Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/37/002 B

Address :
Holy Cross Monastery 432 Crumlin Road Belfast BT14 7GE

Townland:
Edenderry

---

Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
25/09/1987 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Religious House

Former Use
Religious House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
129-12SE

IG Ref:
J3167 7573

---

Owner Category

Church - RC

Exterior Description And Setting

Attached symmetrical seven-bay three-storey sandstone monastery, built c.1880, with bell tower to rear. T-shaped on plan facing north and set back on the south side of Crumlin Road on an elevated site with church attached to the east end (HB26/37/002A). Hipped natural slate roof with roll-moulded black clay ridge tiles and lead valleys set behind front parapet wall. Several lozenge-shaped ashlar chimneystacks on shouldered bases with glazed pots and red sandstone dressings. Moulded cast-iron guttering to red sandstone ashlar eaves course, square-profile cast-iron and some metal and uPVC replacement downpipes. The transverse section to east has a circular glazed drum with lead-covered base, ribbed lead-lined dome with iron Celtic cross finial and leaded lights. Coursed rock-faced pale sandstone walling with red sandstone dressings. Continuous red sandstone blocking course below moulded red sandstone sill course to first floor. Continuous moulded red sandstone sill course on corbels to second floor. Segmental-headed and round-headed window openings with stop-chamfered red sandstone surrounds with original horizontally-glazed 2/2 timber sash windows. Front elevation is ten windows wide with an advanced full-height gabled projection to either end and an off-centre red sandstone entrance portico. Romanesque style portico comprises a central round-headed arch flanked by paired polished granite columns with stiff-leaf capitals on octagonal bases and round-headed arches to both cheeks with responding columns surmounted by red sandstone pierced balustrade. Coursed red sandstone ashlar walling within the portico, banded over impost level with central round-headed door opening having corbelled lintel cornice, replacement hardwood panelled door and surround opening into portico with replacement tiles and nine steps. Door opening flanked by slender sidelights with moulded and stop-chamfered surrounds housing leaded lights. Recent universal access ramp to the right with steps enclosed by raking plinth wall having red sandstone coping. East side elevation is four windows wide and abutted by side chapel (HB26/37/002A) and portacabin. West elevation to rear projection is two windows wide with a steel fire escape to the left with some windows converted to door openings. Abutting the right hand side is a lean-to side altar (HB26/37/002A). Rear elevation is seven windows wide with a full-height gabled projection to the left and five-stage bell tower to the re-entrant angle. The tower has a natural slate pyramidal roof with iron finial and lucarnes rising from arcaded eaves cornice. The bell-stage has paired round-headed openings to each elevation with central polished granite columns having stiff-leaf capitals and set on projecting cornice with billet mouldings. Paired round-headed window openings to remaining stages having steel casement windows. The gabled projection has a single round-headed door opening with chamfered sandstone surround and replacement hardwood door with two-pane overlight. West side elevation is four windows wide with a shallow advanced full-height gabled bay to the right with round-headed window openings. Setting: Set on an elevated site within its own grounds on the south side of Crumlin Road. To the west elevation is a connecting single-storey kitchen wing (G11) having hipped natural slate roof and coursed rock-faced sandstone walls. Site shared with adjoining church (HB26/37/002A) with front lawns enclosed to the street by low rubblestone wall and decorative iron railings. To the north west of the site is Holy Cross Boys School (HB26.37.002C). Site enclosed to north by highly decorative iron entrance screen with cast-iron piers flanked by tall red sandstone piers with capstones. The west of the site is enclosed by tall rubblestone wall with stacked coping. Roof: Natural slate RWG: Cast-iron / replacement steel & uPVC Walling: Coursed rock-faced sandstone / red sandstone dressings Windows: Timber sash

Architects

O'Neill & Byrne

Historical Information

Holy Cross Monastery, a three-storey sandstone Romanesque building located at the intersection of the Crumlin and Woodvale Roads, was constructed in 1877-81. The monastery and adjoining church (built in 1900-02) form the most significant landmarks in the area of Belfast known as Ardoyne, an ancient townland which was recorded in maps and deeds from prior to the plantation of Ireland. A history of Holy Cross Parish (printed in full on the parish’s website) records that during the Penal years Ardoyne was the site of secret Roman Catholic worship in the area. The construction of Michael Andrew’s Royal Damask Factory in 1815 resulted in the construction of associated workers houses in the area. The parish history notes that ‘before long his business flourished as did the new community. The settlement of houses around his factory soon took on the status of a village, complete with a school house, public house and prayer meeting house.’ The village of Ardoyne took its name from the ancient townland and followed Andrew’s residence of ‘Ardoyne House’ (now demolished but originally site to the immediate north of Holy Cross Monastery and Church). Holy Cross Monastery was founded by the Passionist Order who were invited to establish a house in Ardoyne by the Most Rev. Dr. Dorrian, the Bishop of Down and Connor, in 1868. The Passionist’s first Retreat House was located on the current site of Holy Cross Monastery in Edenderry Lodge, a two-storey house that had been the residence of the local doctor. The parish history describes the scope of the Passionist’s in the following terms: ‘soon after their arrival in Ardoyne, the Passionist’s undertook the spiritual care of the suburb of Belfast lying around Holy Cross and Ligoniel … the Passionist’s cared for the needs of Ligoniel until it was made a parish in its own right in 1896.’ The first parish church at the corner of the Crumlin and Woodvale Roads was constructed on the site in 1869 and the Order continued to occupy Edenderry Lodge until 1877 when the building was declared unsafe. The construction of the current monastery was planned as early as 1875 when a Father Pius arrived in the parish and made the project his priority. Holy Cross Monastery was designed in a Lombardic Romanesque style by O’Neill & Byrne, a Belfast and Dublin-based architectural partnership which was formed in c. 1868 and carried out a large amount of work on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in Dublin and throughout Ulster. Larmour states that the erection of the monastery was contracted out to Robert Corry, a local builder who held business premises on Donegall Pass. The Natural Stone Database records that the building was constructed of locally-quarried Scrabo and Dundonald Sandstone with Newry Granodiorite utilised for its columns. The staircase within the Monastery was constructed of white Donegall marble leading Larmour to state that ‘the stones are thus all native but the style is imported’ (DIA; NSD; Larmour, p. 46). The foundation stone of the monastery was laid on 16th July 1877 but difficulties in raising the necessary funds brought the building work to a temporary halt (the closure of the mills in the 1870s led to increasing poverty in the Ardoyne area). The monastery was completed due to the efforts of Father Alphonsus, who initiated a fund raising campaign and also interested Pope Leo XIII in the construction project. Work on Holy Cross Monastery recommenced in 1880 and the building was officially opened on 12th June 1881. The parish history records that the new retreat was the first purpose-built monastery in Ulster to be constructed since the Reformation (Holy Cross Parish). When first completed, the Passionist’s Monastery at Ardoyne was a two-and-a-half-storey building (that possessed dormer windows on its top floor) and did not possess the current three-storey block (with dome) to its north-east side. This extension was added in 1900-02 as part of the construction of the adjoining Holy Cross Parish Church. The new block was partially utilised as a sacristy and connected the monastery to the church. The Annual Revisions valued the monastery at £100 in 1906 following this addition. The third storey of the building was added in 1930-31 to designs by Charles B. Powell of Dublin who also predominantly accepted ecclesiastical commissions (DIA). With the addition of the third storey the value of the monastery was increased to £300 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57). This was further raised to £360 by the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72). Holy Cross Monastery was listed in 1987. The NIEA HB Records note that the monastery underwent a renovation in c. 1995 that included the repair of its interior. In c. 2010 part of the former monastery was converted into self-contained apartments as a sheltered housing scheme carried out by Consarc Design Group. The conversion of the building included the repositioning of its Donegall marble staircase and the addition of an elevator. During the Second Survey the ground floor of the building continued to be utilised as a monastery with the upper floors utilised as sheltered accommodation (NIEA HB Records). 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/M/4-7 – Annual Revisions (1906-1930) 6. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/21-22 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) 7. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/35 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 8. Belfast Street Directories (1877-1943) 9. First Survey Record – HB26/37/002 (1986) 10. NIEA HB Records – HB26/37/002 Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985. 2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com//buildings.cfm?bk=2456 3. Holy Cross Parish website - http://www.holycrossparishbelfast.com/default.htm

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance X. Local Interest V. Authorship U. Historic Associations Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Attached symmetrical seven-bay three-storey sandstone monastery, built c.1880, with bell tower to rear. An imposing building with Romanesque-style detailing built after the erection of the original Holy Cross Parish Church c. 1868-69 (now replaced) both buildings to the designs of O’Neill & Byrne, Belfast-Dublin based Architects. The austere stonework is enlivened by the red sandstone carvings and a roofscape punctuated by a dome and bell tower. The interior is largely intact and still serving its original function. Set on a prominent, elevated site attached to the impressive Holy Cross Church (HB26.37.0002A) and adjacent to Holy Cross Boys School (HB26.37.0002C) , the site retains its orignial boundary walling, ornate gates and railings fronting onto the Crumlin Road and as part of the wider Holy Cross complex, constitutes a notable religious institution and local landmark.

General Comments

Date of Survey

25 September 2014