One of the most prominent buildings remaining on Clifton Street is the Belfast Orange Hall. The Hall was opened in January 1885 as a central meeting point for the increasingly politicised Unionist population of Belfast. The Hall served as Belfast city’s foremost Orange Hall, its ornate and stately architecture and considerable size reflecting its importance. At the time of opening, the three-story building boasted ten meeting rooms, a library and a large entertainment hall. The Hall was one of a number of architect William Batt’s Orange Hall designs, others include the Orange Halls in Ballynafeigh and in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan. The most distinguishing feature of the Hall is arguably the equestrian statue on the top, and it is the only one of King William astride a horse in Ireland. The statue was designed by sculptor Harry Hems, and was a later addition to the Hall. Although Hems’ studio was in Exeter, he was often employed in Belfast, where he was involved with works in Belfast Cathedral and St Enoch’s Church. Some of you walk past his sculptures everyday, near City Hall- The Stoney faces of the busts that look down Donegall Place from the Robinson & Cleaver building were of Hems’ making! The statue of King William was unveiled in the home of Richard Lilburn, an influential Orangeman and journalist who lived on Clifton Street, in No. 11. The statue has become a prominent marker for those travelling to-and-from Belfast via the Westlink, as it is clearly visible as you approach the Clifton Street junction.
Due to the prominence and importance of Belfast Orange Hall to the Unionist population, it was a prime target during the outbreaks of unrest that occurred throughout the 20th century. For example, on the 14th February 1922 the caretaker of the hall, William Waring was shot and killed. Newspaper reports say that the bullet was fired from outside the building, from lower Regent Street, suggesting a premeditated attack with the newspapers hitting at the possibility of a sectarian motive. The death was one of an increasing number in Belfast as tensions escalated . Later, the building narrowly avoided destruction in August 1939 when a fire broke out in the Regalia room of the hall, with the source of the fire being treated with suspicion.
Whilst the Hall escaped serious damage during the Blitz, and narrowly avoided demolition during the construction of the Westlink, its location on a significant interface during the Troubles was its biggest challenge. The Hall was reinforced with defence architecture, including steel mesh over the windows, barbed wire and a security cage and shutter at the rear entrance. As a central meeting point, the Hall accumulated all number of items pertaining to lodges in the area. From banners to lodge minute books, to large portraits of past members, over the years, the Hall became a three storey time capsule. Since it was reopened, the Hall has made the news on more than one occasion for housing unexpected discoveries. In 2015, 10 rifles dating from the Home Rule Crisis (1914) were found in a disused storage room in the hall, whilst in 2022, a human skull was found in the adjacent store room.
Belfast Orange Hall has been a key founding member of the Great Place North Belfast project and of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster. The Hall has housed a museum on its upper floor for many years, whilst meeting rooms display a wealth of artefacts, and still remain in use today. Recently, with the help of the Project, the Orange Hall was able to organise and catalogue over 1000 items to create an archive that includes correspondence relating to the creation of the statue, as well as Roll & Register books that contain information about members. This information is very useful to local genealogists, as much of it comes from a time before a comprehensive census was taken in Belfast.
The newly formed archive has proved a great asset to our Archivist, who has researched a number of individuals that used the hall at the beginning of the 20th Century. Men who fought in the First World War, such as John McFarland and his brother in law James Yuille, and photographer John Phillips would have walked the corridors of the Hall, and may well have met in the room in which the archive is now held.
The decades that the Hall stood empty took their toll on the building, and members are working hard to continue important repair work. Whilst this work is largely taking place “behind closed doors”, there has been an increased focus on opening the doors of the Hall to the public, for guided tours and open days. For the past 3 years, Belfast Orange Hall have hosted a number of tours of the building as part of the ‘Look North’ Festival. This year (2025), the Festival is taking place 28th February- 2nd March, the Hall will again be hosting a number of guided tours. The full brochure can be found on the Look North Festival website, but you will want to book your tickets quickly, as the tours of the Hall always prove popular!
This work was part of a series of research pieces that were conducted by a member of the Queen’s University Public History Course. The work was fully researched to an academic standard, and has been fully referenced. It was updated in 2025 to include more recent information and relevant upcoming tour dates.
