Abbey Presbyterian Church, Dublin
Abbey Presbyterian Church is a church located at Parnell Square, Dublin. Designed by architect Andrew Heiton of Perth, Scotland, it is a decorated Gothic building, with a spire 180 feet (54.9 m) high. The church was erected in 1864 with funding from Alexander Findlater (1797–1873),[1] a Dublin merchant and philanthropist, and is known colloquially as "Findlater's church",[2][3] and it is referred to in two of James Joyce's novels as Findlater's Church.
| Abbey Presbyterian Church | |
|---|---|
 Abbey Presbyterian Church | |
| Location | Parnell Square, Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Presbyterian |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Founder(s) | Alexander Findlater |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Andrew Heiton William Leiper |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 180 feet (54.9 m) (Spire) |
The Church was built on the north eastern corner of Rutland (now Parnell) Square and North Frederick Street. It was built on the site of Headford House, which was owned by the Earl of Bective (also the Marquess of Headfort), and named after his family's County Meath estate.
One of the first preachers was John Hall (1829–1898).[4]
The congregation had previously, from 1667 until 1864, worshipped on Capel Street, on the site of the old St. Mary's Abbey. It was founded by a preacher from Bull Alley, the Rev. William Jacque, who left along with some of its congregation to form the new church. The Capel Street Congregation was sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Scots Church, and confused with the Scots Presbyterian Church, Lower Abbey Street. In 1778 during Rev. McDowell's ministry, the congregation renamed itself Mary's Abbey Congregation (whence the Abbey Presbyterian Church gets its name).
In 1911 Abbey Church, along with other Presbyterian churches, The Scots Church, Ormond Quay and Union Chapel, founded Lyndsey Road National School.[5]
In 1918 the Union Chapel, on Lower Abbey Street, whose chapel had been damaged during the 1916 Rising, joined the Abbey Presbyterian Church.
People Associated with the Abbey Presbyterian Congregation
- Alexander Hutcheson, minister Capel St., Moderator of the Presbyterian Synod of Ulster in 1692
- Francis Iredell, minister Capel St., Moderator of the Synod of Ulster in 1701
- Robert Craghead, M.A., minister Capel St, Moderator of the Synod of Ulster in 1719
- Charles McCollum, minister Capel Street, Moderator of the Synod of Ulster in 1760
- John Baird D.D. minister Capel St., (1767-1777), conformed to the Church of Ireland, and recognised as an Irish divine.
- Benjamin McDowell D.D. minister Marys Abbey (1778-1813) served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Synod of Ulster 1786.
- James Horner D.D., moderator of the Synod of Ulster 1804.
- James Carlile D.D. minister in Mary' Abbey (1815-1839), moderator of the Synod of Ulster 1825, and Presbyterian General Assembly in 1845
- William Bailey Kirkpatrick D.D., moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1850
- Margaret Hamilton Reid, was an elder at Abbey Presbyterian Church for 46 years, and a co-founder of the Irish School of Ecumenics.
References
- Alexander Findlater Contributed by Shaun Boylan, Dictionary of Irish Biography.
- John Cooke: Cathedrals and Churches of Dublin, 1908
- "Selected: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, PARNELL SQUARE, ABBEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (FINDLATER CHURCH)". Dictionary of Irish Architects. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- Larson: The Company of the Preachers, Vol 2. Kregel Publications, 1998
- School History Lyndsey Road National School.