St Columb’s Hall: Returning The People’s Hall to the people of Derry
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St Columb’s Hall Trust is bringing 'The People's Hall' back to its proud roots to once again perform a central role in the life of Derry’s citizens.
Grade A listed St Columb’s Hall is a strategically important building located adjacent to the East Wall of Derry’s renowned historic walls. Using donations from the “rich and poor of the city”, the Hall was built as part of the Temperance movement in 1886-8 by the St Columb’s Catholic Total Abstinence Society. It soon became known as The People’s Hall and served as a place of refuge and education, and then a venue for a host of community activities, including public meetings cinema, theatre, dances, band practices and retreats.
An illustrious past
Over the years, the Hall hosted several influential speakers, including Eleanor Marx, Emmeline Pankhurst and Irish statesman and political leader, Eamon De Valera. By the 1980s, the Hall was attracting performers like Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison and Chubby Checker, as well as high-profile classical musicians and talented local bands, such as The Undertones. In the past few decades, however, the building has suffered from a lack of investment. Water ingress has caused serious damage to its fabric, and the condition of the Hall has worsened as a whole.
New lease of life
St Columb’s Hall Trust was established in 2019 to regenerate the Hall so it can once again benefit the citizens of Derry. It proposes to create a flexible venue that will accommodate a mixture of uses, including an iconic live music venue; a ground-breaking creative therapy centre of excellence, tackling trauma, addiction, mental health and dementia; a shared space for thought and debate, including youth assembly; and a film hub and flexible office space for the creative industries.
Seed funding bearing fruit
A Project Viability Grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (members of the Community Ownership Fund consortium), allowed the Trust to: carry out a detailed condition survey of the building and engage stakeholders in the community; identify key partners and financial supporters; develop conceptual drawings; consider appropriate operation models; identify the economic impact and benefits of the proposed project; and to make recommendations on the best way forward in their Viability Report.
This groundwork helped to unlock further support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Pilgrim Trust and Ulster Garden Villages. Most recently, the Trust secured a substantial grant from the Community Ownership Fund of £181,000 to allow it to work with conservation specialists to improve accessibility and plan for future adaptations, and to complete urgent works, including repairs to the floors and upgrading of the electrics. The funding is also helping the Trust to: capture oral histories; work with groups to research the heritage of the hall and its future; and reactivate community connection with the Hall - a valuable asset and gathering place for the whole city.
From meanwhile to meaningful uses
These critical interventions have enabled the Trust to host more ‘meanwhile’ activities for a wide range of audiences in this landmark building, demonstrating how it can serve the city and helping to attract further investment to enable its full restoration and animation.
Image Credits: Lorcan Doherty Photography
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