Masonic Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey, red brick Masonic Hall of 1910 with, broad, Jacobean influenced gable to front. The hall is situated on the N side of the Square, in the heart of Crossgar.

The front gable faces S and is asymmetrical. To the left on the ground floor is the main entrance which consists of a relatively narrow timber sheeted doorway with three pane semicircular fanlight. The doorway is bordered by brick pilasters which support a sandstone entablature. The entablature has a panel which is inscribed ‘MASONIC HALL’. A moulded (terracotta) keystone also supports the entablature. To the left and right of the entrance pilasters are two short string courses.

To the right of the entrance are two semicircular headed windows with PVC frames. Each window has a decorative moulded keystone which is linked to a string course which follows the curve of the window head. Both rest on a cill course also. The windows and entrance are separated by simple pilasters which stretch to first floor and culminate with slim sandstone ‘capitals’. The façade has similar pilasters to wall edges also, with inscribed sandstone cornerstones. To the first floor are three windows are ground floor.

The façade is topped with a decorative gable, whose curves appear Jacobean inspired (though the gable itself is perhaps too broad to be termed ‘Jacobean’). The gable has terracotta coping. Within the gable is a large tympanum panel within which is a sandstone date stone roundel (inscribed ‘1910’). To the gable edges are short piers with cornicing and a spherical urn finial.

The W façade has three windows to both ground and first floors, as well as pilasters, all as front. Above the pilasters is an eaves course. The E façade is similar to the W façade, but with the keystones and string courses to the windows.

A large single storey brick gabled extension has been added to the rear gable in relatively recent times [?c.1995], elements of whose styling echo the main hall. To the W this extension has a plain sheeted door to left and a semicircular arched recess to the right. To the W are two similar recesses to the W. To the gable there is a central pilaster, with similar pilasters to wall edges. The rear gable of the main hall has two central pilasters (much of which have now largely disappeared with the building of the extension). To the ground floor right side of the gable is a panelled door with fanlight, with a narrow semicircular headed window to right. To first floor right is a window as E façade. The edge pilasters to this gable are topped with piers as front, but without finials.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with single brick chimney stack to the ridge. The rw goods appear to be mainly metal.

To the front and W is a low brick wall with brick piers with decorative sandstone caps with ball finials. The wall is topped with simple wrought iron railings, with wrought iron gates to front. To the E is a higher wall finished in rough cast, but with curving brick portion to SE (also recent) with pier made to echo whose to original walling.

Historical information

This Masonic hall was built in 1910. The extension to the rear was added some time after 1978 (?in c.1995).

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/30/4 OS map, 1920, Down 30

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey, red brick Masonic Hall of 1910 with broad Jacobean influenced gable to front. There is a relatively large single storey brick extension to the rear, whose detailing echoes that of the main hall.