Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/13/003 A

Address :
Campbell College Belmont Road Belfast County Antrim BT4 2ND

Townland:
Ballycloghan

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
13/03/1987 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
School

Former Use
School

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130-15NE 4

IG Ref:
J3902 7470

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A High Victorian multi-bay two-storey plus attic school complex in British Tudor Revival style built in stages between 1891 and 1899 to designs by W. H. Lynn and constructed by H. Laverty & Sons. Irregular on plan facing S with a number of later extensions. The school complex is located within its own landscaped grounds including a number of modern buildings and a gate lodge (HB26.13.003 B) to SW. The original building complex, irregular in plan, consisted of a central block with a tower to E, two wings to E and W built in stages between 1891 and 1899. Later additions include a pitched roof two-storey L-shaped wing to NW dating from 1957-58 to designs by R.S. Wilshere (the MacDermott Wing) and a flat roofed two-storey extension to NW dating from 2012. Pitched natural slate roof with roll-top red clay ridge tiles. Raised moulded stone verges to gables with floriated finials. Dormer windows built off the face of the wall with raised stone verges and kneelers to gables (unless noted otherwise). Cast iron rainwater goods. Rectangular section chimney stacks with corbelled coping stones and clay chimney pots. Sandstone dressings to mullioned windows. Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond on moulded stone plinth. Square headed window openings with mullioned ashlar sandstone architrave surrounds having timber casement windows (unless noted otherwise). Principal elevation: The principal elevation faces S and consists of the S and E elevation of the W wing, the E and S elevation of the central block and the W and S elevation of the E wing. The S elevation of the W wing consists of a four-stage tower to W end, a two-storey bay immediately to E, two two-storey plus attic gables and two two-storey bays bays to E. The tower to W end has a window to each stage, moulded string course to first- and fourth-stage lintel, raised parapet and a pyramidal natural slate roof with metal weathervane. Projecting single storey flat-roofed porch facing SW to next bay with a four-centered arched door opening within a square-headed architrave, opening onto four stone steps. Raised parapet to porch. The two gables are identical separated by a two stage buttress and have two-storey three-sided canted bay to centre. Projecting single storey flat-roofed porch facing SE to next bay to E with a four-centered arched door opening within a square-headed architrave, opening onto four stone steps. Two dormer windows to the roof of the last two bays to E end. The E elevation of the W wing is four bays wide and has a gable to S end, a two-storey three-sided canted bay with raised parapet immediately to N and two two-storey bays to N adjoined with the E elevation of the central block, separated by a two-stage buttress. Two two-storey plus attic bays and a three-storey gabled bay with a single-storey flat-roofed two-sided canted bay to NW corner. Ten-bay wide two-storey plus attic S elevation to the central block with a five-stage clock tower to NE corner. Two-storey flat-roofed three-sided canted bays to third and sixth bay. An imposing single storey flat roofed porch to last bay to E with octagonal pilasters to corners, raised parapet and a large four-centered arch door opening to four stone steps. Square-plan five stage tower with three-stage angle buttresses. Two openings to first and second stage, single three-part windows to third and fourth stage, clock face to fifth stage. Pyramidal roof with metal finial and a six stage octagonal turret to SE corner of the tower. The W elevation of the E wing consists of a two-storey bay to N corner, two two-bay wide two-storey plus attic gables and two two-storey bays to S end. Two-part square-headed window to N bay to FF with stained leaded glazing. Square-headed door opening to bay before last having a double-leaf diagonal-sheeted door with glazing opening onto five steps. The symmetrical S elevation of the E wing has a double-height three-sided canted bay to centre projecting from a double-height gable with a large rose window, flanked by two-storey two-bay wide gables. Hipped natural slate roof behind a raised parapet to canted bay; Octagonal ventilator with ogee shaped metal roof to E wing. Stained leaded glazing to square-headed window openings to canted sides and to rose window. Moulded stone string course to GF and FF above lintel. East elevation: The E elevation consists of the L-plan form E elevation of the E wing to S and a U-plan form elevation to N including the MacDermott wing to N end. Five-bay wide two-storey plus attic building facing E to S end with two bays and three projecting gabled bays. Cast iron hoppers discharging to rectangular section downpipes. Two windows to GF and FF to gable bays to centre, ogee-headed door opening with fanlight to last gable to N and a three-part window to FF above. Three-bay wide double-height elevation facing S and a seven-bay wide symmetrical elevation with two gables facing E, now partially covered by a projecting polygonal two-storey plus attic flat roofed extension. The U-plan elevation has a two-storey plus attic flat-roofed three-sided canted bay facing E to S end. Eight-bay wide elevation facing N with a gable to fourth bay having three-part windows. Two -storey hipper roof behind raised parapet eleven-bay wide elevation facing E with segmental-arched openings. Segmental-headed door opening to third bay from S having a square-headed double-leaf sheeted timber door with glazing, fanlight and side lights, opening onto a raised platform with stairs. The sixth bay is projecting with a tall window. Segmental-arched door opening to last bay to N having a square-headed double-leaf diagonal-sheeted timber door with fanlight. The MacDermott wing occupies the N part of the U-plan with a twelve-bay wide elevation facing S and a two-bay wide elevation facing E. A recessed bay to centre is flanked by a four-bay wide gabled part to E and a seven-bay wide part to W. Cast iron hoppers discharging to circular section downpipes. A Tudor arched door opening to central bay with smooth artificial stone surround. Square-headed two-part window openings with smooth artificial stone surrounds having timber casement windows. The elevation facing E has a gabled bay to S and a projecting bay with a square-headed door opening having a double-leaf timber panelled door with glazing to N. North elevation: The N elevation consists of an L-plan form two-storey hipped roof part to E and a gabled two-storey plus attic building to W abutted by a modern flat roofed two-storey extension. Single-storey lean-to roof six-bay wide extension to E end facing N with segmental-arched openings. Segmental-arched door opening to last bay having a modern double-leaf timber door with fanlight. Two storey five-bay wide adjoined elevation immediately to W with segmental headed openings and raised parapet. Cast iron hoppers discharging to rectangular section downpipes. Segmental-headed door opening to fourth bay having a modern flush door. Eight-bay wide elevation facing W with segmental-arched openings. Symmetrical two-storey plus attic building to W with a three-bay wide gable to centre flanked by two bays to each side, all with square-headed windows and dormers built off the face of the wall. Square-headed door opening to centre. Cast iron ogee guttering and hoppers discharging to rectangular section downpipes. Square plan ventilator to roof with louvred openings and ogee shaped roof with metal finial. West elevation: The W elevation consists of a two-storey plus attic W facing elevation of the central block and the N and W facing elevation of the W wing. The elevation of the central block has a three-bay wide part to N end with square-headed window openings and a six-bay wide part to N with square-headed mullioned window openings, all having top-hung casement windows. Square-headed door opening to fourth bay from N having a replacement timber door with fanlight opening onto five steps. Single-storey lean-to roof supported on metal posts having a square-headed opening connects the central block with the W wing. Projecting rectangular section chimney to gable of W wing facing N with a single storey lean-to extension. The W elevation of the W wing consists of a two-storey bay to N, a three-sided canted bay to centre and the four-stage tower to S end. Setting: The school complex is located within its own landscaped grounds including a number of modern buildings and a gate lodge (HB26.13.003 B) to SW. Located just off Belmont Road it is in close proximity to a number of other listed properties in the area of Stormont. Materials: Roof : natural slate roof Walling: red brick walling RWG: cast iron Windows: timber casements

Architects

Historical Information

Campbell College, a purpose-built red-brick school located off the Belmont Road, was constructed in stages between 1891 and 1899 to a design by W. H. Lynn. The boarding school was erected on the former site of Belmont House, an early-19th century two-storey gentleman’s mansion that was the residence of Sir. Thomas McClure. The valuation sources record that the house was valued at £55 between 1860 and 1894 when it was replaced by the new school complex. Campbell College is named after Henry Campbell, a successful local linen merchant who died in January 1889 and left the majority of his fortune to be used for the establishment of either a hospital or school in his memory. In his Will Campbell stated that if a school was to be constructed, the institution would ‘be used as a college for the purpose of giving there a superior liberal Protestant education’ (Haines). The Trustees of Campbell College appointed William H. Lynn as the architect of the new college. Lynn (1829-1915) was one of the most prolific architects in Belfast during the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods and was responsible for many of the city’s iconic structures such as the Belfast Central Library (HB26/50/065) and the Bank Buildings (HB26/50/153). Lynn, along with one of the College’s new Headmasters (Haines notes that a pair of joint headmasters had been ‘poached’ from Methodist College), embarked upon a tour of Britain and Europe’s educational institutions to gain inspiration for the design of the new college (Dictionary of Irish Architects). Sir. Thomas McClure had vacated Belmont House by 1890 when the Belmont estate was purchased by the Trustees. Haines states that ‘towards the close of the nineteenth century, Belmont [was] a flourishing, expanding community. It may well have been the growth of this sector of Belfast suburbia which encouraged the Trustees of the Henry Campbell estate to purchase Belmont House, as the other affluent area of the city, the south, was already served by Methodist College’ (Haines). Having completed his tour of British and European schools, Lynn settled upon a distinctly British Tudor Revival design for the new college and its gate lodge (see HB26/13/003). Tenders were invited from May 1891, the contractors employed were H. Laverty & Sons who submitted a tender of £54,214. Construction of Campbell College commenced in 1891. The former gentleman’s dwelling was utilised as the Clerk of Works office whilst the new school buildings were erected around it, before being demolished in 1894. The school officially opened on 3rd September 1894 with 215 pupils in attendance. Haines records that a quarter of the attendees came from within one mile from the school. Although the main body of the school had been completed in 1894, the construction of addition wings continued until 1899 when the school and its contents were insured for £101,000. The Annual Revisions note that a dormitory wing and additional workshops were installed in 1896. The total rateable value of the school was set at £1,510 in that year. Campbell College was originally divided into three main blocks. The central block of the building (including the tower) consisted of the dormitories and main dining hall. The wing to the south-west of this block was utilised as accommodation for the joint headmasters of the school, whilst the large wing to the south-east consisted of the grand central hall (and the school chapel after 1965). The third edition Ordnance Survey map (1901-02) and contemporary photographs of the school record that the general layout of the red brick school has only underwent minor alterations and additions since the late-19th century. Haines notes that since the school was originally opened the only notable additions to the main body of the building have been the installation of the clock in the tower and the opening of an additional doorway. The success of the secondary school resulted in its expansion in the early decades of the 20th century. Following the Partition of Ireland, the Trustees of Campbell College required additional accommodation for the ever increasing numbers of enrolled pupils as well as providing buildings for a preparatory school. In 1924 the Trustees acquired the neighbouring Cabin Hill (HB26/13/006). This was followed by the conversion of Ormiston House (HB26/13/001) and Netherleigh House (HB26/13/012) into additional junior schools in 1926 and 1928 respectively (Haines). The expansion of Campbell College into new buildings was accompanied by the alteration of the original complex from the early-20th century onwards. The Irish Builder recorded that the late-Gothic memorial screen by James Reid Young (located in the central hall and incorporating sculptures by Rosamund Praeger) was installed in 1920 to commemorate the 585 alumni of the school who had served in the First World War (119 of whom were killed in action). Young was a former pupil of the College. The clock was installed in the tower in 1924 as a memorial to former headmaster William Allison (Irish Builder, p. 118; Haines; DIA). Campbell College is noted for possessing a number of prolific alumni and former staff. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), a local writer and Christian Apologist who is best known as author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, was a former pupil of the school, whilst the Nobel prize-winning novelist and playwright, Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) briefly taught at the college in 1928 (Haines; Campbell College website). During the Second World War Campbell College was requisitioned for use as a General Hospital. For the duration of the conflict the pupils were relocated to the Northern Counties Hotel in Portrush. Following the end of the war the school returned to normal practise although the following decades witnessed a number of additions to the school complex. In 1957-58 a new study block and a new science laboratory (known as the MacDermott Wing) was constructed at Campbell College. The laboratory was designed by Reginald Sharman Wilshere (1888-1961), architect to the Belfast Corporation Education Committee since 1926. Wilshere designed 26 schools in Northern Ireland between partition and the outbreak of the Second World War. The Dictionary of Irish Architects records that the laboratory was one of the last contracts Wilshere undertook prior to his death in 1961 (Irish Builder, p. 843; DIA). The school chapel, located in the south-east wing, was added in 1965. The chapel was constructed to the south side of the central hall and included a chancel, choir stalls and a vestry room. The sports complex to the north of the original college was constructed in 1971. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the value of Campbell College stood at £9,688. Between 1973 and 1975 both Ormiston House and Netherleigh House were sold by Campbell College after becoming redundant and costly to fund. The money raised from the sale was reinvested in the school and used to fund the construction of modern blocks to the eastern side of the college. Campbell College was listed in 1987. In that year Larmour described Campbell College in the following terms: ‘A picturesquely grouped exercise in Tudor Revivalism, reserved in style and refined in detail’ (Larmour, p. 56). Campbell College is still utilised as a boarding school and continues to expand. In 2004 a large modern block was built to the east of the original complex. This was followed in 2012 by the construction of a block to the north providing additional accommodation for boarding students (NIEA HB Records; Haines; Campbell College website). Statues on main approach to college building depicting a pair of boars in heraldic style are recent additions to the college estate. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/5/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1834) 2. PRONI OS/6/3/5/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858) 3. PRONI OS/6/3/5/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02) 4. PRONI OS/6/3/5/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1919-20) 5. PRONI OS/6/3/5/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938-39) 6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18C – Griffith’s Valuation (1860) 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/2D-2M – Annual Revisions (1887-1930) 8. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland (1935) 9. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/45 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland (1956-1972) 10. Belfast Street Directories (1877-1943) 11. Irish Builder (28 Feb 1920; 15 Nov 1958) 12. First Survey Record – HB26/13/004 (1984) 13. First Survey Image – HB26/13/004 (No Date) 14. NIEA HB Records – HB26/13/004 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: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. 3. Haines, K., ‘Neither rogues nor fools: A history of Campbell College and Campbellians’ Belfast: Campbell College, 1993. 4. Haines, K., ‘Campbell College’ Gloucestershire: tempus Publishing Ltd., 2004. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Campbell College website - http://www.campbellcollege.co.uk/

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 J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

A High Victorian multi-bay two-storey plus attic school complex in British Tudor Revival style built in stages between 1891 and 1899 to designs by W. H. Lynn and constructed by H. Laverty & Sons. The original building complex, irregular in plan, consisted of a central block with a tower to E, two wings to E and W built in stages between 1891 and 1899. Later additions include a pitched roof two-storey L-shaped wing to NW dating from 1957-58 to designs by R.S. Wilshere (the MacDermott Wing) and a flat roofed two-storey extension to NW dating from 2012. Named after Henry Campbell, a successful local linen merchant who left the majority of his fortune to be used for the establishment of a school in his memory, Campbell College was built in the estate of Belmont House thus aiming to serve the growth of the affluent area of Belmont. The success of the school resulted in its expansion in the early 20th century with additional accommodation and a preparatory school. The trustees acquired the neighbouring Cabin Hill (HB26/13/006) and then converted Ormiston House (HB26/13/001) and Netherleigh House (HB26/13/012) into additional junior schools, all of which were sold in the 1970s. During the Second World War the school was requisitioned for use as a General Hospital. Despite the numerous alterations and additions over the years, Campbell College remains a very good example of Tudor Revival architecture with well proportioned elevations, plain detailing and good setting. Important parts of the interior remains intact including the panelled front Hall and grand staircase to the central block, the chapel and a Gothic memorial screen by James Reid Young. The school complex is located within its own landscaped grounds including a number of modern buildings and a gate lodge (HB26.13.003 B) to SW. Located just off Belmont Road it is in close proximity to a number of other listed properties in the area of Stormont.

General Comments

Previously HB26/13/04

Date of Survey

06 August 2014