Masonic Lodge, 11 Derry Road, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 8DT

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached gable-fronted two-storey three-bay rendered Masonic hall, dated 1878. Rectangular on plan facing west, set back slightly on the east side of Derry Road with a gabled entrance porch (c.1990), single-storey flat-roofed extension to south and further extension to rear.

Pitched artificial slate roof, roll-moulded terracotta ridge tiles, decorative timber bargeboard and finial to front gable, with replacement uPVC rainwater goods and a rendered chimney rising from the north side elevation with an octagonal clay pot. Concrete tiles to roof of porch. Painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling. Moulded architrave surrounds to window openings with painted stone sills, sill corbels and uPVC windows with security mesh.

Gabled three-bay two-storey west front elevation with a moulded plaque to the gable containing the Masonic emblem and applied numerals ‘1878’, a further circular plaque above. Three round-headed window openings to first floor with plain pilasters, impost mouldings and architrave moulding with figurative keystone. The central round-headed window opening is blind with a circular plaque containing a star. Square-headed window openings to the ground floor. The porch has a square-headed window opening with concrete sill and a hardwood framed stained glass window. To the right cheek is a square-headed door opening with hardwood panelled door. Door opens onto front cement paved area.

Two-storey rendered north side elevation has a pair of small windows below eaves level and a square-headed door opening to a steel fire escape.

South side elevation also has small segmental-headed window openings below eaves level with concrete sills. Previous round-headed window openings are visible, now blocked up with stone sills.

Concrete finish to front site enclosed to the street by a rendered wall with concrete coping and opening to the street by a pair of rendered piers with a pair of vehicular steel gates opening onto the road. To the north the site is enclosed by a rubblestone wall with stacked coping.

Roof Artificial slate
Walling Ruled-and-lined cement render
Windows UPVC
RWG UPVC

Historical information

The ‘Masonic Hall’ first appears on the valuation town plan covering the period 1874-1908. It also appears on the third edition OS map of 1905.

The ‘Freemason’s Lodge and yard’ are written into the Annual Revisions fieldbook in 1880. The property is leased from the Duke of Abercorn and it is noted that Mr J Steele is the secretary. It is valued at £13.15s and 5s for the yard.

In valuers’ notes of 1933 the ‘Trustees of Strabane Masonic Hall’ lease the building from the Marquess of Hamilton. The value has been revised to £40. It consists of a club room, kitchen, cloaks (with WC and hot water) and smoke room downstairs and a lodge room and anteroom upstairs. In 1935 the trustees asked for a reduction in the valuation on the grounds that the hall could not be used for non-masonic purposes and this was granted, the valuation being reduced to £30.

The lodge is built on land leased from the first Duke of Abercorn during the period that he was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland (1874 to 1886) and is likely to have been the nearest purpose-built lodge to his seat at Baronscourt. On the first Duke’s death in 1886, his son, the second Duke, became Grand Master until his death in 1913. (Parkinson, 1957)

References:

Primary Sources

PRONI OS/6/6/5/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1905)
PRONI OS/6/6/5/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1951)
PRONI VAL/12/E/187/1/7 – Valuation Town Plan (1874-1908)
PRONI VAL/12/B/42/31A-M – Annual Revision Records (1860-1931)
PRONI VAL/3/D/7/9A/7 – Valuers RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources:

Parkinson, R.E. “History of the Grand Lodge of Ireland” Dublin: Lodge of Research CC, 1957

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A gable-fronted Masonic hall having much in common with other Masonic halls in the county. Whilst the windows have been replaced and a new porch added, the overall impression remains intact complete with Masonic symbols and other decorative mouldings to the front elevation. This lodge contributes to the architectural and historic interest of Strabane but is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.