In plain sight: an inquiry into the design of Evangelical meeting halls in Ulster

Abstract

A presence that is at once overlooked, and yet often a familiar local landmark, evangelical meeting halls are a characteristic feature of the Ulster landscape. Built mainly in the twentieth century, they represent a range of Protestant traditions that have had a significant cultural impact on the region, but they are now often in a precarious position. Generally known as ‘mission halls’ or ‘gospel halls’, they tend to be ‘plain’, built with function rather than display in mind. A tendency for halls to be autonomous has make it difficult to collate data on them. With little interest in architecture or design as a means of symbolising beliefs, the buildings are seldom amenable to traditional methods of architectural study, which often obscure the everyday qualities that define them. Nevertheless, the thesis demonstrates that the designs of evangelical meeting halls are characteristic of Ulster, and constitute an important design tradition worth uncovering.

The thesis explores these halls as designed artefacts. It asks: How are evangelical halls designed? What are their material characteristics? And how can the terms of their design be recognised in analysis to offer to critical, but sympathetic account? In order to situate these priorities, the study draws on theories of a Protestant Plain Style which posit that design responded to changes in authority instigated by the Reformation, resulting in the development of imageless and unadorned designs. A pragmatist, mixed-methods methodology was used to provide substantive information to address the research question. By developing contacts within communities that use and make evangelical halls, access was arranged to collect data on individual halls via visits. This formed the basis for a set of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted on-site. Combined with documentary research, which systematically georeferenced and inventoried halls to provide a comprehensive GIS map, an emerging picture was developed. This is presented in chapters that address emerging themes arising from the inquiry, progressing from general characteristics to interiors and textual display.

The study demonstrates that Ulster’s evangelical meeting halls comprise a distinctive overlooked design tradition. It shows that evangelical meeting halls are created from a constantly changing repertoire of available materials and technologies, eschewing the development of stylistic types. Formal consistency and visual character arise from cues and combinations—from aspects such as the visibility of the hall form and plan, marks of corporate use and care, and the centrality of scriptural text. This leads to a modification of previous notions of Plain Style. The thesis argues that the Plainness of evangelical halls in Ulster should be understood not as an aesthetic, but as a way of designing that is embedded in context and responds to determinants creatively, providing an effective way of designing places that form and sustain relationship bonds. The study suggests that the materiality of the halls is modelled on the relationship between changing form and fixed content of the printed Bible.

The thesis presents a substantial body of knowledge on evangelical meeting halls in Ulster with the potential to be of lasting interest to a range of disciplines and fields. It reveals further areas for study, and improves understanding of the broader cultural impact of religion on the design and environment of Ulster. It expands the applicability of Plain Style, providing a foundation for the exploration of further potential ‘Plain Styles’.

Date of Award	Oct 2025
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Catherine O'Hara (Supervisor) & Ian Montgomery (Supervisor)