Elmwood Presbyterian Church designed by John Curry. 1862. Queen's Quarter, Belfast, Ulster, Northern Ireland.

In a field of uninspired and uninspiring churches constructed in Belfast in the 1860s, when the city was expanding well beyond its old core, Elmwood Presbyterian Church (1862), University Road, stands out. The architect, John Corry, was in a fact an amateur, member of a successful London firm of building-contractors and shipowners, his brother James being responsible for the fine Victorian houses in the Upper and Lower Crescents. "Both exterior and interior are designed on wedding- cake principles: the arcaded Italianate facade is pleasing, the three tiers of the spire are delightful. There are many small columns and curly capitals" (Brett, p. 36).

Related Material

Text and photograph by Philip V. Allingham 2006. These images may be used without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose.

Bibliography

Brett, C. E. B. Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1967.


Last modified 8 June 2021