Donaghadee Orange & Protestant Hall

Donaghadee Orange and Protestant Hall which had been built in 1912 was destroyed by fire in September 2006 and the work began to build a new Orange Hall in Moat Street, Donaghadee.
First of all investigations had to be carried out to discover the cause of the blaze and these revealed the fire had been started deliberately although no one was ever charged for the crime. So the work began to replace the Hall and ensure that LOL 781 would maintain their presence on Moat Street.
The first year after the fire saw very little physical progress on the actual site although the Lodge were working tirelessly behind the scenes with insurance companies etc. The physical work began in November 2007 when the demolition work began, during which a time capsule was discovered which contained a copy of the local paper dated 13th July 1912 which featured an article about the opening of the hall and also a hand written minute from LOL 781 a copy of which can be seen here. Then there were further delays while an archeological study was carried out and a report submitted to the planning authorities. A new set of plans had to be drawn up for the new hall and although smaller than the original this new hall better reflected the needs of the Lodge and the community, when the original hall was built it was one of a very few halls in Donaghadee and was used widely by church groups and the local community and was in fact probably Donaghadee's first community centre. Now though most churches in the town have there own halls and work on the new community centre would be starting soon, so there was no longer the need or the demand for a big hall in Donaghadee. The Lodge therefore decided to, in consultation with the Architect, design a hall better suited to reflect the modern needs of the Lodge and the wider community which meant the hall would be lot more environmentally friendly, with the latest insulation and low energy light fittings etc. ensuring the best possible carbon footprint. Also it meant the Lodge had acquired their own outside space in the form of a car park beside the hall which they felt could be put to good use during the summer months.So in April 2008 work finally began on the new hall with the foundations being dug in April, and the old name stone of the original hall placed above the main entrance of the new one in late May.

The name stone from the original hall in place above the entrance of the new hall. Sadly the stone was broken during its removal from the old hall but the Lodge wanted to see it on the new hall to keep the connection between old and new.
Most of the brick work was completed by June after which the roof timbers were fitted. The roof tiles were fitted in late June together with the PVC double glazed windows and the building was watertight August and September saw all the internal work and plastering completed and finally in October the hall was complete and the new Donaghadee Orange and Protestant Hall was officially opened on Saturday 11th October.
For a full report on the Official Opening and Dedication Service CLICK HERE
For a photographs of the work on Donaghadee Orange and Protestant Hall and it's official opening :
CLICK HERE