A now derelict Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall in rural Co Armagh could be saved from dereliction and restored to be given a new lease of life.
The property on the Annaghmore Road in Portadown is to be converted and extended and redeveloped as a house.
An application for ‘Listed Building’ consent has been lodged with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
According to a supporting statement, the hall has not been used for half a century.
But all that looks set to change if planning approval is granted.
The property is a Grade 2 listed building and is described as a “small in scale, gable-ended, single-storey one-room hall”.
A supporting statement explains: “The AOH Hall appears to have been abandoned for a few decades, resulting in deterioration of the fabric and subsequently the internal finishes.”
And in terms of what is planned, it continues: “The aim of the proposed works is to restore the AOH Hall using materials to match the existing, with minimal alteration to the existing external fabric, and provide a sympathetic extension of modest scale so it can function as a modern family home.
“The existing AOH Hall would be divided internally to provide bedroom and bathroom accommodation, while the extension would provide the living and kitchen accommodation.”
The proposal for the “conversion, reuse and extension” is “considered necessary for its future preservation and upkeep”.
The statement adds: “The hall was abandoned almost 50 years ago and the building sits derelict and in disrepair, both internally and externally.
“This proposal, however, will bring a derelict building back into use as a single dwelling, which is considered acceptable for this countryside setting. The extension proposed is considered entirely acceptable in terms of scale, size and massing. It does not detract from, nor jar with, the existing building.
“Indeed, the essential character of the existing building is retained.”
The hall was only afforded listed building status four years ago.
The listing describes it as a “small rurally located Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall built in 1907”.
It adds: “This building is a relatively early example of its kind and one of the few remaining AOH Halls to have survived without significant alteration.
“It is distinguished from most of its counterparts by its diminutive scale, well-executed picturesque design and unusual ‘stock brick’ construction.
“Abandonment during recent decades has resulted in some deterioration of the fabric, but enough has survived to ensure that the building remains an important local landmark and an interesting remnant of the political/cultural life of early 20th-century rural Ulster.”
The supporting statement says the proposal will “not detract from the architectural interest”, as it is planned that the building will “be retained in situ with only a small number of interventions” required.
It continues: “In terms of the historic interest, HED have clarified that the historical significance of the building relates to the reason it was constructed, what it reflects of the local community and its political and cultural beliefs in the early 1900s — a crucial period for the formation of the Nationalist and Unionist philosophies in the Annaghmore area and beyond.
“The proposal — which incorporates a small number of alterations — will therefore not adversely impact either the architectural or the historic interest of the building.”
The hall was built in 1907 for the Annaghmore Branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and officially opened on St Patrick’s Day in 1908 by County Councillor Andrew Donnelly.
According to newspaper reports of the time, he said the new hall would “serve as a centre which could be utilised for educational purposes by the Nationalists and Catholics of the district”.
The hall remained in use for AOH meetings up until the late 1940s or early 1950s, when it was taken over by Annaghmore GAA Club.
It has now been abandoned for many years, and the application to ensure its future — as a family home — will be advertised shortly.
