Orange Hall, Main Street, Loughgall, Armagh, Co Armagh, BT61 8HZ

Orange Hall, Loughgall

This is a single-storey, 3-bay gabled building of mid-19th-century origin, which stands on Main Street at Loughgall. The building is listed as Grade B2 and forms part of the Loughgall Conservation Village. It is conjoined with a 2-storey rendered house (no. 30 Main Street) under the same roof, creating a handsome block on the main street.

The building faces south towards Main Street. The south elevation is covered in smooth cement rendering with raised quoins at the extremities and a moulded cornice. The roof is laid with Bangor blue slates in regular courses and topped with two red brick chimneys, each with a red stub pot. The most prominent feature of the south facade is a central projecting lower gabled porch. This porch has a slated roof with red terracotta ridge tiles and features shaped decorative timber bargeboards with a turned timber finial at the apex. The porch walls are rendered to match the main building, with a plain projecting eaves course and moulded guttering (appears to be PVC) with cast iron downpipes to each side.

The main entrance consists of rectangular moulded timber double doors with 2-pane sidelights in modern replacement moulded timber frames. Above this is a semi-circular fanlight containing two arched glazing bars with five margin lights, all set within a moulded opening surmounted by an arched drip moulding. The doorway is approached by five stone steps. In the apex of the porch gable is a rectangular marble plaque inscribed "Loughgall District Orange Hall, AD 1907", indicating that significant work was undertaken in 1907. Each side wall of the porch contains a semi-circular arched window with rectangular timber sliding sashes (1 over 1) and margin lights with horns. The upper sash is surmounted by an arched light containing five margin lights, set in a similar opening to the main entrance with matching drip moulding. To each side of the porch, the main wall contains a large arched window of similar design to the porch windows.

The west elevation is a blind gable rendered with wet dash finish, with raised quoins to the right-hand extremity. A plain iron gate serving the adjoining property projects from this elevation at the right-hand extremity.

The rear elevation has a slated roof matching the front and walls rendered with wet dash finish, a smooth rendered projecting eaves course, and a small smooth rendered plinth. Cast iron guttering runs along this elevation. The main part of the rear wall is partially obscured by a modern single-storey split-gabled rear return. This rear return has wet dash rendered walls with a smooth rendered plinth, plain timber fascias and bargeboards, PVC rainwater goods, modern rectangular timber windows (fixed lights and top-hung vents), a rectangular panelled door, and synthetic slate roofing.

The building stands set back slightly from Main Street with a grassed garden in front. The front boundary is formed by hooped iron railings on a low rubble stone plinth wall, which returns at the extremities and is finished with concrete coping and urn finials to the corner rails. Steps flanking the front entrance are fitted with large scrolling iron brackets with curved handrails attached to the front wall of the porch. A flagpole stands in the front plot to the eastern side of the porch. To the rear, a hard surfaced yard is shared with no. 30 Main Street.

The building was constructed in the mid-19th century as an Orange Hall with conjoined accommodation. The datestone of 1907 indicates that alterations and possibly rebuilding work were carried out at that date. The listing encompasses the Orange Hall, its gates, and railings. The building is notable for retaining its original architectural features to the front and is situated within the Loughgall Conservation Village.