Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/152

Address :
17-21 Castle Place Belfast Co Antrim BT1 1EL

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
26/06/1979 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Bank

Former Use
Shop

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130-13

IG Ref:
J3385 7434

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Attached three-storey with attic red brick Victorian commercial building, built c.1867, to the designs of William Hastings with polished granite shopfront inserted to the ground floor c.1917 to the designs of W. Eccles. Irregular on plan with a three-storey brick return and facing south onto Castle Place. Mansard natural slate roof with roll-moulded clay ridge tiles and a single decorative profiled brick and rendered chimneystack to the raised east gable. Decorative pedimented dormer windows to the front pitch flanked by decorative finials having decorative tympanums and single-pane timber sash windows. Replacement steel box gutter and square-profile iron guttering to either end supported on sandstone eaves in turn supported on a series of decorative corbels to a full-span frieze punctuated by foliate blocks supported by scrolled console brackets. Red brick walling laid in Flemish bond. Deeply recessed window openings formed in gauged brick, segmental-headed to the second floor, round-headed to the first floor having bipartite timber casement windows with fixed-pane overlights. South front elevation is five windows wide with continuous hood mouldings rising from decorative foliate impost mouldings. Second floor windows have stepped heads and reveals over blind apron balustrades having interlacing carvings. First floor windows have stepped reveals, decorative keystones and polished granite balustrades flanked by squat piers resting on the shopfront cornice. Shopfront comprises three central square-headed window openings with replacement fixed-pane glazing flanked by Doric pilasters and having apron panels with decorative bronze sill guards. The pilasters support a full-span fascia and cornice with mutules. Square-headed door opening to the left with replacement aluminium glazed entrance screen having an architrave surround and surmounted by a pediment supported on concave console brackets. West side elevation abutted by adjoining infill building. Rear elevation abutted by three-storey red brick return. East side elevation abutted by adjoining infill building. Setting Located on the north side of Castle Place to the east of the junction of Donegall Place and Royal Avenue. Roof: Natural slate RWG: steel/cast-iron Walling: Red brick Windows: timber

Architects

Hastings, William

Historical Information

Nos 17-21 Castle Place, a three-storey redbrick building, was constructed in 1867 on a site formerly occupied by three separate properties. The Irish Builder records that nos 17-21 was designed by William Hastings (1814-1892), a Belfast-based architect who was employed as the Surveyor of Works for Belfast between 1849 and 1857 but operated a private practise for the rest of his life; Hasting designed a number of commercial buildings in Belfast’s city centre and was also responsible for mannerist design of No. 3 Donegall Street (HB26/50/245). The Builders contracted to realise Hasting’s ‘renaissance’ design were the Fitzpatrick Bros (Irish Builder, p. 21; Dictionary of Irish Architects). Nos 17-21 were constructed for a Mr. Charles Thompson, a local cook who had previously managed a restaurant from the earlier No. 19 Castle Place.; upon the completion of the new edifice, nos 17-21 Castle Place was valued at £355 in the Annual Revisions. The ground floor of the building was originally divided into two retail units; nos 17-19, which included the upper floors, was the easternmost unit and was occupied by Cramer & Co., a piano forte, harmonium and music company; No. 21 only referred to the ground floor western shop and was occupied by J. Braddell & Son, a local gunshop. The Belfast Street Directories noted that J. Braddell & Son were ‘makers of the improved barlock and other breech loading guns, patent long range rifles, revolving pistols, air canes (a walking cane that doubled as an air powered firearm) and every article connected with the gun;’ the directories also noted that the firm also sold fishing tackles and were the preferred gunsmiths to Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (Belfast Street Directories – 1868-1877). The Belfast Revaluation (1900) notes that nos 17-21 Castle Place were partially rebuilt in c. 1880 due to minor damage inflicted by fire; in that year both Cramer & Co. and J. Braddell & Son continued to occupy the building which was increased in value to £460. There was no further change to the building until c. 1913 when Cramer Woods & Co. vacated nos 17-19; No. 21 similarly fell vacant soon afterwards due to the outbreak of the First World War and a huge decline in the domestic demand for firearms. The vacant building was utilised during the conflict when it was converted into a rest home for wounded sailors and soldiers; the voluntary charitable organisation was operated by Lady McCullagh, the wife of Sir Crawford McCullagh who was Lord Mayor of Belfast for the majority of the war (Belfast Street Directory – 1918). Prior to the end of the First World War nos 17-21 Caste Place was acquired by the Belfast Estate Company who carried out conversion work to the property. The alterations, which were carried out in 1917 by the Liverpool architect W. Eccles, resulted in the conversion of the two original ground level shopfronts into a single commercial unit; as part of the work the upper floors were converted into office space and the first floor windows of the building were balustraded (Larmour, p. 29). Upon the cessation of the war, the newly converted nos 17-21 Castle Place was occupied by the London City & Midland Bank (who operated from the ground floor), whilst the upper offices were leased to W. F. Coates & Co. (stock and share brokers and insurance agents) and Watt, Tulloch & Fitzsimons, an architectural practise who used the site as their head office. As a result of the conversion and changes in occupants the total value of nos 17-21 Caste Place had been increased to £1,085 by the mid-1920s; there was no alteration to the occupants or the value of the building by the end of the Annual Revisions which were cancelled in 1930. In 1932 the London City & Midland Bank vacated the property when the ground floor (and second floor offices) of the building were occupied by the Belfast Banking Co. By 1935 the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland noted that Watt, Tulloch & Fitzsimmons had vacated the site but that Corry & Henderson, an accountancy firm, had taken over the vacant offices; the total value of the building was increased to £1,347 under the 1935 revaluation. Nos 17-21 Castle Place escaped the heavy bombardment of the centre of Belfast during the 1941 Blitz which levelled many neighbouring buildings. In the aftermath of the Second World War the building was included in the second general revaluation which commenced in 1956. By the 1950s W. F. Coates & Co., as well as all other tenants, had vacated the upper offices of nos 17-21 Castle Place; by 1956 the entire building was solely occupied by the Belfast Banking Co. and was valued at £2,250, however due to a number of appeals against this high rating, the value of the building was reduced to £1,584 by the end of the revaluation in 1972. Nos 17-21 is one of only two 19th century commercial buildings (the other being nos 20-22 Castle Place (HB26/50/097B) that have survived the demolition and commercial redevelopment of Castle Place which Patton described as ‘the hub of Victorian Belfast.’ Castle Place was originally part of High Street and the 1685 map of Belfast notes that it ran along the original flow of the river Farset; Belfast Castle (burned down in 1708) was located on the south side of the river and lent its name to the streets, lanes and entries of the immediate area. By 1791 the western portion of High Street was known as Grand Parade and was an area frequently utilised for military processions (in the late-18th century the Volunteers marched through the street as part of their Bastille Day celebrations). The thoroughfare was not renamed Castle Place until the early-19th century (Patton, p. 53). Nos 17-21 Castle Place was constructed in 1867 and early photographs of the street show that is occupied a prominent position in the bustling commercial centre of Belfast. Originally constructed as a pair of retail shops with warehouse premises above, nos 17-21 were converted into a single commercial unit in 1917 when the upper floors were also converted into office space. Nos 17-21 Castle Place was listed in 1979; Larmour commented on the High Victorian façade of the building noting that it utilised a variety of materials and architectural styles. Patton described the building in the following terms: ‘three-storey redbrick building with mansard dormers (an addition of c. 1890 replacing the original iron parapet) and idiosyncratic sandstone detailing, including varied keystones to first floor windows and capitals between the second floor windows supporting corbels to the main cornice; dormers have strapwork apexes and side piers with newel-like top.’ The addition of the mansard dormers likely occurred after the fire of c. 1880 that damaged the building requiring it to be partially rebuilt (Larmour, p. 29; Patton, p. 54). Nos 17-21 Castle Place has continued to be utilised as commercial premises for almost 150 years; in c. 1990 the ground floor retail unit used by Woolwich’s Equitable Building Society, however in recent years it has been occupied by Barclay’s Bank. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1858 2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02 3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931 4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938 5. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/E/1-13 – Annual Revisions 1862-1897 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/18-42 - Annual Revisions 1897-1930 7. PRONI VAL/7/B/9/27 – Belfast Revaluation 1900 8. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/13 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 9. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/38 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-1972 10. Irish Builder, Vol. 9 (15 Jan 1867) 11. Belfast Street Directories (1861-1943) 12. First Survey Image – HB26/50/172 (No Date) Secondary Sources 1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. 2. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

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 V. Authorship

Evaluation

Attached single-bay three-storey with attic red brick Victorian commercial building, built c.1867, to the designs of William Hastings with polished granite shopfront inserted to the ground floor c.1917 to the designs of W. Eccles. Although compromised by extensive remodelling much historic fabric survives and this building remains one of the few nineteenth-century structures extant on Castle Place. The highly decorative façade and its history represent an interesting phase in the development of commerce in the City.

General Comments

Date of Survey

18 December 2012