Masonic Hall, 56 Ann Street, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, BT54 6AD

Masonic Hall, Ann Street, Ballycastle

An imposing late neo-classical cruciform plan Masonic hall, built 1882-84 to a design by architect Samuel P. Close of Belfast, sited on elevated ground on the north-west side of Ann Street. The elevated setting enhances its temple-like appearance.

The south-east elevation facing Ann Street features a pedimented gable entrance with a central six-panelled moulded and fielded door, moulded architrave, and narrow panelled pilasters with scrolls supporting the pediment. Above the pediment sits a roundel encircling the letter G. Within the gable pediment is an oculus (oeil-de-boeuf) with moulded architrave and four keystones. The walls are smooth rendered and painted, with plinth, lined dado and moulded stringcourse, and painted quoins. The south-east walls of each transept are treated with pedimented aedicule windows. The flanking walls of the nave contain a circular vent and a square-headed door. The gables of the transepts are pedimented with oeil-de-boeuf, with the wall below windowless. The rear north-west elevation is pedimented with oeil-de-boeuf and contains two square-headed windows below. All walls are finished in smooth rendered work as the south-east gable. The hall stands detached on its elevated site, overlooking Ann Street, with a stepped path leading to the main entrance. A terraced garden occupies the front, with a plain rendered boundary wall, pedestrian gate, and piers.

The building was constructed between 1882 and 1884. The foundation stone was laid on 24 June 1882 (the feast of St John the Baptist, following Masonic tradition), and the hall was officially opened on 24 June 1884. Construction costs were estimated at £400. The local lodges—Provincial Lodges Nos. 19 and 89, founded in 1830 and 1817 respectively—had previously met on the first floor of premises closer to the Diamond. According to a Belfast News-Letter report of the opening, the building was constructed of sandstone and occupies a prominent site granted by Sir Frederick Boyd free of rent. The hall, two storeys in height, stands at the centre of a plot some distance from the roadway, accessed by a series of steps. The frontage measures 44 feet, with a side measurement of 44 feet. The interior comprises one large hall and two small rooms. The main hall, where the lodges meet and where rituals of the various degrees in Craft, Royal Arch and Templar Freemasonry could be carried out, measures 40 feet long by 24 feet wide with a ceiling height of 18 feet. Modern ventilation improvements were installed throughout. The building was said to be "very commodiously designed for its purposes". Samuel P. Close was the architect, and Thomas Humphreys was the contractor. Both men were fellow Masons.

The hall initially functioned as a community hall for the town, and Percy French gave recitals there in the early twentieth century. The building was renovated in 1974, when a kitchen was added to the rear. It remained in active use by Lodge No. 89 (Lodge No. 19 having closed in Ballycastle in 1890) until at least the late 2010s. The building was sold to a private owner in 2021.

The hall is accompanied by a boundary wall along Ann Street and forms part of the conservation area.