History Of May Street Church

May Street Presbyterian Church is rich in history, built for the Presbyterian reforming minister Rev Henry Cooke (who is the figure of the now well known statue in Belfast referred to as ‘The Black Man’). The Church, built on three levels, is located behind the City Hall travelling on May Street towards the markets.

May Street Church celebrates almost 180 years of continuous worship and prayer; it was opened in 1829 in Georgian Belfast. Townspeople acquired leases and replaced lesser earlier buildings, poorly built on silty ground, with new terraces three and four storeys in height. When the church was built, the centre of the developing town of Belfast was a little distance north, on High Street. At that time May Street Church was not at the centre of Belfast but at its edge surrounded by green fields. The church was built on ground once occupied by Cromac Paper mill at Joy’s Dam.

The church itself was a building of its time, a hall church in the Greek revival style with an interior and fittings of a very high quality. Unlike many other City centre churches, May Street has survived not only World War II, but also the Troubles of Belfast, and remains in thoroughly original condition.

'Classical calm' is perhaps the expression one would choose to describe its period architecture, and this is also the expression that best describes the ministry that it is now developing for busy City centre workers in Belfast.