Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/28/016

Address :
Elmwood 7 University Terrace off University Road Belfast BT7 1NP

Townland:
Lower Malone

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Survey 2:
B1

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

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
Rectories/ Manses etc

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:
J3339 7259

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Owner Category

University

Exterior Description And Setting

Large, three storey, hipped roof, Venetian style manse house of c.1872 by John Corry, with large, two storey gabled extension of c.1925 to the S, and original single storey ‘outbuilding’ to the rear. The building is set at W end of the University Terrace ‘cul de sac’ with Corry’s Lombardo-Venetian style Elmwood Presbyterian Church (now Elmwood Hall) to the immediate N, and a modern shop and office block (containing the QUB bookshop, an Ulster Bank branch and QUB Common Room), to the immediate S. To the rear (W) there is a large garden. In plan, the building resembles a tuning fork with its prongs pointing S. The original manse is to the N and is roughly square in plan, with the c.1925 extension projecting from the SE corner and the long ‘outbuilding’ projecting from the SW corner. Stretching across the N façade of the original section there is single storey lean-to section (with the main entrance its short E face), and to the right on the E façade of the of the original section there is a two storey canted bay. The large extension to the SE is overwhelmingly plain in appearance, with no attempt made to carrying through the Venetian styling of the original section. The E elevation consists of the E façade of the main (original) building, with the E façade of the c.1925 extension to the left. The main entrance is to the far right, located within the short E face of the single storey section which runs along the N façade of the main building. The entrance consists of a tall semicircular arched opening wherein there is a recessed timber panelled door and tall semicircular arched fanlight. The opening is encased with ¾ column jambs with Corinthian-like capitals and a moulded archivolt with decorative motifs (repeating the decoration to the openings of neighbouring Elmwood Hall). There are three stone steps to the doorway with a recent looking metal hand rail. Above the doorway this short E face is topped with a cornice and parapet with a balustrade pierced with ‘quatrefoils’, and square end piers with semicircular ‘caps’ with incised floral decoration. To the N (right hand) edge of this face there is a thin edge pilaster with floral capital. The short E face is set slightly back from the main (original) E façade. To the left hand side of this façade there is a two storey canted bay whose roof is hidden behind a plain parapet (which may once have had decoration as above the entrance). To the ground floor is a semicircular headed sash window to each side with moulded archivolts as the doorway. The ‘central’ window has column piers as the jambs to the doorway and the outer windows each have a single square outer pilaster with a similar capital as doorway. The windows rest on a single cill. To the first floor of the bay are three similar windows, but without the decorative motifs to the archivolts. To the right of the bay to the ground floor, are a pair of windows, much as the ground floor of the bay. These windows share a cill and below the cill the façade projects slightly. Directly above these windows, at first floor level, are a pair much the same but with decorative motifs to the archivolts. This pair rest on a cill course which stretches from the first floor of the bay. To the left at second floor level (directly above the bay), are a pair of sash windows, similar to the previous pairs but smaller and with a plain surround. To the right of these is a single window, much as those to left and with cill supported on decorative brackets. The second floor windows cut, somewhat untidily, into the eaves course. To the N (right hand) edge of the original E façade there is a narrow edge pilaster (as to edge of the short E face), at ground floor level, and another stretching over first and second floor level. To the S edge, the E façade is abutted by the c.1925 gabled extension. The E façade of this extension projects slightly beyond the line of the original façade. To the ground floor of this façade there are seven, unevenly spaced, flat arch windows. The third and sixth windows (from left) are much smaller than the rest and have sash frames. The others have modern style three light casement frames. All are now covered in security grills. To the first floor there are four sash windows, the first two windows are smaller. The entire E elevation is finished in lined render and painted. The E façade of the original section has a chamfered base. The N façade of the original section is in brick. At ground floor level is the single storey lean-to section (whose short E face includes the main entrance- see above). The N face of this section has a sash window to the far right with (?c.1925) geometric stained glass panes. To the right of this single storey section is attached to a much smaller single storey section whose mono-pitched roof faces E (i.e. it is not lean-to). The N face of this smaller section has a small window with a segmental head and sash frame. Both windows to these single storey sections have security bars over. Above these sections (to the main N façade), there is a window with segmental head and sash frame, set at an intermediate level (between ground and first floor), to the right. To the centre of the façade there is a window to first floor and one, directly above, to the second floor. Both have sash frames with vertical glazing bars (two panes over two). The first floor window has security bars over. The second floor window is set quite close to the eaves. To the right (E) of the S elevation is the gable of the c.1925 extension. This has a doorway to the left on the ground floor, with roller shutter over. To the first floor are two sash windows. The gable is finished in lined render and painted. Stretching from the right hand (W) edge of this gable is a high brick wall, which merges with the short S face of the single storey ‘outbuilding’ further to the W. Originally this wall had a doorway leading to the enclosed yard (situated between the original house, the gabled extension and the outbuilding), but this has been blocked. The exposed section of the S façade of the main original section (which looks into the enclosed yard) is mainly in brick. To the right the gabled extension projects and to the left the ‘outbuilding’ projects. To the centre a two storey bay was added when the extension was built (and designed to allow internal access to the extension). This bay is finished in painted lined render and has a doorway to the right on the ground floor of its S face, with a glazed panel with stained geometric leaded panes. To the left of this is a small sash window with similar glazing. To the first floor is another sash window, larger than previous and with plain glazing. The rear (W) elevation consists of the W façade of the main building, the long outbuilding to the right of this, and, to the far left, the short W face of the N single storey section. The rear façade of the two storey extension looks into the enclosed yard. The W façade of the main building is in brick. To the left of centre projects a stairwell bay. To the ground floor of this bay are a set of timber double doors, with glazed semicircular panels, reached via a broad set of sets with modern style railings. At first half landing level (directly above the doors), are a pair of tall semicircular headed windows with sash frames with margin panes. At second half landing level is a larger single window, much as before but without margins. To the left of this bay are four windows, one directly above the other. The ground floor window has what appears to be a modern frame, but the rest have sash frames with vertical glazing bars (two panes over two). The ground floor window is quite small, that to the next level much larger, with the upper two decreasing in size as one goes higher. The windows to this side of the stairwell bay reflect the fact that to the NW corner, the original building has four levels, as opposed to three for the rest of this section. The windows to the right of the stairwell bay reflect the three levels. At ground floor level are a pair of narrow windows, a larger single window to the first floor, and a smaller one to the second floor. All of these windows have sash frames and all are two panes over two, but the ground floor windows have horizontal glazing bars instead of vertical. The short W face of the N single storey section has a single narrow, segmental headed window, with sash frame. The W face of the single storey ‘outbuilding’ is also in brick and has four sash windows of slightly varying size. That to the far right is much larger than the rest and has vertical glazing bars (two panes over two). To its S end this outbuilding used to merge with the W face of the yard wall but this section of the wall (and a S facing section of the wall) now act as the exterior walls of a mono-pitched roofed extension to the outbuilding itself. The E face of the ‘outbuilding’ faces into the yard. It appears to be rendered and has a doorway with a large sash window with vertical glazing bars (two over two), to its left. The W face of the c.1925 extension is finished in lined render and painted. To the ground floor are three sash windows with stained glass leaded lights. To the first floor are seven plain sash windows. The roof of the original section is hipped and is covered in Bangor blue slate with a tall, roughly central, rendered chimney stack with tall octagonal pots. This roof has a slight overhang with a bracketed eaves. The roof of the two storey extension is gabled and also covered in Bangor blue slate. It has two tall rendered chimney stacks to the ridge, as well as a few ventilators. The ‘outbuilding’ has a gabled roof, with a mono-pitched roof to its small extension to the S. Both sections are also covered in Bangor blue slates. Cast iron rw goods. To the rear (W) of the building there is a large garden, roughly square in plan.

Architects

Corry, John

Historical Information

‘Elmwood’ was built in c.1872*, to designs by amateur architect, John Corry. It was erected to serve as the manse for the neighbouring Elmwood Presbyterian Church, built between 1859 and 1862, also to designs by Corry. Both stand on land which the Corry family, prominent local builders and shipowners, had obtained on a 1,000 year lease from Edward Harris Clarke and John Clarke, a lease which they assigned to the Trustees of the Elmwood Congregation in 1874. Elmwood remained a manse until c.1917, when a new one was built in Sans Souci Park. The building was then rented by a doctor by the name of R. Maitland-Beath, who appears to have added the two storey extension in c.1925. Maitland-Beath seems to have vacated the house around c.1930. After this date the property is not listed in Belfast street directories, indicating that it may have been at the disposal the Elmwood congregation [?perhaps as church offices etc.] and not rented out for any great duration. In 1971 the lease of the church and the manse was acquired by Queen’s University, with Elmwood currently used as offices and store rooms for The Bookshop at Queen’s. The Elmwood Presbyterian congregation itself was established in November 1858, by a group of businessmen friends of linen manufacturer Robert Workman. Initially services, were held in a classroom in the Theological College (at the rear of Queen’s College), with the site for the church offered by Robert Corry (brother of John) in 1859. *Strangely, the manse is not indicated on an 1875 lease map of the site, though most secondary sources state that it was built in 1872. References- Primary sources 1 QUB Estates Office- Title deeds etc. concerning ‘Elmwood’, 1859-1971. 2 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]). Secondary sources 1 J. Dewar ‘History of the Elmwood Church’ (Belfast 1900). [In Linen Hall Library]. 2 S.T. Carleton ‘The growth of South Belfast’ (QUB MA dissertation 1967). 3 C.E.B. Brett ‘Buildings of Belfast (London 1967, reprinted by Friar’s Bush Press 1985). 4 Brian M. Walker and Hugh Dixon ‘In Belfast town 1864-1880: early photographs from the Lawrence Collection’ (Belfast 1984). 5 David Evans ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the vicinity of Queen’s University of Belfast’ revised edition (Belfast, UAHS, 1980), pp.27, 29. 6 J.C. Beckett ‘Queen’s- A short history of Queen’s College Belfast and Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB 1984). 7 Paul Larmour ‘Belfast: architectural guide’ (Belfast 1987), p.21. 8 David Evans and Paul Larmour ‘Queens- An architectural legacy’ (QUB Inst. of Irish Studies 1995), pp. 53-55. 9 Brian Walker and Alf McCreary ‘Degrees of excellence- The story of Queen’s, Belfast 1845-1995 (QUB Inst. of Irish Studies 1995).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style C. Ornamentation I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest V. Authorship

Evaluation

Located on Belfast's University Road opposite the main University buildings. A large, three storey, hipped roof Venetian style manse house of c.1872 by John Corry, with large, two storey gabled extension of c.1925 to the S, and a single storey former outbuilding to the rear. The original section of this building reflects the styling of the neighbouring Elmwood Church (now Elmwood Hall), also by Corry, but its composition is slightly awkward with the second floor windows too close to the eaves, and the entrance located on a projection to the north side. The large two storey extension of c.1925 has a somewhat functional appearance and little attempt has been made to carry through the styling of the original building.

General Comments

Date of Survey

27 September 1999