Masonic Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three storey, with basement, Neo-Classical Masonic Lodge on the north side of Rosemary Street. It was designed by Young and Mackenzie 1953-1956.

Roof is pitched natural slate. Gutters concealed behind parapet, rainwater pipes are round metal with square hopper heads. Walls are ashlar reconstructed stone, largely band rusticated to the ground floor, over a granite plinth. The pedimented gable is framed by a bracketted, dentilled, moulded cornice; a projecting moulded string runs at first floor level in line with the entrance canopy; windows have moulded architraves. All openings are flat lintelled with moulded architraves. Windows are timber sashes: 6/9 and 4/6. The entrance has double solid timber doors each with four octagonal panels, a single paned light over.

The south elevation is symmetrical under the pedimented gable. The central section projects slightly and houses single windows, the flanking windows are in triplets. The second floor central window has a fluted panel apron sitting over a projecting cornice to the first floor window below. The central columned in antis entrance porch has a bracketted canopy which forms a balconette with urn balustrade to the first floor window. The porch is accessed up granite steps; the side walls have arched niches with memorial panels under; over the door is a shield with the Mason's compasses; cast iron railings and gates are set in the steps. The party walls are slightly recessed with low piers on the ground floor capped with volutes.

The west elevation is abutted by a three storey building.

The north elevation has a pitched roof stepping down to a flat roof to the west; a two storey flat roofed block projects from the west. The walls are red brick, to the taller section there are no openings to the third floor. The openings have flat concrete lintels. The windows are mainly 15 pane 6/9 timber sashes, with some 3 paned.

The east elevation is abutted by a three storey building.

Setting:
The Masonic Hall sits on the north side of the pedestrian Rosemary Street, to the west is Rosemary Street First Presbyterian Church (HB26/50/054) and Central Halls (HB26/50/300) opposite which is HB26/50/035. The rear of the building is now visible from the North Street car park.

Schedule:
Roof: slate
Walls: brick
Windows: metal
RWGs: metal.

Historical information

Rosemary Street Masonic Hall, a three-storey stone building in the Neo-Classical style was constructed in 1953-56 to designs by Young & Mackenzie. The Masonic Hall was constructed on the former site of Belfast’s Third Presbyterian Church which had been erected in 1831 but had been destroyed during the Belfast Blitz in 1941; the resulting building ground lay vacant until the 1950s when the Masonic Hall and the adjoining Central Hall (see HB26/50/300) were built.

The Irish Builder records that construction of the Masonic Hall commenced in February 1953 and that the building was completed for its official opening in 1956. The new Masonic Hall was built to house the local lodges of the Masonic Grand Lodge of the Province of Antrim (Irish Builder, p. 1135; Dictionary of Irish Architects). The hall was valued at £3,650 in 1956 under the Second General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland; however in 1957 the value of the building was lowered to £2,000 after the Grand Lodge of Antrim appealed against the high rating.

Rosemary Street had been developed upon its current layout by the 1715 map of Belfast which depicted the street as ‘Rosemary Lean.’ Patton states that by 1791 Rosemary Street uniquely possessed no less than three Presbyterian churches, of which Rosemary Street First Presbyterian (Non-Subscribing) is the only survivor. Rosemary Street Masonic Hall, erected between 1953 and 1956, was constructed on the site of Belfast’s Third Presbyterian Church; the church was originally constructed in 1829-32 to designs by John Millar, a Belfast-based architect who the Dictionary of Irish Architects records ‘designed several Presbyterian churches – at Rosemary Street, Castlereagh, Portaferry, Antrim and Crumlin.’ When completed in 1831 the classical church was ‘universally admitted to be the most gorgeously finished meeting-house in the kingdom’ (Patton, p. 276; Dictionary of Irish Architects).

Larmour states that in the aftermath of the Belfast Blitz in 1941, much of the area surrounding Rosemary Street and Bridge Street was levelled after suffering bomb damage. Young & Mackenzie were contracted to carry out the majority of the rebuilding work; aside from constructing the Masonic Hall in 1953-56, the firm were also responsible for the design of the Former Arnott’s Building on the corner of Bridge Street and High Street in 1955 (HB26/50/233) and the contrasting ‘Festival of Britain’ modern block at the opposite corner in 1957-59, which was also constructed for Arnott (Larmour, p. 94).

Rosemary Street Masonic Hall was listed in 1990; writing in 1993, Patton described the hall as a ‘three-storey building in reconstructed stone with channelled ground floor above grey granite plinth, and rather flat full width pediment; central bay set slightly forward with balustraded balcony on scrolled brackets over entrance portico. Recessed door above four steps, with mason’s compasses over fanlight; small pane windows, mostly in triplets’ (Patton, p. 276).

A memorial plaque, located in the doorway of the Masonic Hall, commemorates the death of Henry Joy McCracken. The plaque, which incorporates an image of the dead rebel, reads: ‘1798 / HENRY JOY MCCRACKEN / RADICAL BELFAST PRESBYTERIAN / HANGED AT CORNMARKET FOR / LEADING THE UNITED IRISHMEN AT THE / BATTLE OF ANTRIM 7TH JUNE 1798 / “FAITHFUL TO THE LAST.”’ A smaller plaque located below it notes that the memorial to Henry Joy McCracken was commissioned by Dr. R. M. Shearer to ‘mark the involvement of Henry Joy McCracken in the history of this area’ and notes that the plaque was unveiled on 4th February 2003 by the Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim, Brother A. J. McKinley. Within the main meeting hall (F7), a mural on the western wall depicts the Biblical image of King Solomon building the Temple in Jerusalem; an inscription records that the mural was presented to the Masonic Lodge by Young & Mackenzie.

Having been utilised as the headquarters of The Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim for over fifty years, by the late-20th century increasing costs made the maintenance of the hall increasingly difficult. As a result a number of the associated masonic lodges that utilised the hall are now accommodated at the Arthur Square Masonic Hall (see HB26/50/039E); however the Stated meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim continues to be held at Rosemary Street biannually, whilst lodge No. 218, the Antrim Lodge of Installed Master infrequently utilised the hall (Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim website).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938
4. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/41 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-1972
5. Irish Builder, Vol. 98 (15 Dec 1956)
6. Belfast Street Directories (1843-1918)
7. Ordnance Survey Map – 130-13SE (1959)

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
2. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie
2. Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim website - http://pglantrim.org/hallRosemarySt.shtml

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A three storey Italianate building on the north side of Rosemary Street, designed by Young and Mackenzie 1953-1956. This austere and imposing building has an interesting and complex plan form with much historic fabric and detailing, including the grand rooms, exhibiting fine craftsmanship in the fittings. It has cultural significance as the Masons’ headquarters of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim. It is also a robust example of the work of a prominent local practice.