Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/22/006

Address :
Parliamentary boundary post In front of 89 Glen Road Belfast County Antrim

Townland:
Ballydownfine/ Ballymurphy

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
04/12/2014 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Boundary Marker

Former Use
Boundary Marker

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
146-04SW

IG Ref:
J3026 7238

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A cast-iron administrative marker post of 1918 marking the outer extent of the administrative jurisdiction of Belfast Corporation (as Belfast City Council was then known), and of Falls District Electoral Division and Falls Ward within it. Set into a footpath on the north side of Glen Road, in front of a row of shops (and no.89 in particular). This particular footpath is separated from the shops by an access road thereto. There is a set of pedestrian traffic lights across the main road at this point. Of slightly tapered cylindrical profile, with a banded octagonal base and over-sailing flat octagonal top with a smaller fluted circular cap. Its front face bears the shield of Belfast Corporation’s coat of arms, below was a circular plaque attached with four countersunk screws. The latter reads: “Parliamentary/ and Municipal/ Boundary of/ Belfast/ Falls Division/ Falls Ward/ 1918”. The footpath has been re-flagged in limestone. One of the flags beside the post bears an enlarged replica of the coat of arms on the post and its inscription in abbreviated form. Also set into the footpath immediately west of the post is the cast-metal cap giving access to a water main valve. There was originally another parliamentary boundary post on the opposite side of the road, no traces of which survive.

Architects

Historical Information

The County of the Borough of Belfast was created under the Local Government Act 1898 and enacted the following year. The new borough was divided into four constituencies for the purposes of parliamentary elections to the Westminster House of Commons (this was pre-Partition and before the creation of Stormont) – North, East, West and South. Each division had its own Member of Parliament. Under the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, the existing four constituencies were abolished and their number increased to nine - Cromac, Duncairn, Falls, Ormeau, Pottinger, St Anne’s, Shankill, Victoria, and Woodvale. Each new parliamentary division had its own MP and encompassed one or several municipal wards; the latter were used for elections to Belfast Corporation. Falls Division encompassed the municipal wards of Falls and Smithfield. As its legend states, this particular post marks the boundary of the Falls parliamentary and ward divisions. These new constituencies were first used in the General Election of 14 December 1918, just over a month after the cessation of the First World War. This particular election took place under the Representation of the People Act 1918 (also known as the Fourth Reform Act). It is of special significance in that, for the first time, all men over 21 years of age and all women over 30 could vote; it was also the first election to be completed within the one day. Previously, only male property owners but no women could vote, and the election was spread out over several weeks. With the inception of the devolved parliament for Northern Ireland in 1922, the number of Westminster MPs was greatly reduced. The Falls parliamentary constituency, created only four years before, was abolished and the previous seat of West Belfast restored. However, the municipal wards continued to be used for local elections, although some, including Falls, have since been reconfigured and renamed. The boundary of the County Borough of Belfast is clearly marked on the 1901 six- and 25-inch OS maps, along with a boundary post on the south side of the road; none is marked on the north side at this time on either map. The one under review on the north side first appears, along with the south one, on the 1920 map (at both scales), and on all subsequent editions (1931, 1938 and 1959), being cited as ‘BPs’. Belfast Corporation was superseded by Belfast City Council in 1973 and its jurisdiction extended beyond its former borough boundary. This post now lies within Upper Falls Electoral Division (as used for Council elections), and within Glen Road Ward. References – Primary Sources: 1. Local Government Act 1898. 2. PRONI OS/6/1/60/3. OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60 (1901). 3. PRONI OS/10/1/60/15/1. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-15 (1901). 4. Representation of the People Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5 c.64). 5. Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5 c.65). 6. PRONI OS/6/1/60/4. OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60 (1920). 7. PRONI OS/10/1/60/15/2. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-15 (1920). 8. PRONI OS/10/1/60/15/3. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-15 (1931). 9. PRONI OS/6/1/60/5. OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60 (1938). 10. PRONI OS/10/1/60/15/4. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-15 (1938). 11. PRONI OS/11/146/4/1. OS 25-inch IG map sheet 146-04 (1959).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation K. Group value

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance X. Local Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

This boundary post exhibits a degree of decoration beyond that necessitated of its utilitarian function. Its cast-iron construction and secure embedding in the pavement reflect the need for durability and tamper-proofing. Its setting is also of significance insofar as it denotes an invisible political boundary at this particular spot. It also has group value with boundary posts elsewhere in Belfast; this is probably the most complete group of administrative markers anywhere in the Province. The post is made from an octagonal base and collar, a tapered cylindrical drum embellished with a shield bearing the coat-of-arms of Belfast Corporation directly above a plaque with the inscription 'Parliamentary and Municipal Boundary of Belfast, Falls Division, Falls Ward, 1918', a dentilled capital and octagonal cap, crowned by a by a further circular cap with radial fluting and ball finial. It is from the historical viewpoint that this post is of most interest. It is a tangible reminder of the first election in Britain and Ireland when nearly everyone (bar women under 30) had the right to vote, which took place on 14 December 1918. It is also of interest in marking a short-lived period in the province’s political development up to the formation of Northern Ireland and the Stormont administration in 1922. Many of these posts have succumbed to road widening and random removal (an example of one being the post on the opposite side of the Glen Road of which no trace survives) so this particular example is now comparatively rare.

General Comments

Date of Survey

03 July 2014