Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/28/055 A

Address :
28 Wellington Park Belfast BT9 6DL

Townland:
Malone Lower

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
25/05/2017 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Health Centre

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
147/1SW

IG Ref:
J3320 7238

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Two-storey with attic semi-detached former dwelling, built 1866 in High Victorian style to designs by Robert Young, later of Young and Mackenzie. Facing north on Wellington Park, a tree-lined street running E-W between Malone and Lisburn Roads, two main arterial routes south of Belfast city centre. Paired with No.30 (HB26.28.055B), principal façade appears symmetrical with gabled ends, however, the two interlock in plan, both roughly L-shaped with two-storey mono-pitched returns – No.28 wider to front (N) and No.30 wider to rear (S). Distinctive grey-white brick embellished with polychromatic brick detailing and vermiculated toothed stone quoins; the pair are largely characterised by jettied dormers on two-storey canted bays, a device used on other Young and Mackenzie houses (HB26.27.064E-F & HB26.44.028A-D). Converted to dental surgery in 2014. Within Malone Conservation Area, at corner with Wellington Park Terrace; rear yard overlooks HB26.28.068A-K, Grade B1 terraced houses. Natural slate roof (Bangor Blue) with black clay ridge tiles, including rear return and gabled dormer; latter has fish-scale bands of same slate. Smaller dormer to right of entrance also has natural slate roof. Modern skylight to rear slope. Two grey-white brick chimneys with red brick dressings and octagonal yellow clay pots: one centred on gable of main roof with concrete bricks in place of original corbelled cap and six pots (one replaced with circular red clay); and the other centred on ridge to right of entrance with red brick string course and detailing, corbelled cap in brick specials and three pots. Projecting painted timber eaves board on corbelled eaves to front, in red brick and comprised of two rows cogging, one row stretchers and one row chamfered dentils, all on deep zigzag band with blue brick headers at regular intervals. Raised sandstone copings to gable end, terminating in curved sandstone kneelers, painted to match quoins. Simpler eaves detail to rear in corbelled grey-white brick comprised of one row stretchers and one row alternating headers and stretchers. Materials: ROOF: Natural slate, including dormers RWG: Cast iron ogee gutters, one cast iron RWP (N) and remaining RWPs uPVC. WALLS: Grey-white brick (N); brownish-red brick (S & E); all in Flemish bond; polychromatic details. WINDOWS: Single glazed double hung single glazed sliding sash with 1/1 panes, unless otherwise described. Front Elevation (N): Formally arranged, all openings are square headed. Central entrance, with full-height canted bay to left; and two equally spaced windows to right at ground floor; and three windows at first floor, aligned with ground floor openings. Some historic glass remains to ground floor bay windows. Tooled sandstone dressings, all painted: projecting base plinth with chamfered top; window cills and lintels, continuous at bay with red brick string course between cills and soldier coursed red and blue brick heads to other windows; stop-chamfered reveals. Timberwork to dormer painted to match lintel at canted bay below; decorative carved timber pendant below cantilevered square edges. Single glazed replacement timber window centred on dormer, with metal bars fitted across external reveal; projecting eaves and bargeboard, with exposed rafter and scrolled purlin ends, all painted. Square headed six-panelled timber framed door with central bead to resemble double doors and brass ironmongery (lion-head knocker, letterbox and handles); plain glass over-light recessed in concentric chamfered brick surround; and painted stone hood mould with dentils and foliated label stops. Gable (E) Elevation: Plainly detailed compared to front. Brownish-red variegated brick in Flemish bond. Raised stone copings and carved kneelers as described above, with toothed quoins returned from north elevation. Otherwise blank. East face of two-storey return: same brick as gable, clipped eaves, soldier coursed heads and tooled stone cills to two windows at first floor, both having translucent glass; and flush painted door at ground floor, near re-entrant corner. Rear Elevation (S): Two bays wide, with two-storey shallow return built at half-landing level to left; and one window each at ground and first floor to right side. Same brownish-red brick as gable, with grey-white brick corbelled eaves as described above. South face of return blank, except for former window opening filled with newer red brick at ground floor; thin concrete cill remains. Single opening above return: uPVC double-glazed casement, with deep timber lintel and tooled stone cill thought to be original (despite replacement window). Soldier coursed heads and tooled stone cills to single glazed timber sliding sash windows right of return: first floor has 2/2 panes and ground floor has 8/8 panes; painted metal bars fixed to external reveal of latter. Mechanical equipment surface mounted to rear elevation. West elevation: No.30 abuts west elevation of main building; west face of return detailed as east face. Two windows at first floor: one larger than other. Single-storey lean-to, now gone, evidenced by marks on brickwork at ground floor. Original yard boundary wall with curved terracotta cap abuts return, built up in later smooth red brick. Elevated above pavement level, set apart from predominantly red brick or rendered housing on Wellington Park; front gardens bound by matching grey-white brick low walling and corner piers with carved sandstone copings retaining indent of former railings. Stepped lawn either side of central path with three stone steps rising to upper level and decorative cast iron boot-scraper on bull-nosed sandstone entrance step. Rear yard comprised of tarmacked car park, shared with No.30 and bound by red brick walling to west and hit-and-miss timber fencing to south. Red brick raised planters, concrete paving flags and some gravelled area immediately adjacent to rear exit.

Architects

Young, Robert

Historical Information

Commencing around 1852, Wellington Park was the earliest of the public thoroughfares to be laid out across the Malone ridge between the present Lisburn and Malone Roads. It marked the beginning of the suburbanisation of this part south Belfast, with the extensive semi-rural grounds of the early 19th century (and earlier) villas and gentrified farmhouses along the ridge gradually opened-up to development as the business and professional classes moved out from the confines of the crowded town centre. Consisting of terraces, semis and detached dwellings, building work was initially confined to the southern side of the new street, with nos.14-16 dating from 1852-53, nos.4-12 and 18-22 following in 1854-56, and nos.24 and 26 in 1863 and 1865 respectively. Nos.28-30, another pair of semis, were designed in 1866 by Robert Young (later of Young & MacKenzie) for Thomas Fraser, on a plot the latter had taken on lease from George Tate, the developer who gave his name to nearby Tate’s Avenue. Fraser was the manager of the Ferguslie [Paisley] Fireclay Works depot at Queen’s Quay, a firm described in the 1866 Belfast directory as a ‘Manufacturer of white fire bricks for facing buildings’, so it is highly likely he supplied the (largely white) bricks for the polychrome front facade. The houses themselves, (particularly the jettied half-dormers), are similar to the near contemporary dwellings by Young & MacKenzie in College Park East (nos.5-6, built 1868-69) and nos.344-350 Antrim Road (built 1877). No.28 The first occupant of no.28 may have been the Mrs. Reid named in the 1870 street directory. By 1877 Thomas Salmond, a civil engineer, was in residence, followed by James Hetherington (‘linen warehouseman) by 1880, and William Montgomery (an auctioneer with premises in Royal Avenue) in c.1882. Thomas McKnight, editor of the ‘Northern Whig’ occupied the property from c.1890 to 1899, after which the building appears to have remained vacant for several years (and as such is not detailed in the 1901 census). James P. Gillespie, a commercial traveller, had taken up the tenancy by 1907, and was succeeded in c.1911 by James M. Dickson, a linen merchant, his wife, Mary, three grown-up children, Mary, Anne and Charles, a niece, Jane Miller and a domestic servant, Martha McCallum, with the house itself a ‘first class’ dwelling of nine rooms ‘occupied by the family’. John Napier, a ‘spirit merchant’, is listed as the householder in 1920. Mr Napier appears to have died in the later 1960s, after which Mrs. Mary Napier (presumably his widow) is noted as the occupant.* In the later 1970s the property was acquired by B. McAlister, a chartered account, who was running his business from there from at least 1990 until at 1996. The building was converted to its present use a dental surgery in c.2013 *An R.P. Napier (a relative?) held neighbouring no.30 in the 1960s References – Primary sources 1 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory’, (Belfast News-Letter, Belfast), various dates from 1866 to 1996 2 PRONI VAL12B/43D/7 annual valuation revision book, 1862-82 3 PRONI VAL12B/43D/7 annual valuation revision book, 1882-96 4 PRONI OS8/30/3/53 OS town plan of Belfast, 1883-84 5 PRONI OS8/30/4/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1896 6 PRONI VAL12B/43D/36, 1897-1905 7 PRONI VAL7B/14/15 valuation of Belfast, 1900 8 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [online] 9 PRONI OS8/30/5/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1903 10 PRONI VAL12B/43P/3, 1906-15 11 PRONI VAL12B/43P/7, 1916-30 12 OS maps various sheets at 1:1250/2500 scale, 1920-85 [online] Secondary sources 1 Carleton, S.T., ‘The growth of South Belfast’, (unpublished QUB MA thesis), 1967 2 Rowan, A.J. And Brett, C.E.B., ‘Historic Buildings...Queens University of Belfast’, (UAHS, 1968), p.44 3 Larmour, Paul, ‘The Architectural Heritage of Malone & Stranmillis’, (UAHS, 1991), p.179 4 http://www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk/robert-brown-1810-1895/ [accessed 2017.02.14]

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 V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey with attic semi-detached former dwelling, built 1866 to designs by Robert Young, later of Young and Mackenzie. Facing north on Wellington Park, it has group value with No.30 (HB26.28.055B) and the pair stand apart within the Malone Conservation Area as a very good example of High Victorian domestic architecture with use of multi-coloured brick. Of note due to the connection with local brick manufacturing; in particular the grey-white bricks on the main façade, embellished with polychromatic detailing and dressed sandstone (now painted); the gable ends and rear elevation are faced in bricks more commonly found in Belfast. Also distinguished by jettied dormers, vaguely Tudor in style, on two-storey canted bays at each end, a device used elsewhere in the city by Young and Mackenzie (HB26.27.064A-F & HB26.44.028A-D). Together the pair are well proportioned and appear symmetrical, however, the plans interlock, each one roughly L-shaped with original two-storey returns. Although converted to a dental surgery, the interior layout and detailing of No.28 remains largely intact. Elevated above pavement level, matching grey-white brick boundary walling and corner piers with stone copings, coupled with stone entrance steps and an authentic cast iron boot-scraper, significantly enhance the character of their setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey