The Orange Hall,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey gable-fronted rendered Orange Hall, dated 1923, facing north and located on the south side of the A6 on an elevated site. Rectangular on plan with single-storey gabled entrance porch. The roof is pitched natural slate with roll-moulded clay ridge tiles, behind a shaped gable, with plastic rainwater goods. The walling is ruled and lined cement render with a low projecting plinth course. Windows are square-headed with concrete sills and uPVC windows.

Principal gable front elevation is symmetrical with a round-headed shaped gable rising above the roof behind and having a torus moulded coping and a further moulded string course below, terminating in a skew corbel to either side. To the centre is a diamond-shaped panel with ovolo moulding containing a white marble panel and hood moulding over. The panel is inscribed:
“Templepatrick/ War Memorial Hall/ erected 1923/ in Memory Of Our Gallant Dead/ 1914-1918/ These Do Not read Our Praise Or Tears/ We Need Their Courage Through/ The Coming Years”.

Square-headed window openings to the ground floor with torus-moulded reveals, lugged and kneed architrave surrounds having a semi-circular moulding to the head, concrete sills with moulding to underside and uPVC windows. Round-headed windows to the first floor with torus-moulded reveals flanked by a pair of fluted pilasters on plinths with an archivolt over, uPVC windows. Single-storey gabled entrance porch has a pitched natural slate roof, terracotta roll-moulded ridge tiles behind a raised gable with simple moulded coping and a further moulded string course below, terminating on a pair of skew corbels, with plastic rainwater goods. A round-headed door opening with heavy moulded architrave surround to the head with keystone. Rendered soldier quoins to either side may have replaced original pilasters. Pair of replacement vertically-sheeted timber doors with original timber-framed fanlight with coloured glass margin lights. Door opens onto pair of nosed concrete steps to front gravel area.

East elevation is four-bay two-storey with plain square-headed window openings having conrete sills and uPVC windows. A single square-headed door opening has sheet metal door. To the north end is an inset rectangular Portland stone panel inscribed:
“The Stone/ Was Laid On 8th September 1923/ By Sister (Mrs) Janet Cunningham”

South rear elevation has been re-rendered (recently) with plain square-headed window openings with conrete sills and uPVC windows to the first floor, glass bricks to the ground floor. A square-headed door opening has a sheet iron door and concrete step.

West elevation is four-bay two-storey with a cast-iron vent pipe and plain square-headed window openings having concrete sills and uPVC windows.

Setting

The site is bound by high cement render walls to east, south and west, built c.2007. The site is enclosed at the road by an original low rendered wall with saddle-back cement coping having a moulding below and a plinth course. Pair of octagonal squat rendered piers with stepped cement octagonal capstones having a moulding below and a further string course with plinth base, giving vehicular access to the site. The entrance opens onto a raised slip road with a grass bank separating this access road from the main road.

Roof covering Natural Slate
Walling Ruled and lined cement render
Windows uPVC
Rainwater goods plastic

Historical information

The Orange Hall at Templepatrick is dated 1923 and first appears on the 1932 OS map. The Valuation Revisions notebooks record the construction of the Hall in 1925, valued at £17.15s.0d. According to the Irish Architectural Archive, the tender was issued in May 1923 and the hall was designed by Henry Seaver.

The keyholder stated that the Hall was used by troops in WWII, and once acted as a court house.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/51/1 – 1st Edition OS map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/51/2 – 2nd Edition OS map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/51/3 – 3rd Edition OS map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/51/4 – 4th Edition OS map (1932)
5. PRONI VAL/12B/1/29F – Valuation Revisions Notebook (1913-1929)

Secondary Sources

1. Information from keyholder.
2. Irish Architectural Archive. “Dictionary of Irish Architects” [Internet Source] Available from:
Accessed 12/05/09.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This austere Orange Hall commands an elevated roadside position on the eastern approach to Templepatrick. While of some historic interest, it is a pedestrian example of the type and not of special architectural or historic interest.