Coleraine Orange Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical two-storey pedimented red brick orange hall, built in 1911, to the designs of Samuel McFadden with oriel window. Rectangular on plan facing north on a corner site at the junction of Union Street and Brook Street with an enclosed front area.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and lead ridges to a pair of hipped eaves sections flanking the central pediment. Ogee-moulded cast-iron guttering supported on corbelled eaves cornice and square-profile cast-iron downpipes. Two tall red brick chimneystacks rise from both side elevations having a slight breakfront below eaves, red brick curved brackets and terracotta pots. Machine-made red brick walling laid in English garden wall bond. Gauged brick arched window openings with painted masonry sills and replacement uPVC windows.

Symmetrical front elevation is three windows wide with the central bay rising well above the eaves and surmounted by a bracketed open-bed pediment framing a keystone oculus. The shallow three-sided canted oriel window below is constructed of painted masonry including the base, transomed and mullioned window frame and roof. Segmental-headed window openings to the first floor, paired square-headed window openings to the ground floor with splayed lintels and sills and a central mullion. Round-headed entrance is set below the oriel comprising a channel-rusticated deeply-splayed surround with oversized hood moulding on squat brackets broken to the apex by an advanced keystone rising to the base of the oriel. Original double-leaf Tudorbethan hardwood doors and coloured leaded glazed fanlight over reading; ‘Coleraine / Orange Hall’. Door opens onto concrete step and paved front area.

East side elevation is five windows wide with two raised chimneystacks and plainer eaves detail. Window openings are square-headed windows to the first floor, segmental-headed to the ground floor.

Gabled rear elevation is blank and surmounted by a diminutive red brick chimneystack.

West side elevation as per east side elevation with a tall window to the front set within a shallow full-height recess. Later square-headed door opening to the right with concrete steps and glazed entrance screen (c.1960).

Setting

Located on a corner site at the junction between Union Street and Brook Street.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Red brick
Windows UPVC

Historical information

The two-and-a-half-storey redbrick Orange Hall, located at the corner of Union Street and Brook Street, was erected in 1911 and was the first purpose built building constructed to house the Orange Lodges of Coleraine and its environs. Prior to the erection of the current hall, the Orange Lodges nos 5, 316, 355 and 735, as well as the Royal Black Preceptories nos 37 and 39, met at one of the schoolhouses on neighbouring Brook Street (Ulster Town Directories – 1910). The Irish Builder records that tenders for the current building were invited in 1909 and that a local architect and engineer, Samuel John McFadden (d. 1932), was contracted to design the new hall. McFadden was the assistant county surveyor for County Londonderry from c. 1900, however he had established a private practise in the town by 1907; in 1909 he was surveyor for Coleraine Rural District Council and, from 1910, served Ballymena Rural District Council in the same capacity. Coleraine Orange Hall was completed by 1911 and on 16th April in that year the new building was officially opened; the builder contracted to undertake McFadden’s design was a Mr. William Callaghan who was also a member of the Orange Order (Irish Builder, p. 285; Dictionary of Irish Architects).

Upon its completion, the Orange Lodges nos 316, 355 and 735 met at Coleraine Orange Hall which was initially valued at £22 in the Annual Revisions (Ulster Town Directory – 1918). Photographs from the turn of the 20th century and the relevant editions of the Ordnance Survey maps (1904-1967) show that the layout and façade of the Orange Hall have not been discernibly altered in the past century. In 1935 the value of the Orange Hall was increased to £55 under the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland; there was no further valuation of the site undertaken for over two decades due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of the Second World War, however in 1956 the total rateable value of the Orange Hall was further increased to £64 at which it remained by the end of the second revaluation in 1972.

Coleraine Orange Hall was first planned in 1907 after a meeting between all the Orange Lodges in the area, who at that time still met at the schoolhouse on Brook Street, decided to erect a permanent hall to be shared between the different lodges. The local lodges had originally met at a the Constituency Offices on New Row in the late-19th century, however by 1907 the Brook Street schoolhouse had been utilised as a meeting place by the Orange Order for approximately 15 years. The land on which the current hall was built was donated by Hugh T. Barrie (1860-1922), M.P. for North Londonderry between 1906 and 1918 and a member of the Order.

The foundation stone was laid on Easter Monday the 28th March 1910 and the hall officially opened on Easter Monday, 17th April 1911. The estimated cost of construction stood at £15,000, mostly gained through subscription from members and the general public. The Coleraine Twelfth Festival website notes that to celebrate the official opening of the Orange Hall ‘Brethren from many districts, including Belfast, Londonderry, Magherafelt and Ballycastle took part in the parade through the streets of the town, which were lined with holiday-makers.’ The hall was officially opened by Mrs. Barrie (the wife of the local M.P.) whilst the address was given by Hugh Barrie and the Rev. Canon Dudley.

Aside from being primarily utilised as a meeting place for the local Orange Lodges, the new hall was also used to host social occasions and public functions; shortly after its completion the upper floor of the building was utilised as Coleraine’s first picture house. During the Second World War the building was requisitioned as part of the war effort and was converted into a local headquarters for the Royal Air Force; the local lodges were, once again, forced to meet at temporary premises until the end of the war (Coleraine Twelfth Festival website).

The Orange Hall on Union Street continues to be utilised as the meeting place for Coleraine’s local Orange Lodges; currently L.O.L. nos 5, 87, 316 and 735 and the Royal Black Preceptories nos 37, 99 and 212 share the hall whilst in 2011, as part of the centenary celebrations, one of the upper rooms was converted into an educational resource centre for the teaching of Ulster Scots. Field inspection of the Orange Hall also finds that a room within the hall is utilised as a small museum commemorating the history of the Orange Order in Coleraine.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1904
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1923
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1949
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9K-P – Annual Revisions 1900-1931
5. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/3 – First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1935
6. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/3 – Second General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1956-1972
7. Irish Builder, Vol. 53 (29 Apr 1911)
8. Ulster Street Directories (1901-1918)
9. Ordnance Survey map – 13-13NW (1989)

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie
2. Coleraine Twelfth Festival website - http://www.colerainetwelfthfestival.co.uk/hall%20centenary.htm

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical two-storey pedimented red brick orange hall, built in 1911, to the designs of Samuel McFadden with oriel window to front elevation. The ground floor retains some of its original internal detaiing with the roof structure also retained, however the windows have been replaced. It is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing but is nevertheless of interest to the local community.