Downpatrick First (Non-Subscribing) Presbyterian Church, Stream Street, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 6DD

Downpatrick First (Non-Subscribing) Presbyterian Church is an impressive and scarce example of a vernacular Non-subscribing Presbyterian church, built around 1711. The building is situated on a rise on the east side of Stream Street, surrounded by a small graveyard enclosed by a high rendered wall.

The church began as a T-shaped structure and assumed its present cruciform plan possibly in the late 18th century, when a small south-facing projection was added to house the minister's room and session room, now serving as the main entrance. The building is finished in unpainted rough cast with a slated roof. Cast iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

The west-facing projection comprises a timber door with vertical sheeting and a small vision panel to the left, with a 6/6 sash window to the right. The first floor has a tall semicircular arch-headed 14/6 sash window set partly within a small gabled half-dormer on the left, and a 6/6 sash window to the right. A moulded and dentilled eaves course runs along this elevation. The gabled south face of the projection is blank. The east face has a 6/6 sash window at ground floor left and a smaller similar window at first-floor right, with a dentilled eaves course.

The south-facing east wing features a tall double window on its south face: a 6/6 sash at ground floor with a semicircular arch-headed 8/6 sash window directly above. To the right of the ground floor are two unevenly spaced 6/6 sash windows. The east face is gabled with a mainly hipped-roof stair projection to the right, above which sits a semicircular fixed-light window. The stair projection's left side is cut short to create a lean-to effect. The north face of the stair return has an 11/6 semicircular arch-headed sash window. The north face of the east wing has two 6/6 sash windows.

The north wing features two 6/6 sash windows on its east face and two on its west face. The north gable is largely obscured by a full-width stair projection. The north face of this projection has a semicircular arch-headed fixed-light window set at the gable apex, comprising 25 panes with the upper panes forming an intersecting gothic tracery effect. A timber-sheeted door is positioned on the east face of the projection. Only the apex of the main gable is visible, featuring a small louvered roof-space ventilator at its centre.

The main west gable has a stair projection to its left side, primarily hipped-roofed. Its north face contains an 11/6 semicircular arch-headed sash window. The south face has a plain timber-sheeted door, with the hipped roof cut short to create a lean-to effect. Above this roof is a semicircular arch fixed-light window. The south face of the main wing has two 6/6 sash windows.

The ridges of the roofs to the wings of the original T-shaped structure align at one level, whilst the roof of the smaller later south projection is set at a much lower level.

The surrounding graveyard is enclosed by a high rendered wall. The gateway on the west side (Stream Street) comprises tall square pillars topped with stone urns and spear-head-decorated gates, likely dating from the mid-19th century. The steps to the gateway have been reconstructed in recent years with narrow treads.

Historical records show the church depicted on a plan of around 1720 and again on an 1834 Ordnance Survey map in its present form. The 1729 plan may indicate the outline of the southern projection. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of December 1836 describe the church as accommodating 750 persons with three galleries.