Merrion Hall
Merrion Hall is a former Plymouth Brethren church built by Alfred Gresham Jones and completed in 1863 that was located near Merrion Square in Dublin, Ireland. It has been reconstructed and renovated and is now the Davenport Hotel, but the façade has been retained.
History
The church was built by Alfred Gresham Jones for the Plymouth Brethren. It was completed in 1863 at a cost of £16,000, and had a main hall capacity of 2500 to 3000 persons, plus many more standing.The Plymouth Brethren originated in meetings in Dublin; the first public meeting of the group that came to worship at Merrion Hall was held at an auction room in Aungier Street in the 1820s. Until Merrion Hall was built, meetings continued in Aungier Street and at private houses in the city.
Merrion Hall was the largest Plymouth Brethren gospel hall ever constructed. There were three oval galleries and a double deck preacher's platform almost identical to that of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. The lower hall in the basement contained a below-floor baptism pool.
The Plymouth Brethren occupied the protected building until the late 1980s when it was sold to a developer. The building was largely destroyed by a fire on 2 May 1991 and subsequently re-developed as the Davenport Hotel, with only the façade remaining of the original building. The Italianate façade remains and is protected.