Ballyblack Presbyterian Church is a rural church located in Ballyblack, near Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland. Ballyblack is organized under the Presbytery of Ards in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Church property consists of a main church building adjoining graveyard and halls located opposite the church. There is also an offsite manse further down the road. The church has historical significance as it was founded over 200 years ago.
History
The congregation of Ballyblack was founded 1811. It is a rural congregation of both town and country people situated about 4 miles from Newtownards town centre.
The present church building was completed in 1872 and is set on a hilltop overlooking the surrounding countryside. The church hall known as the Finley Memorial Lecture Hall was completed in 1910 and is located beside the church with an adjoining car park. It still retains many original features including wooden clad ceiling and pitch pine floor.
The Church lost nearly all of its stained glass windows during The Second World War thanks to a near by bomb however the hall retained its windows. They where replaced with clear glass windows.
A new Church manse, located in the hamlet of Loughries just down the road from the church was build in 1957 to replace the old one located opposite it.
Frosted glass windows where added to the back of the church to to honour the lives and history of the people in the church.
In the 1990s a new stained glass window was installed on the south east side of the church in memory of the son of Rev.William L Haslett. Who was killed in an tragic accident aged only 20.
In 2009 The Church Manse was fully restored and extended to bring it up to modern standard. This was done for the apponment of the new minister.
In 2013 the Church hall was renovated adding a new entrance, disabled facilities, extensions to the kitchen and renovating the basement which had previously been disused.