Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/27/032 D

Address :
8 College Green Belfast BT7 1LN

Townland:
Malone Lower

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
27/09/1979 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office - Terrace

Former Use
House - Terrace

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
147/1

IG Ref:
J3377 7277

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Mid-terrace two storey with attic red brick double-fronted house, built 1866 and facing south on College Green, NE of the main quad at Queens University, Belfast. Now used as Queen’s University School of Education. Group value with adjoining No.6 College Green (HB26 27 032C); the pair form part of a longer Victorian terrace incorporating No.2 – 26 inclusive, which overlooks the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church (HB26 27 004) within Queens Conservation Area, Belfast. Two storey gabled return built at half-landing level to rear, centred on and set parallel to the rear elevation; abutted by single–storey L-shaped lean-to. Original outbuildings and yard walling removed to make way for off-street parking accessed from College Green Mews. Natural slate duo-pitched roof with black clay ridge tiles and two red brick chimneys, both rectangular on plan, centred on ridge with corbelled brick copings and octagonal yellow clay pots; one shared with No.6 College Green with ten pots and the other abutting chimney to No10 and having eight pots. Two barrel dormers to front (S) pitch with replacement timber framed sliding sash windows (double glazed); and two modern roof-lights to rear. MATERIALS - ROOF: Natural slate, including rear return. Lead clad ??? Dormers. Roof to ground floor bays not seen. RWG: Aluminium ogee gutter and replacement circular section aluminium RWP (S); uPVC (N) WALLS: Red clay brick in Flemish bond (S) with painted masonry dressings; Brownish-red variegated brick in English Garden Wall bond (N) above painted render to ground floor WINDOWS: Single glazed timber framed double hung sliding sash with 1/1 panes (S) and multi-paned (N), unless otherwise described. South Elevation - The south elevation is the principal façade. Symmetrically arranged with formal fenestration. Central entrance flanked by single-storey projecting bays at ground floor; that to left is square on plan with two windows and that to right is canted. Three equal-sized windows at first floor with moulded string course forming cill; these windows align with centre of bays and entrance door below and each has 2/2 panes. Toothed quoins to far right (E) side. Deep, continuous base plinth with sub-floor vents and moulded top. Heavy eaves supported on scrolled brackets above deep plain frieze and moulded string course, all painted. Ground floor bays and doorcase have painted surrounds – as other painted dressings, these are probably combined stucco and dressed stone below paint. Bay windows have stop-chamfered detail to head and jambs; jambs extend to plinth with deep bull-nosed stone cills recessed between. Decorative round and diamond shaped incisions featuring abstract cross, thistle and clover motifs above bay windows. Square headed timber framed four-panelled traditional style entrance door with plain glass fanlight in round-arched opening with roll-edge detail; all set within projecting surround with moulded cornice hood and incised roundels, similar to bays. First floor windows have moulded surrounds with plain frieze and projecting cornice hood with diamond-head moulded edge over row of dentils. North Elevation – The rear elevation faces north and overlooks a shared alley, College Green Mews. Largely symmetrical as front, although more plainly detailed with red brick soldier coursed headers, thick projecting stone cills and rendered reveals to openings (both painted). Two-storey gabled return (parallel to main building) centrally placed with large round-arched sliding sash window off-set to left at first floor; window comprised of 2/1 panes with stained and etched margin panes; two rows of brick headers form arch above. Flush stained timber door and glazed sidelight below arched window, which exits on to concrete steps with tubular metal handrail. At ground floor, L-shaped lean-to abuts left side of return and has one 3/6 sliding sash window, likely original and two modern casement windows; right of return, sliding sash window with 1/1 pane. Above ground floor the return is flanked by sliding sash windows with 6/6 panes at first floor; and a single window at half landing level to attic has 3/6 panes. All walling is rendered smooth and painted up first floor level; sub-floor vents suggest suspended ground floor construction. Galvanised steel bars fitted across external reveals to all ground and first floor windows. West face of return: clipped eaves, with ground and first floor each having a modern timber casement window. East face of return - as west, with no openings. Set midway along College Green, which runs between Botanic Avenue (E) and Rugby Road to (W). Dwarf rendered walling with canted top and modern metal railings line boundary to S and enclose small front garden. Concrete paving slabs to garden, including ramp and entrance steps. Tubular metal handrail aligned with ramp, painted to match railings.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

College Green was laid out in 1866 on what was then the semi-rural ‘Plains’ of Malone, the land east of the recently-established Queen’s College (completed 1849) and around and beyond the Union Theological College (completed 1853). The foundation of Queen’s prompted several decades of development in the vicinity, with regularly-planned streets filled with mainly High Victorian terraced housing for the professional and merchant classes moving southwards beyond the confines of a rapidly commercialising and industrialising centre of Belfast. The present nos.6-8 were the first to be built along the new thoroughfare in 1866, with nos.2-4, College Green House, (originally ‘Culfeightrin House’, rebuilt c.1882), and nos.24-26 next in 1870-71, 10-12 and 20-22 in 1876 and 14-18 in 1878. The street was originally conceived as part of Fitzroy Avenue (which stretches off eastwards beyond the intersection of what is now Rugby Road) and was considered as such for the first few decades of its existence, with the name ‘College Green’ applied only to Culfeightrin House and nos.2-8 on the 1871-73 OS map. No.8 Nos.6-8 were built in 1866 (the first properties to appear on the street) by timber merchant Robert Corry, the man responsible for the development of Upper and Lower Crescent in the 1840s and 1850s. The identity of the architect is uncertain. The lease of both was obtained by Mrs. Abigail Blackwood, who lived at no.6 (until 1893), subletting no.8 to Herman Boas. Mr. Boas remained there until 1876 when he was followed by Rev. William Park, who in c.1886 was succeeded by John Thompson, and then Samuel Byers (a land commissioner and JP) in c.1893. W.S. McNaughton, a linen merchant, moved to no.8 in or just prior to 1901 and in that year’s census is recorded as living there with his wife, Annie, their two young daughters and two domestic servants, with the house itself noted as a ‘first class’ dwelling with13 rooms in use. Mrs Mary D. Fennell became householder before 1907, and William Rea by 1910. The 1911 census records Mr. Rea, (who describes himself as ‘managing director inland navigation’, but is referred to in later directories as a ‘steamship owner’), as occupying the house with his wife, Mary Alice, their son, a house guest and a domestic servant. The Rea family retained the property into the mid-1940s, after which it was divided into three flats. In the later 1970s the building was acquired by Queen’s University and converted to offices for its Department of Education, a role that since c.1990 has been shared with its western neighbour, no.6. What appears to have been an outhouse attached to the rear of the property was demolished c.1960s. The building was listed in Spet 1979 and (along with no.6) underwent a major refurbishment scheme in c.2014. References – Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL12B/43/A/4, 14, 27, 42, 45 (1864-1930) 4 Belfast Street Directories (various dates, 1870-1996) 5 OS town plans of Belfast, 1871-73, 1884 8 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [online - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/] Secondary sources 1 Carleton, S.T., ‘The growth of South Belfast’ MA Thesis (QUB, 1967)

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

S. Authenticity X. Local Interest R. Age

Evaluation

Mid terrace two storey with attic red brick double-fronted house, built 1868 and facing south on College Green, NE of the main quad at Queens University, Belfast. Group value with adjoining No.6 College Green (HB26 27 032C), the two houses are the earliest within a longer Victorian terrace, incorporating No.2 – 26. Toothed quoins to the outer edges of the front elevation indicate that they were once a stand-alone pair. Largely symmetrical front and back, No.8 retains a good deal of authentic character and although now used as offices, the interior layout & detailing remains domestic in scale with some noteworthy features. Despite loss of outbuildings and some replaced casement windows to the rear, this building remains a good example of its type. Its significance lies primarily in its group value with No.6 and in the integrity of the overall composition of College Green, which is amongst the most striking terraces in Queens Conservation Area.

General Comments

Date of Survey

05 October 2017