Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/090 A

Address :
Clarendon Building Clarendon Quay Belfast Co Antrim BT1 3AL

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
A

Date of Listing:
04/08/1975 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
Pump House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130-13NE 130-14NW

IG Ref:
J3440 7509

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A single-storey former pump house for Clarendon graving docks, built c.1825, located at Clarendon Dock, on the west side of Belfast Harbour, north of Belfast Harbour Office (HB26/50/094). The building has an I-shaped footprint, originally comprising an arcaded central worshop, terminated by a classically proportioned single-storey pump house to east and one-and-a-half storey rendered Dock Master’s house to west. Now refurbished for office use. Central and east blocks have replacement hipped natural slate roofs with leaded ridges and hips, that to east partially concealed by a stucco parapet. Half-round cast-iron rainwater goods on projecting tooled stone eaves to central and west block; parapet gutters to east block; French drains to perimeter. Rendered chimneystack rising from gable of west block; brick chimney on curved base to party wall between central and west block. Continuous modern rooflight to ridge of central section, several rooflights to each pitch. Central block is of rubble stone construction bedded in lime mortar having tooled ashlar sandstone dressings; east block is rock-faced dressed blackstone laid in irregular courses with fine joints over a narrow stone plinth and having stucco dressings; west block is ruled-and-lined rendered with projecting plinth and corner banding rising to pedimented gables. Openings are generally round-headed (except where otherwise stated); those to central block in tooled stone surrounds with replacement margin-paned glazing; those to east and west blocks have moulded archivolts and are set within slightly recessed wide surrounds framed by further stucco archivolt (generally plain, except where otherwise stated); replacement timber windows throughout, multi-paned casments to east block, 1/1 sashes to west block. Painted projecting stone sills. Central (workshop) block is eight arcaded openings wide to north and south, each surmounted by a rectangular panel with tooled ashlar surround; replacement stone cills over concrete plinth (arches formerly open). Terminated by pump house to east and Dock Master's House to west. West block (Dock Master’s house) is identical one bay deep to north and south, having arched window recessed within a similarly profiled keyblocked arch to ground floor and rectangular side-hung casement with plain architrave to upper floor. West elevation is three openings wide to each floor about central entrance comprising round-arched half-glazed replacement timber door detailed as window openings. East block (Pump house) is classically proportioned, three openings wide, with stucco parapet punctuated by panelled piers over pilasters to each corner and between openings to east front. Plain frieze and moulded cornice; pilasters are panelled to upper portion, reeded below. East front comprises central replacement glazed timber door flanked by a window to either side. South elevation has three round-arched windows, those to centre and left have shared reveal (moulded rather than plain archivolts to central window, outer archivolts on plinth blocks); that to right is taller and narrower. North elevation has a replacement panelled timber door to left and a window to right. Setting The former pumping station is set between two graving docks at Clarendon Dock (late eighteenth century Graving Dock no.1, HB26/50/090B, and early nineteenth century Graving dock no.2, HB26/50/090C), opening to Belfast Lough at east. Immediately to west is the former furnace house (HB26/50/094D), and a short distance to south is the Harbour Office (HB26/50/094). The area has been subject to substantial late 20thC public realm works, and the complex is now set on a paved terrace with contemporary office developments to north, public sculpture (‘Dividers’ by Vivien Burnside) to east, and car parking to west. Vehicular access from Corporation Street; pedestrian access from Donegall Quay. A late nineteenth century replacement pump house is located to west (HB26/50/090E) Roof: Slate Walling: Rubble stone/render Windows: timber RWG: Cast iron

Architects

Logan, David

Historical Information

The Clarendon Dock Buildings, comprising the two-storey harbour master’s house, arcaded stone workshop, basalt engine (pump) house (HB26/50/090A) and the detached stone furnace house (HB26/50/090D), flanked by the two graving (or 'dry') docks (HB26/50/090B+C), are the earliest surviving remnants of Belfast’s shipbuilding history, and were erected between 1796 and 1826. The Clarendon Dock Building, situated between the graving docks, was constructed 1825-26 at the same time as No. 2 graving dock which was situated to the north-east of the earlier dock. The Clarendon Dock Buildings are first depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1832-33) which clearly depicts the oblong workshop and detached furnace house; the map depicts the site prior to the construction of the Clarendon ‘wet’ dock which was completed in 1851. The second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1858) was the first map to record the current layout of the Clarendon Docks after completion of the wet dock; there was no alteration to the Clarendon Dock Building, captioned as ‘Engine Ho[use], on this map. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1860) included the buildings in a single joint valuation that included ‘gate lodge, offices, deputy harbour master’s house, workshops, stores, graving dock and yard’ and was valued at a total of £800. Between 1861 and 1882 the group was divided into two new records; the first consisted of the graving docks, whilst the other included the gate house, offices, deputy harbour master’s house, the basalt engine (pump) house and a variety of workshops, and was valued at £357. There was no alteration to the value of this group until 1902 when it was increased to £437 due to the addition of a workshop from a neighbouring ‘old feltworks’. Between 1906 and 1915 the deputy harbour master’s house was separated from the joint valuation record and was valued individually at £10. The two-storey deputy harbour master’s house was included in the 1901 Census which described it as a 1st class dwelling and harbour office that consisted of six inhabited rooms; in 1901 the house was occupied by a Mr. Samuel Young (35, Methodist) who was not a harbour master but was employed as a harbour policeman or caretaker. The Clarendon graving docks and associated buildings are the last surviving remnants of the Georgian shipbuilding complex that once extended along the Co. Antrim side of the River Lagan. Shipbuilding had been taking place on the west side of the river for decades before William Ritchie established his industry at the current site in 1791. Ritchie (1756-1834) was born in Ayreshire in Scotland; he was invited to Belfast in 1791 and established a pioneering shipbuilding business with his brother Hugh, the first major shipbuilding enterprise in the city. In 1796 the Belfast Ballast Board commissioned Ritchie to construct a graving dock on land granted by the Marquis of Donegall; work on the dock took four years, No. 1 graving dock was completed in 1800. It was not until 1826 that the second graving dock was constructed to the north of the former; No. 2 graving dock was slightly longer, deeper and possessed steeper sides than the first, illustrating the progress in shipbuildng technology in the intervening years between construction of the two docks. (Newman, p. 228; Patton, p. 85). The Clarendon Dock buildings were designed 1825-26 by David Logan (died c. 1839), a Scottish architect who was resident engineer at Donaghadee Harbour at the time of his appointment by the Ballast Board in 1823 (Dictionary of Irish Architects). The engine (pump) house when completed housed machinery designed to force water in and out of both dry docks, whilst the single-storey detached plain stone building to the north-west of the range was constructed at the same time and contained the furnace for the dock’s tar boiler. A number of alterations have been made to the Clarendon Dock Buildings since their original completion. Larmour states that the central range’s eight arches were once open but have been filled in; the building originally housed the carpenters workshop as well as stores and sheds, with rigging lofts above. Further, the single-storey engine (pump) house appears to have undergone some alterations; originally a tall chimney rose from behind the structure; however this was demolished at least before the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1959 60. The Clarendon Dock Building was listed category A in 1975, however by the time Larmour was writing in 1987 the buildings had fallen out of use and were closed; Larmour stated that ‘[the dock buildings] together with their related dry docks (and the Clarendon wet dock) constitute a very important survival from the early days of the port of Belfast’ (Larmour, p. 5). In 1989 the Laganside Development Corporation were charged with the regeneration of a stretch of the River Lagan from the Albert Bridge to the Abercorn Basin. The group underwent an extensive restoration, completed in 1991-1992 when Ferguson & McIlveen inserted a new steel structure and altered the arcaded stone workshop’s original double-pile roof to include a shallow central vault (Patton, p. 86). McCreary’s broad history of Belfast’s port states that the ‘excellent restoration’ of the Clarendon Dock Building has revitalised the once neglected and disused former-dockland into one of Europe’s most successful waterfront redevelopments. The renovation has restored the Clarendon Dock Building’s exterior to its original Georgian splendour; however the renovation also resulted in the loss of all original interior fabric. The building for a time accommodated the headquarters for Laganside Corporation, who were responsible for regenerating the west side of the quays area, but is vacant at the time of writing. A small modern pump house (HB26/50/090E) was constructed to the south-east side of the former basalt engine (pump) house in the late nineteenth century, and continues to serve graving dock no.2, which is still in use. (McCreary; Laganside Website). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1832-33 2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1858 3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02 4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931 5. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938 6. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/2A – Griffith’s Valuation 1860 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/4 – Annual Revisions 1862-1881 8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/10 – Annual Revisions 1882-1896 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/14 – Annual Revisions 1897-1905 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/19 – Annual Revisions 1906-1915 11. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/21 – Annual Revisions 1916-1930 12. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911) 13. Ordnance Survey Map – 130-13SE (1959-60) 14. First Survey Image – HB26/50/090 (Undated) Secondary Sources 1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. 2. McCreary, A., ‘Titanic Port: An illustrated history of Belfast Harbour’ Belfast: Booklink, 2010. 3. Newmann, K., ‘Dictionary of Ulster Biography’ Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994. 4. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 5. Sweetnam, R; Nimmons, C., ‘The Port of Belfast 1785-1985’ Belfast: Harbour Commissioners, 1985. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Laganside Website - http://www.laganside.com/

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation H-. Alterations detracting from building J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The former pumping station at Clarendon Dock is an early nineteenth century building, designed by Scottish architect David Logan with clear regard for aesthetic properties as well as functionality. Historically, the building accommodated a range of functions associated with the early graving docks here, including workshop, engine (pump) house, and dock master's accommodation; each element is clearly defined but the whole forms a harmonious overall composition. The group (HB26/50/090A-E), including the furnace house and the scheduled docks, is of great significance as the earliest graving docks complex at the harbour, built by the pioneer of shipbuilding in Belfast, William Ritchie, and survives as a full range of associated structures. The building has been restored for new use and much historic fabric and detailing survive. The group is representative of importance of pioneering maritime heritage within the context of the developing industrial city, constructed in an era of burgeoning commercial and industrial success.

General Comments

This record now forms part of a group, and has been renumbered with suffix A.

Date of Survey

26 July 2012