Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/23/055

Address :
Hall Drumbeg Road/Upper Malone Road Drumbeg County Down

Townland:
Drumbeg

---

Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Hall

Former Use
Hall

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
165/4

IG Ref:
J3045 6690

---

Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

A single-storey red brick built former Parochial Hall, now Bowling club, built 1895, located to the south side of Upper Malone Road, at the junction with Drumbeg Road, Lisburn. Rectangular on plan with projecting gabled bay to north-west; attached lean-to porch to east; attached single-storey extension at west, built c.1950; hall abutted at south by single storey link to single-storey extension, dated 1997. Roof is pitched natural slate with roll-top clay ridge tiles; large square ventilation cowl to centre with decorative leadwork to base, uPVC weatherboarding to shaft and surmounted by pyramidal lead caping; flat red sandstone kneeler stones and copings to raised verges; painted moulded cast-iron gutters on moulded sandstone corbel course; square cast-iron downpipes. Walling is English-garden-wall bonded red brick with red sandstone chamfered plinth. Double rebated tripartite timber framed casement windows with transom lights (single windows to east); flush chamfered red sandstone sill and lintel; chamfered red brick reveals. Principal elevation faces north and comprises three windows to left; abutted at right by projecting gabled bay containing large window with central leaded transom light surmounted by sandstone relief panel; cat-slide roof to east over single-storey entrance porch containing single window; double vertically sheeted timber entrance doors to east elevation. East gable contains single window to left and right, timber louvered opening to apex. Gable abutted to centre by single-storey lean-to entrance porch containing, to east, double vertically sheeted timber entrance doors; north and south elevations of porch each contain single window. Entrance is accessed via two sandstone steps. South elevation is four windows wide, (that second from left is high level transom lights only), elevation abutted to centre by single-storey d link block to single-storey extension with flat roof. West gable is abutted by single-storey extension with flat roof. Exposed section is blank. Extension to west; flat roof, metal rainwater goods, timber fascia boards; walls are painted render; windows are metal framed casement with projecting concrete sills. North and south elevations each contain single window. West elevation contains single window to left, recessed vertically sheeted timber entrance door to right. Entrance is accessed by concrete ramp with rendered plinth wall. Extension to south is abutted at north to hall by single-storey link. Extension has shallow pitched corrugated metal roof, uPVC rainwater goods; timber fascia boards; walls are pre-fabricated pebble-dashed panels over concrete plinth; windows are timber framed casements. North elevation is abutted to right by single-storey link containing vertically sheeted timber entrance doors to east elevation; exposed elevation is blank. East elevation contains timber entrance door to left, two windows to right; south elevation is blank; west elevation contains three windows to centre. Setting: The hall is set within its own grounds accessed at north via square red brick pillars with shallow pyramidal concrete coping. Site bounded at north and east by timber fencing and hedges; bounded at south and west by hedges. Roof: Pitched natural slate Walling: English-garden-wall bonded red brick Windows: Double rebated tripartite timber framed casement windows RWG: Moulded Cast-iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A single-storey redbrick building, now used as the premises for Drumbeg Bowling club, but originally built as the Parochial Hall for St. Patrick’s Church in Drumbeg, was constructed in 1895. The Hall first appears on the third edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in 1901-02 where it is depicted as an oblong building situated to the west of the Church in the centre of the village of Drumbeg. Both the third and the later fourth edition (1920-21) of the maps record the structure as a ‘Parochial Hall;’ it is unclear when the building ceased to be used by St. Patrick’s Church, however Kelly (writing in 2009) states that the church are planning to construct a new Church Hall (Kelly, p. 50). In his history of the Parish of Drumbeg, Matthew Neill states that the Parochial Hall was constructed in 1895 at a cost to the Parish of £800; in the same year a new schoolhouse was constructed in the village at similar cost. The new Parochial Hall was used by the congregation of St. Patrick’s for a variety of purposes including a meeting place for the church Sunday school as well as a venue where mission meetings, lectures and concerts were held. Before the enlargement of the church Vestry in 1937 larger vestry meetings were often held in the Parochial Hall. Between June and August 1923 Sunday services were held in the Hall during a period of church renovation although the Parochial Hall required renovation work itself during the 1930s to correct a dangerous misalignment in its walls. During the Second World War the Parochial Hall became involved in the local war effort. In the aftermath of the Belfast Blitz of April 1941 the rural areas surrounding Belfast received an influx of refugees who feared a second bombardment of the city. For a number of days after the Blitz many displaced Belfast families sheltered in the Parochial Hall where they were charitably tended by the people of Drumbeg. When new homes were acquired for these refugees the Hall was used as the wartime head office for the Belfast Ropeworks and was also utilised by the local British and later American Army until the invasion of France in June 1944. With the completion of the war in 1945 the hall reverted to its former use. Neill tells us that the single-storey extension to the Church Hall was constructed sometime after the war by a Mr. James Allen who added a kitchen extension to the building (whilst also adding other improvements to the Church itself) renaming the hall the ‘Reade Memorial Hall’ in memory of R. H. S. Reade of Ballydrain Estate who was a great patron of the church; Reade is also commemorated by a brass plaque situated above the entrance door to the hall which records his services to the Parish (Neill). The former Parochial Hall is no longer used by St. Patrick’s Church, although it is still owned by the Diocese of Down; in recent years the hall has been used as the meeting place for a local Bowling club. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/9/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Maps 1834 2. PRONI OS/6/3/9/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Maps 1858 3. PRONI OS/6/3/9/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Maps 1901-02 4. PRONI OS/6/3/9/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Maps 1920-21 5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/25 – Griffith’s Valuation 1861 Secondary Sources 1. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009. 2. Neill, M., ‘Recollections of the Parish of Drumbeg: Diocese of Down’ Drumbeg: Drumbeg Parish Church, 1996.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A red-brick former parochial hall built c. 1895, located to the south site of Upper Malone Road, Lisburn. The hall is L-shaped on plan with projecting gabled bay to the north and attached extensions to the west and south. Despite inappropriate additions to the building, the hall itself has retained much of its original layout and features. The building displays simple detailing and a modest palette of materials which come together to form an interesting building. Although of local interest it is not considered to meet the criteria for listing.

General Comments

In Drumbeg Area of Village Character

Date of Survey

23 February 2011