Anniversary celebrations at Bellville

Bellville Presbyterian Church continues its 150th year of celebration with an exhibition of memorabilia pertaining to the church and the former day school which closed in the early 1900s.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Aug 2013, 09:00 BST

An exhibition of documents and photographs associated not only with the church, but of the local area is planned for Wednesday, September 4 from 6pm to 9pm and on Thursday, September 5 from 2pm to 9pm. The exhibition will be held in the church hall and the church will also be open, admission is free and everyone is welcome to browse and enjoy tea and biscuits.

The church and adjoining graveyard are situated on the left hand side of the B2 Lurgan to Bannfoot road some six miles from Lurgan. The church is situated in an area known as the Montiaghs in the townland of Derrytagh North. Montiaghs is the Anglicisation of the Gaelic, meaning boglands and in early records was referred to as the Montiaghs church.

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The building of Bellville church and manse were commenced in 1862 as a direct result of the 1859 revival, being privately funded by two members of First Lurgan Presbyterian Church, the Bell brothers who resided at ‘Solitude’ a substantial house on the Antrim Road in Lurgan.

The church opened for public worship in June 1863. The Bell family had originally been Quakers and were owners of a local Lurgan linen factory, they would have been heavily involved in the local area as many of the local hand loom linen weavers would have supplied linen cloth to the Bell factory.

The Church is very much a part of the local community; please call in for tea and chat, you will be most welcome.