Orange Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay red-bricked Edwardian Orange Hall dated 1914. Rectangular plan form with extensive single-storey rear return. Located adjacent to the main Belfast to Lisburn road on the east side, opposite the Junction to The Cutts.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles and finials; red bricked chimney with corbelled upper course and tall clay pots. Timber barge boards with simple mouldings; replacement uPVC fascia boards with uPVC rainwater goods throughout. The walling is red-brick laid in Flemish bond; projected plinth. Segmental- arched timber framed windows with rolled glass comprising; tripartite ground floor casement windows; ½ first floor sliding sash (vertically divided lower sash with leaded and stained glass upper sash) rectangular masonry cills and moulded brick surrounds. Segmental-arched front entrance screened by modern roller shutter.

The principal elevation faces north-west and is symmetrically arranged. The front entrance is centrally located on the ground floor of a slightly projected gabled central bay. Drip moulding over the segmental arch. Moulded plaque embedded into the walling; “Derriaghy L.O.L No. 135. Orange Hall. 1914.” Round-headed arched first floor window over comprising bi-partite casement lower portion with margin panes and long central rectangular pane. Half-circle portion over with margin panes and central fan-light-style leaded and stained glass. Matching flanking bays to either side with single tripartite window to the ground floor with a single first floor window directly over.

The left gable has a single ground floor window to the left and a centrally positioned first floor window.

The rear elevation is abutted by a wide single-storey hall; ridge level rising above the eaves height of the principal building. A single chimney serving the principal building is positioned centrally on the rear elevation rising above the ridge line of the hall. Matching in details the hall has a variety of windows and doors with some alterations to the existing openings and a secondary chimney rising from the north east face.

The right gable has a single window centrally located to the first floor.

Setting:

The building faces directly onto the Queensway; a busy principal road. On the opposite side of the road is a Dunmurry Industrial Estate comprising industrial units of varying sizes. To the north of the site is a small row of single-storey terrace cottages with substantially larger two-storey residential development to the south with the railway to the rear. The front of the site has a small lawn with a central tarmac path leading to the front door. The site is bounded to the sides by hedgerows with a masonry wall to the front with cast iron gates and piers.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: Red brick
Windows: Timber casement and sliding sash
RWG: uPVC replacement.

Historical information

The Orange Hall is first shown on the fourth edition OS map of 1920-1. The building bears a datestone of 7th February 1914 which was laid by Milne Barbour. Sir Milne Barbour (1868-1951), who was created a baronet in 1943, was the grandson of William Barbour, founder of William Barbour & Sons Ltd, in their heyday the world’s largest linen thread producers. Sir Milne Barbour was Chairman and Managing Director of the family firms from 1905 and served as an MP from 1922 and later a Minister in the Northern Ireland parliament. (Rankin, p.40-44)

References:

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/64/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1
2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1920-31
3. PRONI OS/6/1/64/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1920-39

Secondary Sources
1. Rankin, K “The Linen Houses of the Lagan Valley, The story of their families” Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey three-bay red-bricked Edwardian Orange Hall dated 1914. Externally the building has largely undergone little alteration to its simple modest style. Erected at the time of much development in the area, the building has provided a function of social importance to parts of the local community, but is not of sufficient architectura' or historic interest to consider listing.

General comments

This record was completed without access to the primary source material held by PRONI