Church Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached double-height gabled redbrick former Sunday School, dated 1885. Irregular on plan facing west with gabled entrance porch to the west elevation and pair of gabled projections to the rear. Extensively renovated c.1990 with two flat-roofed extensions added to the rear.

Pitched natural slate roofs with terracotta ridge tiles, rooflights and set behind slightly raised sandstone coping with gableted apex stones and kneeler stones. Replacement metal rainwater goods to timber fascia. Redbrick walling laid in Flemish bond with flush red sandstone courses at sill and lintel level and brick plinth course with splayed red sandstone. Square-headed window openings with chamfered surrounds, chamfered red sandstone lintels, splayed red sandstone sills and replacement fixed-pane timber windows.

Front west elevation is five windows wide abutted by a gabled entrance porch to the south end. Natural slate roof to porch set behind raised gable with stone coping, gableted apex stone and lateral half-height buttresses with red sandstone offsets. Pointed-headed door opening with compound chamfered surround formed in red sandstone to the arch and hood moulding over. Square-headed door opening formed in torus moulded red sandstone containing double-leaf sheeted timber door and carved red sandstone over-panel with raised lettering stating; ‘1885/Cathedral/Summer School’. Door opens onto two stone steps.

North gabled elevation is two windows wide having a central quatrefoil opening to the attic level formed in red sandstone. Steel fire escape and square-headed door opening to the upper level. To the east side is a lower gabled projection with a square-headed door opening to the west cheek having a stepped and chamfered square-headed door opening and replacement timber glazed door (now the principal entrance). The north gable has a quatrefoil opening as above and a pair of square-headed window openings.

Rear east elevation has a central gabled projection detailed as per remaining gables and abutted by lean-to extension. The gable has a tall redbrick chimneystack while the two window openings have been altered.

South gabled elevation is detailed as per remaining gables, also having a tall redbrick chimneystack with its east cheek abutted by a flat-roofed single-storey extension.

Setting:
Set on an elevated site to the rear of Lisburn Cathedral (HB19/16/001A) with its rear elevation fronting onto Castle Gardens and encircled to the north and west by bitmac parking area and to the south by a landscaped garden.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Replacement metal
Walling Redbrick / Red sandstone
Windows Replacement fixed-pane timber

Historical information

The Cathedral Hall was constructed as a Sunday School in 1884 and first enters valuation records in 1890 as a ‘School house and yard’ valued at £39 and £1 for the garden. (Annual Revisions; www.lisburn.com) The building first appears on the third edition OS map of c1900 captioned ‘Sun[day] Sch[ool]’. It has been used in many ways over the years, including a period of wartime service when the Sunday School was held in the Cathedral. Major redevelopment of the interior was carried out in 1989 to provide extra meeting rooms and an upstairs lounge. The main hall continues to be used as a Sunday School and accommodates a variety of weekday activities. (www.lisburn.com)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/68/3 – Third Edition OS Map c1900
2. PRONI OS/6/1/68/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1921
3. PRONI OS/6/1/68/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/9A-T – Annual Revisions (1863-1924)

Secondary Sources
1. www.lisburn.com

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached double-height gabled redbrick former Sunday School, dated 1885. Irregular on plan facing west with gabled entrance porch to the west elevation and pair of gabled projections to the rear. Extensively renovated and extended c.1990, the hall has lost much of its original character with the exception of the principal west elevation. Whilst adding to the collection of buildings in the grounds of Lisburn Cathedral (HB19/16/001A), it is not of sufficient quality to consider for listing.