Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/49/008

Address :
North Queen Street Community Centre 46 Victoria Parade Belfast Co Antrim BT15 2EN

Townland:
Belfast Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
13/09/2012 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Hall

Former Use
Barracks

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130/9

IG Ref:
J3374 7531

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Relatively large single / 1½ storey brick built gabled hall of 1883, with large octagonal roof light turret and tall chimneystacks, originally a gymnasium belonging to a large army barracks complex but now, (with the demolition of the rest of the barracks), a community centre, with extension of c.1980 to the east side. The hall is set within a large housing estate to the W of North Queen Street. The front gable of the hall faces roughly S. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance. This consists of a largely glazed recent double door with roller shutter box over. There is a short flight of steps to the doorway with simple iron railings. Above the doorway is a signboard (‘North Queen Street Community Centre’), whilst directly above this is a tall segmental headed window whose frame appears to have been altered over the years and is now partly boarded up. The entrance and the window are both set within a tall segmental arched recess with brick dentils to the underside of the arch. To the left hand side of the entrance is a tall flat arch recess with brick dentils as before. This recess appears to have been originally filled with a tall window similar in size to that described above, however the lower two thirds of this window has been locked up (and rendered over). The surviving uppermost third of the window has a timber frame with Georgian-like panes and a top hung opener. The sill of the original larger window is still in place. There is an identical recess to the right hand side of the entrance. The gable has a plain brick pilaster to each edge with decorative raised brickwork to the verge. The W elevation has seven flat arch recesses similar to those to either side of front entrance. These recesses are arranged in two groups of two and a group of three (to right). Unlike the recesses to the front these are filled with large high level windows, each with a timber frames similar to front, but with the panes of many windows boarded up, and with glazing bars removed from window to far right. This elevation is edged with pilasters as front gable and has a dentilled eaves course. Originally, there appears to have been a doorway between the second and third windows. The rear (N) gable has a similar arrangement as that to front but with metal-sheeted doorway set within segmental arched recess; smaller window above doorway and flat arch to central recess; larger (and lower set) windows to outer recesses and disabled access ramp to doorway rather than steps. To left (E), the rear gable merges with the (much smaller) gable of a lower two storey extension. This extension was added in c.1980, but may incorporate all or part of an original (but probably much smaller) structure. The gable of the extension itself is mainly in render, with the lowermost third in brick (suggesting this portion at least is original). To the left on the ground floor there is a metal sheeted door, whilst to the right on the first floor is a small window with security grill over. The S gable of the extension (which is set back from the line of the S gable of the main building), is wholly rendered with a window and doorway to the ground floor with another window to the first floor. The E elevation of the extension could not be seen, however interior evidence shows that there are four broad windows to the first floor. The main building is in painted brick with a slated gabled roof. To the centre of the ridge there is a relatively large octagonal roof light turret with a lead covered base, Georgian-paned sash windows to each side and a slated hipped roof. There are two other conventional ‘flat’ roof lights either side of this whose glazing has been removed. Roughly to the centre of the W of the roof (close to the eaves) there is a tall brick chimneystack with a splayed base rising into a square stack with string courses. There is a square stack to the apex of the S gable. Cast iron rw goods.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This general site, now occupied by c.1960s and 1970s tower blocks and houses, was formally home to a large artillery barracks, built in 1797 as a replacement for a pre 1757 barracks located in what is now Barrack Street. In 1883, following reforms introduced under the Cardwell Scheme for the modernisation of the army, two new large accommodation blocks were built, as well as this particular building- a gymnasium. In 1909 the complex (‘Victoria Barracks’) accommodated 10 officers and 182 soldiers, with quarters for 32 married soldiers and their families. 1,000 men could be garrisoned in all, and when required a further 3,000 could be housed under canvas he barracks was largely destroyed during the Blitz of 1941, with every main building hit and many troops killed. In the years immediately following the government decided that such compact army bases in built-up areas were vulnerable to enemy attack and should be abandoned. The site remained in a ruinous state until the 1950s when it was cleared and subsequently filled with new housing and several tower blocks built over a ten year period from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s. The military retained a small section of the ground to the western side of the site but this was cleared in the late 1960s and replaced with the present Carlisle Estate. The Gymnasium escaped major damage in 1941 and was spared demolition. In the 1960s and 70s it was occupied by the Belfast Education and Library broad [?and used as a store], but in c.1979-80 was converted to a community centre, with a two storey extension added to the eastern side References- Secondary sources 1 Brian Walker & Hugh Dixon, ‘No mean city, Belfast 1880-1914 in the photographs of Robert French’ (Belfast, Friar’s Bush Press, 1984), p.75 2 Marcus Patton, ‘Central Belfast- An historial gazetteer’ (Belfast, 1993), pp.241-242 3 Information (including old photos, maps, war time news paper extracts, war time (German) military intelligence papers etc.) supplied by the staff of North Queen Street Community Centre.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large single / 1½ storey brick built gabled hall of 1883, with extension of c.1980 to the east side. Originally a gymnasium belonging to a large army barracks complex but now (with the demolition of the rest of the barracks) a community centre. Its detailing is of interest, especially the large octagonal roof light turret and roof structure. A good example in fairly original condition of an unusual building type and of interest for its connection to the Barracks.

General Comments

Date of Survey

08 May 2002