Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/19/050

Address :
St Columb's Hall Newmarket Street Londonderry County Londonderry BT48 6EG

Townland:
Londonderry

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Survey 2:
A

Date of Listing:
26/02/1979 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Hall

Former Use
Hall

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
36-8NW

IG Ref:
C4363 1666

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached symmetrical multi-bay two-storey over two-storey basement Italianate sandstone former Temperance Hall, dated 1886, to the designs of E.J. Toye, with double-height hall abutting the rear. Irregular on plan, facing south onto Newmarket Street with a full-height extension abutting the west side elevation, built c.1990. Steep hipped natural slate roof with ornate iron cresting, black clay ridges, lead hip ridges and valleys and all set behind balustraded parapet. Pitched natural slate roof to the rear hall with a pair of lead-lined ventilation lanterns and set behind a rendered parapet wall. Decorative profiled sandstone ashlar chinneystacks with clay pots throughout. Sandstone ashlar walling, rusticated to the ground floor, with elaborate classical mouldings. Ruled-and-lined cement rendered walling to the rear hall and extension. Round-headed window openings to the first floor, square-headed to the ground floor and basement, all having replacement timber casement windows and overlights. Round-headed window openings to the hall with Venetian arched timber window frames. The symmetrical principal elevation is two-storey over exposed basement and is five windows wide, those to either end bay being tripartite with the central three bays set within a shallow breakfront and fronted by prostyle tetrastyle Corinthian portico. The balustraded parapet is framed by squat plinth blocks supporting urns. A centrally-placed pedimented wall-head dormer rises above the parapet, housing a lunette window and is surmounted by a carved figurative group. A modillioned and dentilled crown cornice forms the base of the parapet with a plain entablature below. The entablature rises from Corinthian pilasters (clasping to the corners) in turn rising from a continuous dentilled cornice over the ground floor. Round-headed window openings to the first floor on continuous moulded sill course, arranged in threes, framed by pilasters with a continuous impost course and architrave surrounds with keystones. The windows at this level have fluted timber transoms. The tripartite window openings at ground floor level have Corinthian pilasters flanking the central window which also has a dentilled pediment and rests on a continuous moulded sill course. Three round-headed door openings to the breakfront have diamond-panelled hardwood doors with fanlights and architrave surrounds with keystones and foliate spandrels. The doors open onto a stone paved platform and a series of nosed stone steps enclosed by a stone balustrade with iron details. Four polished pink granite columns rise from panelled plinth blocks with Corinthian capitals (and responding pilasters framing the door openings) supporting a full dentilled entablature and balustraded parapet with a curved central projection. The west side elevation is two windows wide and detailed as per front elevation. The west side elevation to the extension is four windows wide with pedimented window surrounds to the ground floor only and several concrete string courses. The rear elevation has a shallow curved projection and is abutted by a four-storey rendered section set at an angle. Square-headed window openings to first and third floors, round-headed to the second floor and camber-headed to the ground floor with moulded stucco surrounds. The east side elevation to the hall is articulated as a two-storey structure with square-headed window openings to the lower level and round-headed window openings to the upper level. The end bays are framed by Corinthian pilasters to the upper level rising to a full dentilled entablature. A central round-headed door opening with double-leaf hardwood panelled doors and fanlight is framed by robust piers and concave brackets with foliate panels supporting an entablature and dentilled pediment. Door opening is flanked by a diminutive round-headed sidelight and occuli over while opening onto a platform to the street. East side elevation to the principal block is two windows wide and detailed as per west side elevation. Setting: Located on a corner site adjacent to the southeast section of Derry’s city walls, facing south onto Newmarket Street with a full-height extension abutting the west side elevation. The front sunken basement area is enclosed by a balustraded sandstone wall with decorative cast-iron lamp standards, cast-iron spiked rotating bars and a cast-iron gate to the east providing access. The east side of the building is also enclosed by a similar balustraded wall. Roof Natural slate RWG None visible Walling Sandstone ashlar / ruled-and-lined cement render Windows Replacement timber casement

Architects

McGrath, J P Conroy, Daniel Croom & Toye

Historical Information

St. Columb’s Hall, a two-and-three-storey Victorian building located at the corner of Newmarket and Orchard Street, was originally constructed in 1888 as a Temperance Hall and the parish hall for Long Tower Parish. Lacey states that the hall was constructed as the chief gathering place for the Catholic community in the city, built in opposition to the ‘Protestant’ Corporation Hall in The Diamond, and the Apprentice Boy’s Memorial Hall (HB01/19/011) which had been recently erected in 1873 (Lacey, p. 138). The Temperance movement had been founded in Derry by Father Matthew who came to the city in 1847 and administered the pledge to more than 30,000 people; a number of temperance societies were established in the city in the wake of this visit (Hume). The design of the building was the result of an architectural competition which was won by the local firm of Croom & Toye (Edward J. Toye predominantly carried out contracts for the Catholic Church which included the spire at St. Eugene’s Cathedral (HB01/21/001), wings at St. Columb’s College (HB01/16/004) and the design of St. Eugene’s Convent School (HB01/21/003). Rowan described the design of the hall as ‘lavish Baroque’ whilst the UAHS Guide called the façade ‘a mixture of Italianate and Gothic.’ The construction of the Temperance Hall and Parish Hall was carried out by the local building firm of Joseph Ballantine of Clarendon Street. The most distinctive feature of the hall are the three statues located above the main entrance. The statuary group, which symbolise Temperance, Erin and Vulcan, were carved by Charles William Harrison (c. 1835-1903), a Dublin-based sculptor who predominantly worked in the South of Ireland; the Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that St. Columb’s Hall was one of only two contracts that Harrison carried out in Ulster. The foundation stone of St. Columb’s Hall was laid in July 1886 and the building completed in 1888; the Ulster Town Directories note that the hall was constructed ‘for the Roman Catholics of the city’ at a total cost of £13,300. The Natural Stone Database records that Croom & Toye employed locally quarried Barony Glen Sandstone as a primary stone type for the construction of the hall whilst Polished Red Granite was used as a secondary material (Irish Builder, p. 258; UTD; NSD; DIA). When completed St. Columb’s Temperance Hall was valued at £150 and consisting of the main hall, reading and recreation rooms and a store. The Ulster Town Directories note that the hall was also used as offices for the Roman Catholic Institute in 1880, and the Catholic Friendly Society in the 1930s; after 1901, the ground floor of the building was converted into a National School for boys. The value of the building was increased to £180 following the addition of the National School and the carrying out of improvement works in 1904 by Daniel Conroy (c. 1866-1912), a local architect who was active in Derry from 1895 until his death in 1912 (Irish Builder, p. 254; DIA). The popularity of the Temperance movement had waned by the end of the 19th century, although a number of rooms within the building were retained by the Temperance Society during the first decades of the 20th century. By the 1930s, the hall was primarily utilised as a venue for social functions and events. In 1930 the local architect, J. P. McGrath (1875-1948), extended and partially converted the Temperance Hall into one of the city’s first cinemas. The value of St. Columb’s Hall was subsequently increased to £1,448 by the First Revaluation (1935) but by the end of the Second Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) the total value of the hall had been greatly reduced to £485. St. Columb’s Hall was listed in 1979. In 1999 Lacey stated that the former Temperance Hall ‘contains a number of arts and cultural facilities including a large theatre / assembly hall and [retained] a small cinema. The Orchard Gallery, a distinguished contemporary visual-arts venue was for a while based here’ (Lacey, p. 138). The former Temperance Hall continued to be utilised as a hall for Long Tower Parish until falling vacant in c. 2012. In recent years St. Columb’s Hall has been sporadically utilised for large events (ironically the former Temperance Hall is now licensed) but it predominantly lay vacant for most of the year until being acquired for renovation in 2012. Planning is currently underway to convert the former temperance hall and parish hall into a permanent entertainment venue, restaurant and the extension of the building’s small cinema (Derry Journal). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/15 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873) 2. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897) 3. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929) 4. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/11 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935) 5. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 6. Irish Builder (15 Sept 1887; 23 Apr 1904) 7. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1943) 8. First Survey Record – HB01/19/050 (1970) 9. First Survey Image – HB01/19/050 (1976) 10. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/050 11. Derry Journal (09 Oct 2012) Secondary Sources 1. Byrne, A; McMahon, S., ‘Derry in old photographs’ Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2003. 2. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013. 3. Ferguson, W. S; Rowan, A. J; Tracey, J. J., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in and near the city of Derry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970. 4. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002. 5. Lacey, B., ‘Discover Derry’ Londonderry: The Guildhall Press, 2011. 6. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/ 2. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com//stone_types.cfm?stc=45

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance Z. Rarity R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical multi-bay two-storey over two-storey basement Italianate sandstone former Temperance Hall, dated 1886, with double-height hall abutting the rear. Designed by Croom & Toye in an architectural competition, the principal front block retains much of its original detailing and its general façade composition, while the west side extension detracts from the overall external appearance of the building. Now encroached upon by late twentieth-century shopping centres, this former theatre adds much character to this section of the city centre with a wealth of intact flamboyant interior details adding to its overall significance. A building of significant local and social interest, owing to its history, being constructed as a Catholic community meeting place for the Long Tower parish, in response to the ‘Protestant’ Corporation Hall in The Diamond, and the Apprentice Boy’s Memorial Hall (HB01/19/011) and subsequently used as a national school and then a cinema. The Renaissance ballustrade that defines the south and east boundaries together with the distinctive portico and broad entrance steps add significant character to its setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey

27 February 2014