The journey of the Donegall Presbyterian Church, though relatively short lived, tells us so much about the many mysteries that emerge once a historic building is gone. Gaps in collective memory leave much to be discovered, much to be questioned, much that may be forever lost. Many may not even know that what is now known as the “Cathedral Buildings” was once a grand Presbyterian Church with a once booming congregation. A gothic building, strongly resembling an old castle with prominent crenelation-esque features, or as the Armagh Guardian put it in 1845, “a handsome Gothic front has been erected, which tends to greatly improve a very public part of town”. Yet, the great building remains humble in its symmetry and design—this was the beauty that was once the Donegall Street Presbyterian Church.
It all began with a man named Reverend James Bryson, the Presbyterian minister of the time for the Second Congregation Church on Rosemary Street. After his congregation split and Bryson decided to leave Second Congregation, some left the church with Bryson, willing to follow wherever he went. So Bryson and his established
congregation were willing to up and leave to build a new church elsewhere. A new church was built on Donegall Street and its popularity was such that it boasted an already filled congregation in 1791. After becoming legitimized as a church by the highest court of the Presbyterian churches of Ireland, the Donegall Street Presbyterian Church was fully born in 1792. Reverend Bryson was fully dedicated to this new
church he helped found, and was the minister there until his death in 1796.
Multiple ministers preached after Bryson, each adding their own mark on the memory of the church. One of the most prominent and unforgettable preachers was Revered Isaac Nelson, (which will be discussed in greater detail in a further post as he was such an interesting man indeed, deserving of his own spotlight) who was known for being an incredibly compelling speaker. Nelson preached at the Donegall Presbyterian for 38 years. He eventually left the church after years of controversy over his opposition to evangelicalism, his support for home rule, and his outspoken hatred for American slavery. He then became further involved in politics, becoming the Nationalist Member of Parliament for Mayo county in 1880.
Nelson’s unconventional and outspoken views of a Presbyterian preacher of the time isolated the Donegall street Presbyterian Church in many ways. After making news headlines multiple times, perhaps the church began also gaining a reputation of sorts as a radical church. The Presbyterian Synod (the sort of ruling group that made decisions across the island for the Presbyterian faith) iced out Nelson for his opposing views on evangelicalism, slavery, and home rule. The church struggled after Nelson with some ministers not wanting to engage with any perceived controversy.
Only one more minister followed Reverend Nelson before the Donegall Street Presbyterian Church closed its doors for good. Reverend George Magill was the final minister to speak within its halls before the lease ran out and was not renewed. He
became minister in 1880 until 1886 when the congregation all moved to a new church that was built for them in Cliftonville.
The lease renewal became a massive issue that the church faced. In 1884, there was already a movement happening for the church to gather the funds to be able to renew the lease. Initially, they tried to obtain funding elsewhere first before asking the
loyal folks of the congregation for their money to save the church on Donegall as it was. Rent was 320 pounds a year and the building was in need of expensive upkeep and repairs— a sum that proved too much for them to gather. Eventually, after raising a meagre 800 pounds on their own, the church was in need of the public’s help. In 1884, the Belfast Newsletter wrote:
“It will be at once seen that the proposed new church is an absolute necessity, and not simply a matter of convenience; and, as the congregation is not a very strong one, the appeal is confidently made in the hope that the generous Protestant public will supply the remainder of the funds necessary for the carrying out of a work that cannot be avoided”
Belfast Newsletter: 10th May 1884
Though many fought to keep the Donegall street church building alive, it ultimately was decided that the congregation would simply have to move to a different church. A unanimous decision was made by the Presbyterian meeting of churches, collectively saying:
“We sympathize with our brother, Revered Magill, and his congregation in the circumstances in which they are placed in connection with the termination of the lease of their church property, which will render it necessary for our friends to
Belfast Newsletter: 10th May 1884
erect a new church on another site; and we strongly recommend their case to the sympathy and liberality of the Christian public”
Many questions still remain about this seemingly illusive church. Why would such a beautiful building be taken down completely just to move to another? Did Nelson’s views isolate the church on such a larger scale that it ended in the church’s
demise? The congregation that had once sat within the Donegall Presbyterian continued on at the Cliftonville location for many years after, leaving the Donegall location to eventually be empty and later demolished.
So little still remains to be found about this little church that once stood so proudly on Belfast’s most popular street of the time. Only a few photographs have been discovered thus far, leaving only remnants of memories of a once beloved space.
So much of Belfast’s historic buildings have been demolished, leaving very little points to draw our memory. This leaves us with further questions— if the congregation would not have dwindled, would it have still remained? If it would have remained, would we now be recognizing Reverend Isaac Nelson’s contributions to the anti-slavery movement in Belfast? If the Donegall street Presbyterian Church still remained, even in merely its façade or in rubble, would we collectively know more about its history? Would the building now remain a church, or would it be destined to become a retail store or a coffee shop? Does it matter that the building is gone at all?
Historic buildings are incredibly important for collective memory. Buildings, remnants, artifacts, the written word— they all serve as an anchor point for our understanding of history. Preservation of memory in all its forms is integral to keeping
the spark of interest for history alive, including the preservation of historic buildings whenever possible. The Donegall Street Presbyterian Church shows to us just how important it is to preserve memories in whatever ways we can— take care of those
documents sitting in your attic, make sure those family photographs are safe, don’t put off having those conversations with your parents or grandparents about their younger years— for it is all important, and once it is gone, it is gone forever.
About the Author:
Brooke Norgaard is a MA student at Queen’s University Belfast in the Public History program. She obtained her undergraduate degree in History at the University of Sioux Falls with a focus in history teaching. Her focus areas are women’s history, the Salem Witch Trials, dark tourism, and carceral history. Norgaard has spent years working at various history museums in the United States and is currently an intern for the North Belfast Heritage Cluster. All research has been conducted to a high academic standard and has been fully referenced. If you would like to know more about a story or piece of research, or if you wish to tell us about your own story, email us at: archiveproject@nbheritagecluster.org