Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/178

Address :
Arthur Chambers 4-14 Arthur Street Belfast Co Antrim BT1 4GD

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
30/11/1988 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Shop

Former Use
Office

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
130/13 SE

IG Ref:
J3399 7420

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A four storey H-shaped commercial building on the east side of Arthur Street, built c.1905. Pitched, natural slate roof with modern rooflights behind solid parapet. The parapet is stone coped with volutes framing central segmental gable with a panel of brown stucco lettering “ARTHUR CHAMBERS”. Rainwater pipes are square metal to front, uPVC to rear. Walls are mainly brick, Flemish bond and raised strings, with pebble dash rendered panels to upper floors; all window openings have exaggerated, tall keystones of red sandstone and moulded stone cills. The third floor windows are round arches, except for central pair which have segmental arched heads; the second floor windows are segmental arches; the first floor windows are segmental arches except for central window which has a round arch. The windows are timber casements with overlights. The door to 6 Arthur St. is original 4 panelled with a single pane overlight with gold lettering; the door to 10 is a replacement 3 panelled with two overlights. The shop fronts are modern. The main west elevation is symmetrical around the central gable; 9 windows wide to first and second floors; the windows on the third floor are doubled in the brick panels and are two in the central gabled section, giving 12 windows. The doors are positioned between the shops under the second and sixth windows. The north elevation is abutted by a four storey building HB26/50/096. The rear east elevation is obscured at ground level by the extended shops. The upper floors have two extended wings. The window openings are generally flat arched 3 pane 1/1 and 2/1 timber sash windows, with some first and second floor openings with segmental arches. The south elevation is abutted by a five storey building HB26/50/100. Setting: 4-14 Arthur St. Sits directly on the pavement of the pedestrian street. Abutting to the north is HB26/50/096 and to the south is HB26/50/100 creating a continuous terrace of red brick buildings. Schedule: Roof: Natural slate. Walls: Brick and render. Windows: Timber casements and sashes. RWG: Metal and uPVC.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Nos 4-14 Arthur Street, a four-storey redbrick office building with retail units at ground level, was constructed in c. 1906 following the demolition of a number of two and three-storey properties on the site; the Annual Revisions and a photograph from the turn of the 20th century (Patton, p. 16) record that the east side of Arthur Street consisted of a variety of dwellings, shops and warerooms, all of which were leased by Lt Col Edward May. The Belfast Street Directories note that the previous buildings, along nos 4-14 Arthur Street, included a piano warehouse, a land agency and auctioneers office and the premises of W. B. Todd, a shellfish merchant (Belfast Street Directory – 1901). It is not known with certainty who designed Arthur Chambers; however the Irish Builder records that in 1902 the commercial architects, Young & Mackenzie, submitted a tender for the erection of a block of shops and offices along Arthur Street (Irish Builder, pp 1452-1472; Dictionary of Irish Architects). Arthur Chambers was first included in the Annual Revisions in 1906, suggesting that the office block was completed by that year. When originally completed, Arthur Chambers consisted of four ground floor retail premises with office space located in the three upper-storeys. In 1906 the ground floor units were occupied by Hugh Renton & Co. (accountants and auctioneers), Scott & Evans Ltd. (piano and musical instrument merchants), A. Bell & Sons Ltd (a laundrette), and J. Alfred McAuley (a land and estate agent). In the same year the upper floors of Alfred Chambers were utilised as office space for solicitors firms, estate agents and a wholesale merchant association to name a few (Belfast Street Directory – 1907). Upon its completion the Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of Arthur Chambers at £755 10s. Over the following half-century the occupants of Arthur Chambers changed with some frequency, however some of the original tenants continued to operate from the site until well into the mid-20th century (and in the case of J. Alfred McAuley and A. Bell & Sons, as late as the 1970s). By 1918 two of the ground floor retail units had been occupied by William Dickson’s Umbrella and Stick shop, whilst another was used as a dress shop operated by a Ms. Reid; the upper floors continued to be occupied by the same variety of solicitors, estate agents and merchants (Belfast Street Directory -1918). By the cancellation of the Annual Revisions in 1930 the total value of Arthur Chambers had been increased to £862 10s. Almost thirty years after its completion, in 1935, the value of Arthur Chambers was greatly increased to £1,525 under the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland. There was no further revaluation of the site carried out for over two decades due to the disruption caused by the Second World War. During the war the whiskey and spirit merchants Dunville & Co., who had their headquarters opposite at nos 25-39 Arthur Street (see HB26/50/171), held offices in Arthur Chambers (Belfast Street Directory – 1943). In the aftermath of the conflict Arthur Chambers was included in the second general revaluation (1956-72); by the revaluations end in 1972, two of the ground floor retail units continued to be occupied by the original 1906 tenants, A. Bell & Sons and J. Alfred McAuley, whilst the other units were utilised by a domestic cleaning business and the Ormeau Bakery. By the end of the second revaluation in 1972 the total value of Arthur Chambers stood at £2,424. Arthur Street (and by extension Arthur Chambers) was named after one of the Earls of Donegall (many of whom were given the name) and during the early 19th century the street was known for its fine residences, however during the general commercial redevelopment of Belfast’s city centre in the Victorian period, the street took on its current character. Domestic dwellings were replaced by retail shops and office buildings; Patton states that prior to the erection of Arthur Chambers, the eastern side of Arthur Street was a varied mix of ‘three-storey buildings of varying heights [the style of which consisted of a] haphazard collection of classical details thrown together in a vernacular manner, the shopfronts jostling for space like a mouth with too many teeth. Arthur Chambers, like the adjoining State Buildings (see HB26/50/100) was constructed in the Edwardian period and is an interesting example of the aesthetic experimentation employed during the period. Arthur Chambers was listed in 1988; writing in 1993, Patton described the Edwardian structure as a ‘four-storey office building in red brick with red sandstone details and panels of pebbledash. Ground floor cornice and entablature complete, with deep-plinthed pilasters of dark grey polished granite and free capitals incorporating masks and Ionic horns; exaggeratedly tall keystones to upper level windows, which are set in brickwork and every sixth course set slightly forward; central bay rises to shallow segmental-topped gable with name Arthur Chambers in stone’ (Patton, p. 20). The ground floor units of Arthur Chambers continue to be occupied by a number of retail shops; however, field inspection finds that the upper office floors currently lie vacant and in varying states of repair. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02 2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931 3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938 4. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/17-45 – Annual Revisions 1897-1930 5. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/13 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 6. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/38 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72 7. Irish Builder, Vol. 44 (23 Oct; 6 Nov 1902) 8. Belfast Street Directories (1901-1943) 9. First Survey Image – HB26/50/178 (1988) Secondary Sources 1. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993. 2. Pollock, V; Parkhill, T., ‘Britain in old photographs: Belfast’ Gloucestershire, Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1997. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A four storey commercial brick and render building built c1905. Although compromised by alterations resulting in the loss of historic fabric and detailing, much of the interior survives and it is of some interest as a modest example of Edwardian architecture. The building represents the continuing development of the commercial core of Belfast in the early twentieth century.

General Comments

Date of Survey

11 February 2013