'At one time just about everything
of any importance that happened in the town - accidents and natural
disasters excepted - happened in [the Town Hall]', wrote a reporter
in the Coleraine Chronicle in 1998 when Portrush Town Hall was
under threat of demolition. 'It was where local councillors were
elected (or rejected)... where musical evenings were presented,
plays performed, lectures given, exhibitions staged and even,
in days long ago, grand balls enjoyed and fine dinners consumed.'
It was also where justice was dispensed on the first Wednesday
of each month; where talent contests were held, and where ratepayers
could meet to protest at the wrongdoings of their elected representatives.
Portrush Town Hall was designed by Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon,
and built by Thomas Stewart Dickson of Larne. Plans exist in the
Public Record Office for a more straightforward hall by Samuel
Close, but fortunately it was not proceeded with, and today the
striking building with its curved end and turret roof dominates
the seafront of Portrush. The Earl of Antrim (who at that time
owned much of the town) provided the land for the building to
the Portrush Town Hall and Assembly Rooms Company, and that organisation
entered into a 99 year lease with him in November 1871, paying
an annual rent of £15. Although they must have had some
capital in the form of gifts and subscriptions, they had to raise
more money and held a fund-raising bazaar as soon as the building
was finished. In March 1873 they still owed Mr Dickson £500
of his £1800 contract, and were obliged to enter into a
mortgage agreement with him by which he took possession of the
building provided that 'the said premises should be used for public
purposes only'. It was later taken over by Portrush Urban District
Council.
The building was formally inaugurated on 12 August 1872 when a
concert was given before 'a very large and really brilliant assemblage'.
As the local town hall it was the administrative centre for the
town, and in the last war ration books and gas masks were distributed
from it. In 1928 the hall was extended to provide the present
theatrical stage, with offices below it. Later still in the 1960s
the old circular Reading Room, by then the town's Library, became
the Council Chamber, but when Portrush lost its autonomy and was
absorbed within Coleraine Borough Council the hall lost a major
part of its historic function. The theatre continued to be used
until the building was closed in 1997.
Hearth became involved with the building along with the Ulster
Architectural Heritage Society, which was supporting local people
opposed to the threatened demolition of the building. When listed
building consent for demolition was refused, Hearth was approached
by Coleraine Borough Council to see if a partnership could be
formed to restore the building as it appeared that a building
preservation trust might be the most viable form of action. Hearth
duly prepared funding applications, commissioned surveys and developed
proposals for the restoration in association with Consarc Conservation
who had worked on similar community theatres.
There were initial concerns that the
decay of brickwork was letting water into the building fabric,
but holding repairs established choked gutters as the main cause.
The building had largely dried out when the main contract was
let. A 1950s extension was demolished and replaced with a more
compatibly designed one housing additional toilet accommodation,
while the staircase was remodelled and the basement extended into
bedrock to house a new lift to facilitate disabled access. The
building was re-roofed with repairs to stone cills and crowsteps,
and a substantial proportion of decayed bricks was replaced with
matching salvaged ones. Improved fire alarm provision permitted
the removal of a decaying external fire escape at the front door.
Internally, the steel and concrete former cinema projection booth
which was blocking the end windows to the assembly room was removed,
and the gallery on one side extended. The old reading room has
been restored and named the Girvan Room in honour of Donald Girvan
who died in 2000 - he had been prominent in the campaign to save
the building and was a founding member of the Ulster Architectural
Heritage Society as well as a much-loved school teacher. Re-ordering
the floors below the stage has created improved green rooms, and
new lighting and sound equipment should allow the theatre companies
using the town hall in future to be ambitious in their productions.
There may be newer theatres in other towns, but surely Portrush
Town Hall with its ornate character will soon regain its position
as the premier performance location in the amateur drama circuit.
We would be extremely interested
to hear of any memories of the Town Hall, and in particular would
be very keen to borrow and copy any early photographs of it.
Client: Hearth Revolving
Fund in association with Coleraine Borough Council
