Whitla Hall, Methodist College, 1 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6BY

The Whitla Hall is a functional-style red brick double-volume assembly hall built in 1935 to designs by Alan Hodgson Hope. It was funded by a bequest from Sir William Whitla, a former school governor of Methodist College. Originally freestanding within open grounds, the building is now partially obscured by later additions: a post-1950 single-storey structure abutting the south side and an extensive post-1970 two-storey addition to the rear.

Location and Setting

The hall stands on a slight rise to the west of the original 1860s college building, separated from it by a car park. Largely mid to late 20th-century buildings form the backdrop to the south. Gardens to the north slope gently down to railings marking the College Gardens boundary, while a late 20th-century building abuts the northern face. The west side is closely surrounded by mainly late 20th-century structures.

Original Building

The original hall comprises a large double-volume space housed in a simple pitched-roof, gable-ended structure with toilet accommodation and linking corridors flanking either side. The footprint is approximately rectangular and symmetrical.

Roof

The main hall roof is gabled and pitched, covered with blue-black natural slate with matching fire clay ridge tiles. The gables are raised to form parapets capped in stone. The skews return some way along the long facades, creating 'parapet' ends. A tall timber flèche ventilator rises from the centre of the ridge. Eaves are overhanging. Rainwater goods to the original sections were originally cast iron, though some portions have been replaced in uPVC.

Walls

Walls are faced with rustic wire-cut red facing brick, with the original sections resting on a shallow plinth. All window openings are plain and flat-headed. The original window frames and main entrance doors have been entirely replaced with what appears to be powder-coated aluminium. Other external doors are plain painted timber with plain vision panels. Flanking either side of the entrance are low cast in-situ concrete planters.

East Entrance Front

The east entrance front is symmetrical, centred on the gable of the main hall. A flat-roofed breakfront, part-two, part-single storey, incorporates an open colonnaded porch with rooms over, flanked by small single-storey ancillary rooms. The colonnade is flanked by in-situ concrete planters. The upper floor of the breakfront has three flat-headed shallow window openings to the front and one each to the sides. The small ancillary rooms each have one front window opening; the right side room also has one side window, while the left has a door opening to the side. Well set back on either side is the east face of the flanking corridors and toilet blocks, each with a window to the east face.

The building is entered through the open colonnaded porch, which contains three paired entrance doors. To the upper level are small 'clerestory' windows.

North Façade

The north façade is mainly the side of the main hall. Either end is flanked by plain brick panels rising above the eaves to form parapets. The upper central portions of the long façade are articulated with plain brick pilasters, and the resulting recesses each contain tall paired windows (six pairs). To the far left is the north face of the entrance breakfront.

The ground floor of the middle section advances forward with two flat-roofed single-storey projections. The first is a full-length corridor; on the left side of the corridor is a further projection (toilet block) with two windows to the north face and one to the west. To the immediate right of the toilet block and the far right side of the corridor are projecting entrance bays containing recessed paired doors. Between the doors are three window openings. A raised level platform extends between the doors, with short flights of steps at either end flanked by 'cow-nose' ended walls. A retaining wall extends between the stairs.

West Gable

All but the upper section of the western gable of the hall is obscured by the Music Department extension.

South Façade

Most of the left side of the southern façade is obscured by later unrelated single-storey buildings. The exposed upper level matches the north face: either end is flanked by plain brick panels rising above the eaves to form parapets, and the upper central portions are articulated with plain brick pilasters with recesses containing tall paired windows (six pairs).

The exposed right side mirrors the equivalent section of the north face, with the side of the breakfront to the right and a plain brick panel rising to a parapet to the left. Within the panel at first floor is a later-added fire escape exit with paired doors, while at ground floor is a single window. A dogleg steel fire escape stair with curved landing attaches to the brick panel.

Music Department Extension (Post-1970)

To the rear west side is the extensive two-storey Music Department addition. The footprint is approximately rectangular and symmetrical, wider than the hall, creating a combined T-shaped footprint. The extension is flat-roofed with overhanging eaves and uPVC rainwater goods. Walls are faced with closely matched brick to the original.

East Face

This two-storey section attaches to and is wider than the west face of the hall, projecting either side. The southern side is obscured by later unrelated buildings. The northern side has a grouping of four tall window openings to the left with four squat window openings below, separated by rendered mullions.

North Face

To the left side are four tall window openings to ground and first floors. To the right side are two steps: the first has a door to the left and a single window to the right with two windows to the first floor; the second step is the blank face of a breakfront to the west face.

West Face

The west face is symmetrical with a double breakfront. The exposed faces at either side are plain brick panels (a later door has been added to the ground floor of the left side). The exposed faces at either side of the first breakfront are also plain brick panels. The second breakfront forms the centre of the façade, with a glazed two-storey entrance screen at the centre. To the left side are two window openings, a door (possibly added later) and a further window, with four window openings at first floor. To the right side are four window openings at ground floor and four at first floor. The ground floor windows are shorter than those at first floor; all are evenly spaced.

South Face

To the far right side is a door approached via a later canopy supported on circular steel columns. To the right side are four tall window openings to first floor with a door to the right side; a wheelchair ramp rises to the door. To the left side are two steps which are the cheeks of the breakfronts: the first has two window openings to ground and first floors, the second step is blank.

Access

The front entrance has level access, but due to internal level changes and falls in external ground level, all other entrance doors have short flights of concrete steps flanked by low rendered walls with 'cow-nosed' ends.