tomb In Christ is my hope". The west face is inscribed "Holy father keep through thy own name knows whom thoughest given me that they may be one as we are". The east face reads "Born 11th Nov. 1781 Died 28th Feb. 1840 aerat 58 Love one another as I loved you".

The John Mitchel Memorial consists of a square granite pedestal on a moulded granite base, very finely dressed to the front with a shallow hipped overhanging coping. The front is incised: "In memory of John Mitchel born Nov. 3rd 1815 died March 20th 1875 After 27 years spent in exile for the sake of Ireland he returned with honour to die among his own people and he rests with his father and mother in the adjoining tomb". At the foot of the memorial is a long granite slab with pitched top and roll-mould to the ridge. It is incised to each pitch with details of Mary Mitchel (fourth daughter of Reverend Mitchel), who died in 1898, and William Haslett, who died in 1891.

The sundial is situated on the south corner of the graveyard. It is a decoratively moulded one-piece octagonal granite post resting on a square plinth of three granite steps. This post supports a circular bronze face set horizontally, the perimeter of which is incised with Roman numerals and some decoration. The decorative bronze gnomon is intact.