History of the Presbyterian Church in the Village of Castlerock 

Concerning the name of the village there are different theories. The most likely one is this: The village was first called "The Rock "' because of a large mass of rock which stuck up on the beach and is now submerged with sand. Then after the castle was built on the hill, it was called "Castlerock."

We must remember that about 180 years ago there was no village here, only one small thatched cottage near the beach occupied by a man called Daniel M'Keeman. The people from Dunboe came down to bathe in the "smooth sandy beach."

The Cloth Workers Company of London at that time owned all the land around this area. They opened up a road from Liffock to the beach which made it easier for people to get there. Some years afterwards in 1860 the railway came through Castlerock -  the last section of the railway to be built. It was difficult to build a bridge over the Bann on one side, and it was difficult to construct the tunnels on the other side, so the Castlerock section of the railway was delayed. However it came through eventually in 1860. We read "it soon brought an abundance of visitors to this place, especially on the Sabbath. 

A former minister the Reverend J.A. McFarland explained:

To counteract the Sabbath desecration occasioned by this, the Rev. William Lyle, then minister of 1st Dunboe, used to come down and hold occasional services on the beach on the Sabbath evenings." In this he was helped by other members of the Coleraine Presbytery. The attendances at these services were large and encouraging, only at times they were interrupted by rain, so there was talk of providing a large tent or wooden shelter in which to hold them. But we read "the resident Presbyterians were too spirited to be content with such makeshifts, that they resolved to attempt to build a house of worship."

Dr. Marshall also writes: 

"that they were stimulated to move in this direction by the decision of Sir Hervey Bruce and the Clothworkers Company to erect an Episcopal church."

The Coleraine Presbytery was approached for its approval. It appointed a Committee to co-operate with the local people for this purpose. A subscription list was opened, which at first amounted to £100. They then approached/ the Clothworkers Company to give them a free site for a church and a good subscription to help to build it. But the Company, reasonably enough, replied the sum was too small, not only to build the church, much less to supply it with regular services. The people weren't daunted, they doubled their efforts an got nearly £ 300 with a promise of £ 150 from the General Assembly and also the promise of a good subscription from Sir Hervey, when it got under way. Another application was then made, along with the plans for a church which they said might be "an ornament to the rising village and creditable to those by whom it had been projected."

So the Clothworkers Company offered them a free site which I understand was about "Bests Corner." This didn't please your Committee, which said they would sooner pay for a site and pick their own rather than take that one.

However, eventually, the current site  was agreed upon and the Company gave it free of charge with a subscription of £50 and the promise of another £50 when the building was completed. At this time too, the Company were building an hotel where the Golf Clubhouse now is, and they gave the congregation the use of their offices, in which to hold services before the church was built. This was greatly appreciated by the committee. In all these negotiations, the secretary of the Clothworkers Company, Captain Stronge, was very sympathetic with what this congregation was doing and very helpful to it.

A man who was most active at this time in leading the congregation and furthering its interests was Mr. S. M. Greer, in whose memory the tower of the church was built and which was subscribed to by all classes and creeds of the community: also Mr.  William Warke, who was chairman of the Committee, who entertained all visiting ministers, and who also entertained to dinner members of the Clothworkers Company, who visited Castlerock for what was described as an "excellent agricultural exhibition " on Thursday, 15th September, 1870. While they were here, these members also inspected the Church and expressed their utmost satisfaction at its external appearance, commanding site, and the beauty and neatness of its internal structure and arrangements. They also gave the £50 grant they promised on completion of the building.

On the following year, 1871, Sir Hervey Bruce bought over the interests of the Clothworkers Company and on their leaving the district, they gave another £100   towards  helping   the   work  of   the church.  It   was with Sir Hervey then that the site for the first manse was later negotiated.

(Sourced from Centenary Pamphlet (1970) by Rev. J.A. McFarland