Portadown Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Portadown Town Hall |
|
|---|---|
Portadown Town Hall
|
|
| Location | Edward Street, Portadown |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architect | Robert and Thomas Roe |
| Architectural style(s) | Victorian style |
|
Listed Building – Grade B1
|
|
| Official name: Town Hall, Edward Street, Portadown, County Armagh | |
| Designated | 14 August 1981 |
| Reference no. | HB 14/14/014 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Portadown Town Hall is an important building in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It's mostly used as a theatre today. This historic building is also officially protected as a Grade B1 listed building, which means it's special and needs to be preserved.
Contents
The Story of Portadown Town Hall
Building a Community Hub
In the late 1800s, local leaders in Portadown, called town commissioners, wanted to make the town better. They decided to build a new town hall. Robert and Thomas Roe designed the building. It was built in the Victorian style, using red bricks and special clay decorations called terracotta. The building was finished in 1890.
The front of the building, facing Edward Street, is very balanced. It has three main sections. The middle section has a main door on the ground floor. This door is framed by decorative columns and supports a small balcony. Above the balcony, on the first floor, there's a French door. This door also has columns and a triangular top part called a pediment. Inside the pediment, you can see the year it was built and the words "Town Hall". The sections on either side have pairs of arched windows on the ground floor and rectangular windows on the first floor. The main room inside was a large assembly hall.
A Place for Local Government
Portadown grew over time. In 1899, the area became an "urban district." This meant it had its own local government. Then, in July 1947, Portadown became a "municipal borough." The Town Hall became the main office for the local council.
A special chain for the mayor was made. It was given to the council by Mrs. Sam McGredy, a famous local rose breeder. The chain was made from gold medals her family had won for growing beautiful roses.
From Council to Theatre
The Town Hall was always used for public events. For example, the famous Irish singer, Bridie Gallagher, performed there in May 1952.
The building served as the meeting place for the local council for many years. However, in 1973, a larger council called Craigavon Borough Council was formed. This new council took over local government duties. After that, Portadown Town Hall was changed into a theatre. It became a regular home for a local acting group called the Gateway Theatre Group.
