Exterior Front

The Presbyterian congregation in Portaferry, many of them Ulster-Scots, arrived in the 1600s and the town is reputed to have one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in Ireland.

They originally worshipped at the nearby medieval site of Templecranny, until their first minister, Reverend John Drysdale was arrested by a Cromwellian officer.  Templecranny was handed over to the Church of Ireland, so the Presbyterians built a new meeting house - a simple little building on the current site.

In January 1839, there was a terrible storm on what has become known as ‘The Night of the Big Wind’ and the Presbyterian meeting house was badly damaged. The Presbyterian minister at that time was Reverend John Orr who had a great interest in the Classical world.  He oversaw the new build and modelled it on the Greek Temple of Nemesis.