Oddfellows' Hall, Barton-upon-Humber
# Oddfellows' Hall, Barton-upon-Humber

The former Oddfellows' Hall in Barton-upon-Humber is a Grade II Listed building constructed in 1864 by the Barton Lodge of the Odd Fellows Society. As well as an Oddfellows' Hall it has operated as a cinema, dance hall, roller skating rink, offices, library, and private accommodation.

## Architecture

The hall was built in 1864 in Palazzo style with red brick and yellow-grey brick walls and a Welsh slate roof. It is a two storey building, the upper floor of which is divided into five bays on its long side and three on its narrow side - these bays are divided by articulated yellow-grey brick pilasters. The ground floor has four-pane segmented sash windows, the upper floor has paired semi-circular headed sash windows with a large eight-pane window in the centre of the long side. All the windows are below grey brick arches. It has a stepped red and blue brick cornice with overhanging eaves. The building was listed for "historic reasons as an unusually grand and architecturally pretentious friendly society hall".

## History and use

The hall was built in 1864 by the Good Design Lodge at a cost of £1,000. In around 1911 it was re-purposed as Barton's first cinema, the “Electric Picture Theatre”, and showed silent movies. Latterly it was used by a theatre company and in the 1930s as a roller skating Roller rink. During the Second World War it was used as a dance hall. After the war the large hall was divided into offices for the Ministry of Labour and other governmental departments, with a public library on the ground floor.

The top half of the building, containing the hall, currently stands empty and the divided ground floor are private apartments. A blue plaque was erected on the building by the Barton Civic Society to highlight its former function.

## Gallery

* Oddfellows Hall from the corner of High Street and Queens Street
* Oddfellows Hall, High Street side
* Oddfellows Hall, Queens Street side
* Queen's Street door detail
* High Street door detail
* Blue plaque
