PRESS RELEASE : Regenerating St Columb’s Hall with £181,000 support [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 17 January 2023.

The Grade A listed former temperance hall sits in the heart of the walled City of Derry~Londonderry. The building was closed since the start of the pandemic, but now with £181,000 from the Community Ownership Fund, the hall is brought back to its former glory.

The hall has been closed since the start of the pandemic and cannot currently be reopened due to the deterioration of the building.

Preparing for the future

The hall will be future proofed by:

• working with conservation specialists to improve accessibility and plan for future adaptations
• completing urgent works to make the building safe and accessible for the public

This will enable St Columb’s Hall Trust to begin generating income to secure the Hall’s long-term future.

Preserving the past

The funding will help to:

• capture oral histories and generate awareness of heritage significance
• work with groups to research the heritage of the hall and its future
• reactivate community connection with the Hall