Historic Houses - Protestant Hall, Parramatta N.S.W.

On Saturday 23 January 1923 at 3:30pm, Mrs Mary Agnes Moxham of ‘Stalam’, North Parramatta, lay the foundation stone for a new Protestant Hall to be built by the Loyal Orange Lodge (L.O.L) no. 8. Mrs Moxham was President of the Red Cross Society Parramatta branch, President of the Parramatta U.A.P. Auxiliary, vice-president of the Parramatta and District Auxiliary for the Homes for Incurables at Ryde. Her husband was Thomas Robert Moxham (1860 - 1916), former Municipality of Parramatta Alderman (from 1886) and Mayor (from 1897 to 1901) and Member for Parramatta of the NSW Legislative Assembly (1901 to 1916).[2]

The Loyal Orange Lodge is a Protestant Christian fraternity order based in Northern Ireland. It later spread to Scotland, England and Wales, then to North America, West Africa, New Zealand and Australia in 1845. It is a conservative Protestant organisation vehemently opposed to Catholicism, holding itself true only to the Protestant faith, and staunchly loyal to the British monarchy.[3] The Parramatta branch of the L.O.L. was said to be one of the oldest in the Commonwealth, having ben founded in 1847 with the Moxham family also connected with society.[4]

On the day the foundation stone ceremony, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate state that a large representative gathering was present. This included the Hon. E.K. Bowden, MHR, the Hon. Albert Bruntnell, M.L.A, the Mayor of Parramatta W.P. Noller, J.P.

The Protestant Hall no longer exists. It is currently where the loading dock of Westfield Parramatta lies.[6] Based on local newspaper articles and the Sands Suburban Directory, it was located on the south side of Aird Street (Section 3, Lot 39) between Church and Marsden Streets, Parramatta, opposite the former Fire Station on Church Street and behind Grace Bros. department store.

We have previously written an article on Westfield which you can read here https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2017/09/29/australias-retail-history-westfield-parramatta[6] 

Many community and social events were held at the Protestant Hall as illustrated in the local newspapers

• A select dance. (1938, March 10). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104982339 
• L.O.L. celebration (1938, July 6). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104969844
• Parramatta Christian spiritual society [Religious notice] (1938, August 24). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104981788
• Join the Parramatta Banjo club [Advertisement]. (1938, September 7). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104982162
• Parramatta Christian spiritual society [Religious notice] (1938, November 16). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 12. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104983248 
• Will there be another war? (1954, June 30). The Cumberland Argus (Parramatta, NSW : 1950 - 1962), p. 6. Retrieved from  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132139913

On 4 October 1963, the ownership of the Hall was transferred to the neighbouring Swans Limited, a well-known firm considered one of the largest supplier of builder requirements in the Commonwealth back in its days. Swans Limited opened its Parramatta branch at 49 Aird Street, Parramatta in early 1935 as photographed below

Anne Tsang, Research Assistant, City of Parramatta, Parramatta Heritage Centre, 2021.

References

1. NSW Spatial Services. (2021). 1943 aerial image of 51 Aird Street, Parramatta (section 3, lot 39), SiXMaps. Retrieved from https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/
2. Parliament of New South Wales. (n.d.). Thomas Robert Moxham (1860 - 1916). Retrieved from https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=1062
3. Wagg, Mary & Wauchope Museum (2017). Collar, Loyal Orange Lodge, eHive, object number 2017/0004. Retrieved from https://ehive.com/collections/5668/objects/825476/collar-loyal-orange-lodge ; Wikipedia contributors. (2021). Orange Order. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Order
4. Protestant Hall :  foundation stone ceremony : Parramatta L.O. L. (1926, January 25). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104952191
5. Laying foundation stone (1926, January 15). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104953506
6. McHardy, Cathy & Namuren, Anna. (2017). Australia’s retail history – Westfield Parramatta, Parramatta history and heritage. Retrieved from https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2017/09/29/australias-retail-history-westfield-parramatta[6] 
7. City of Sydney. (2021). Sands Suburban Directory 1932-33 : Parramatta, [part 7, p. 8]. Retrieved from https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1899270
8. City of Parramatta Council. (1957). Valuation book for Protestant Hall, Aird Street, Parramatta, south side. [Internal database] 
9. Advance Parramatta! (1935, February 28). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 18. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105087816