St Columb’s Hall Trust has completed the purchase of the Grade A listed St Columb’s Hall bringing it back into community ownership. The acquisition was made possible using money raised by National Lottery players and is part of a £3.75million funding award by The National Lottery Heritage Fund that will ensure that the Hall is welcoming, accessible and no longer at risk.
Built in 1886, the 45,000-square-foot, the building was initially paid for by the public and as a result became known as The Peoples Hall. Since then, it has been a backdrop to the political, social and cultural history of the City attracting iconic thinkers and performers.
With only one third of the building currently in useable condition, the project is focussed on giving people access to the entire building so that the People’s Hall can realise its full potential and become a shared, accessible space for everyone.
The £3.75million funding commitment from the Heritage Fund will also:
- cover repairs to the roof, floors, stairs, doors, windows, outside walls and metalwork
- install new electrics, lighting, ventilation, alarms and IT systems
- make small internal changes and create a new rooftop terrace
- update the back-of-house and changing rooms to create a new ground-floor space with an exhibition area
- improve access and escape routes by updating the stairs and lift to make the building safer and more accessible
A planned heritage engagement activity programme will reach 3,000 people including workshops for underserved audiences including 16–25 year olds, people aged 65+, new communities and people with access and inclusion needs.
Stella Byrne, Northern Ireland Director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:“This is a milestone moment as this award to St Columb’s Hall Trust brings National Lottery investment in heritage in Northern Ireland to over £300million and is the Council area’s 150th project with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
It is an incredible heritage building that lives long in people’s memories and is now being sustainably redeveloped so that new generations and new audiences can freely access it, enjoy it and appreciate its legacy in the City.
It’s not an easy undertaking to revitalise and adapt older buildings, the vision and dedication of the team behind the project is ensuring that St Columb’s Hall celebrates 140 years of heritage and continues to host many more years of community life.”
Conal McFeely, Chairperson, St Columb’s Hall Trust said: “One hundred and forty years ago, the people of Derry began building St Columb’s Hall with their own money – penny by penny – because they wanted a place of their own, that belonged to them. A place of incredible beauty that could be used to support creativity, learning, sport, cinema, debate and community gatherings.
St Columb’s Hall Trust, with the remarkable support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, are proud to announce that we have now brought the Hall back into community ownership, keeping the original promise of this magnificent space. This is the People’s Hall and over the coming years we intend to have every space within it repaired and re-opened for all of our community to enjoy once again.”
Through the People’s Hall project, the Trust will sustain four full-time equivalent jobs and create two apprenticeships and 15 volunteer roles. By the time the project ends, the Trust will have created a further three full-time equivalent posts, two more apprenticeships and five additional volunteer roles. Work is expected to start in Spring 2027.