Description of Historic Place

The New London Hall is a wood-clad, single gabled structure with fine architectural detailing, located in the community of New London.

Heritage Value

New London Hall is valued for its age, fine architectural detailing, integrity of original materials and for its role as a community centre.

A meeting of New London residents in 1891 resulted in the formation of the New London Hall Company whose focus was the erection of a new public hall in Clifton, now known as New London. The company was incorporated in 1892 with Archibald Campbell, John T. Murray, James M. McLeod, Hugh B. McKay and William McKay as directors. Shares were sold in the company at a rate of $5.00 each, and $1070.00 was collected. Land was purchased and the New London Hall was constructed in 1892. While the minutes of the New London Hall Company record discussions to arrange for Chappell & Phillips, leading architects of the day to develop plans and specifications for the building, the Examiner newspaper of 5 November 1892 reported upon the Hall's opening, that John P. Nicholson of Charlottetown was the architect. The hall served as a circuit county court house from 1892 until the 1950s. County court sessions were held several times throughout the year. Other community groups that rented the hall on a regular basis included the International Order of Foresters, the Mechanics Institute, the Templars, and more recently the New London senior's group, and the Women's Institute who have assumed ownership of the building since the 1960s.

The hall was used for church services when the nearby United Church was undergoing renovations. Many community social events were held here: community and church suppers, teas, school and community concerts, ice cream socials, dances, community showers, and card parties. Motion pictures were shown here beginning in the late 1920s. The hall was also a polling station for elections, plebiscites and used for political meetings and rallies.

Updates to the Hall in 2012 included interior renovations, new windows and door, improved building access, and a change in the exterior paint colours.

The New London Hall continues to serve its community well as a social gathering and meeting place and is an important component of its community.

Source: Heritage Places files, Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File #: 4310-20/N6

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the hall is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the overall massing of the building
- the roof pitch
- the various types of wood cladding including wood shingles, decorative fishscale shingling, board and batten siding on the facade, and vertical wainscoting at base of the structure
- the bargeboard trim of the front gable painted in contrasting colour
- the protruding beltcourses and medallions separating the various types and patterns of cladding painted in contrasting colour to the main body of the structure
- the round-headed window trim in the attic
- the symmetrical placement of the windows on the side elevations with decorative trim moldings
- the entrance porch and its decorative trim in its gable
- its location in New London