Masonic Hall (former railway station)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively small and relatively plain two storey red brick former railway station of 1892-3, which due to the unusual nature of the Clogher Valley Railway it served, (which ran down the middle of Caledon’s Main Street), is situated in the middle of a terrace. The building, which is set on the east side of the Main Street, is now used as a Masonic Hall.

The front elevation faces W, is asymmetrical, and completely in red brick. To the far right on the ground floor is a panelled timber door set within a segmental arched opening. To the far right is a large segmental arched vehicle opening. To right of this is a relatively large window with mullioned and transomed frames. The smaller upper lights of the window are filled with small square panes (in typical Edwardian fashion). Between these windows is a segmental arched recess which was originally a doorway to the waiting room (but which was neatly filled in with brick some time ago. Over this former doorway there was originally a large pitched roof hood on brackets, the outline of which can still be seen.

To the first floor are three evenly spaced windows. The outer windows are identical to those on the ground floor, whilst that to the centre is considerably larger and partly set within a gable with overhanging shaped barges.

The rear elevation is largely in greyish limestone rubble. To the far right on the ground floor is the back end of the vehicle entrance. The arch head of this opening is dressed in red brick. To the immediate left of this is a small sash window with horizontal glazing bars (2/2). To the far left is a similar, but larger, window. To the first floor centre right is a window as previous, whilst to far right is a much smaller plain sash window. The right hand third of the rear façade projects forward slightly, and has flush in-out stone quoins to its left hand edge. There of the windows to the rear have wrought iron security bars over.

The gabled roof is slated, and roughly to the centre of the rear of the roof, there rises a large brick chimneystack which rises into two (somewhat Tudoresque) diamond plan brick-built ‘pots’. The roof has an overhang to the front. Cast iron rainwater goods.

Just to the left (S) of the back end of the vehicle archway there is a vehicle gateway with simple 19th century looking wrought iron gates (which are of slightly uneven heights). These stretch between the rear façade and a tall round gate pillar, the latter at the W end of a tall rubble wall which separates the ground at the back of this property from that to the N.

Historical information

This property was built in 1892-93 as a railway station serving the Clogher Valley Railway. The CVR, originally the ‘Clogher Valley Tramway’ opened in 1887, running on reserved track beside the road, through fields and, (in somewhat Austrian and North American fashion), down the middle of the main streets of Fivemiletown and Caledon- thus accounting for the odd position of the station, in the middle of a terrace. Previous to its opening the railway had rented a single room in a building elsewhere in Main Street for use as a waiting room and parcel receiving office.

The CVR closed in 1941 and the building later became a Masonic hall. The main entrance to the ground floor (which presumably held the waiting room and ticket office), was blocked up with the upstairs room (presumably the station master’s office) converted to the hall itself.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/38/8b-f Annual valuation revision books, 1864-1929
2 PRONI VAL/12E/164/1 Valuation town plan of Caledon, 1905 [-1909]
3 PRONI OS/65/1 OS town plan of Caledon (1907)
4 PRONI D.2433/A/13/51/1 Caledon Papers Plan for ‘alterations to Alexander House, Caledon’, ?c.1910-20
5 PRONI VAL/3G/136/2 Valuation town plan of Caledon (1935-54)

Secondary sources
1 Edward M. Patterson, ‘The Clogher Valley Railway’ (David & Charles, Devon, 1972)
2 Jack Johnston, ‘In the days of the Clogher Valley and its railway, 1887-1942’ (Friars Bush Press, Belfast, 1987)
3 Grenfell Morton, ‘Railways in Ulster’ (Friars Bush Press, Belfast, 1989)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively small and relatively plain two storey red brick former railway station of 1892-3, which, due to the unusual nature of the Clogher Valley Railway it served (which ran down the middle of Caledon's Main Street), is situated in the middle of a terrace.