View source for Assembly Buildings (Presbyterian Church in Ireland)

{{Short description|Building in Belfast, Northern Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Church House & Assembly Hall, Belfast (45235101234).jpg|thumb|The Assembly Buildings in 2018]]
The '''Assembly Buildings''', formerly known as '''Church House''', in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]], are the headquarters of the [[Presbyterian Church in Ireland]]. It was refurbished in 1992 and also functions as a commercial conference centre.<Ref name=bt /> Although there was a decision taken to move to a new location the [[General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland|General Assembly]], in 2006, voted to overturn the decision.<Ref name=ot /> 

== Location ==
The building is located near the centre of Belfast at the junction of Fisherwick Place, Great Victoria Street, Howard Street and Grosvenor Road.<ref name=BTT /> It was built in 1905, in the Gothic style, and opened by the Duke of Argyll.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Assembly |first1=Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. General |title=Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America |date=1906 |publisher=Presbyterian Board of Publication |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nTUAAAAMAAJ |access-date=2 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref> It is dominated by a 40m high clock tower, which contains Belfast's only peal of 12 bells.<ref name=BTT>{{cite book |title=Belfast Through Time |pages=31–32 |first=Aiden |last=Campbell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olIdDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT113 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |year=2016 |isbn=9781445636603}}</ref>

It is home to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Assembly Hall is oval-shaped with a gallery, and can seat 1,300 people. The hall is illuminated by a glass skylight, which is now illuminated artificially.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=2826 |title=Church House and Assembly Hall Fisherwick Place |publisher=Department of Communities |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref> In 2005, the General Assembly announced that they planned to move their headquarters from the Assembly Buildings after receiving six offers for the building.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/this-life-never-on-a-sunday/28250594.html |title=Never on a Sunday |work=Belfast Telegraph |accessdate=2025-04-04 |date=2005-06-25}}</ref> It was initially approved by the General Assembly with the provision that they could still meet there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4074682.stm |title=Church headquarters to go for £5m |date=9 June 2005 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref> However in 2006, the General Assembly reversed the decision and voted in favour of retaining the Assembly Buildings.<ref name=ot>{{cite web |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/the-moderator-and-the-media/28037215.html |title=The Moderator and the media |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=2006-06-22 |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref>

== Commercial use ==
Following its refurbishment in 1992 following damage from a bomb blast, it was reopened by [[Princess Diana]].<ref name=bt>{{Cite web |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/diana-left-her-mark-on-northern-ireland-on-the-lives-she-touched/36081209.html |title=Diana left her mark on Northern Ireland on the lives she touched|work=Belfast Telegraph |date=September 2017 |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref> From there, the Assembly Buildings also function as a commercial conference centre, Assembly Buildings Conference Centre as well as The Spires shopping centre being opened on the site.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.futurebelfast.com/property/assembly-buildings/ |title=Assembly Buildings |date=29 December 2016 |publisher=Future Belfast  |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref> However, in 2016, the Presbyterian Church announced that they were closing the shopping centre in order to expand the Assembly Buildings' conference facilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/spires-shops-set-to-be-shut-and-transformed-into-centre-for-church/34787388.html |title=Spires shops set to be shut and transformed into centre for Church |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=10 June 2016 |accessdate=2025-04-04}}</ref>

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==External links==
* [http://www.presbyterianireland.org/ The Presbyterian Church in Ireland homepage]
* [https://www.presbyterianireland.org/Utility/About-Us/Assembly-Buildings.aspx Assembly Buildings information page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060813131032/http://www.spiresbelfast.co.uk/ The Spires homepage for the old conference centre]
* [https://www.assemblybuildings.co.uk Homepage for the current conference centre]

== References ==
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[[Category:Presbyterian Church in Ireland]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Belfast]]
[[Category:Denomination headquarters in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Grade B1 listed buildings]]
[[Category:Presbyterianism in the United Kingdom]]