Knock Presbyterian Church, Belfast
History
Whilst Knock is currently one of the largest congregations in the denomination, it is still, in Presbyterian terms, relatively young. By the time the earliest meetings were taking place, Presbyterians had been in Ireland for over 200 years.
In the early 1870s Knock was a largely rural area with a population of businessmen, merchants and landowners. There were villages nearby such as Strandtown and Ballymacarrett (both of which are now very much part of urban east Belfast).
Knock church is probably unique in that the congregation sprang out of a children’s Sunday School established in 1870 by a Mr. James Colville, and which met in an old mill situated in the Cherryvalley area. This building was owned by Liberal MP for Belfast Sir Thomas McClure who was instrumental in helping to establish not only Knock but also nearby Belmont congregation.
With the Sunday School under way, a request soon came from parents in the area for a new congregation and in 1872 permission was granted by the General Assembly for Knock Presbyterian Church to be set up. Around thirty families formed the founding nucleus of the church. The building on the current site was erected in 1874, and the foundation stone was laid by Sir Thomas McClure. The trowel presented to him that day is on display in the church.
For reasons which are still unclear, the congregation’s name was changed in 1875 to Dundela, but reverted back to its original name of Knock in 1921.
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