Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/28/059 E

Address :
45 Malone Rd Belfast BT9 6RX

Townland:
Malone Lower

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
07/11/1991 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:
147/1SE

IG Ref:
J3330 7216

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Mid terrace four-storey two-bay red brick late Victorian town house, built 1886-87 to designs by William Eaton, architect. Located at north end of Malone Road, Belfast, No.45 is one of nine similar houses (HB26.28.059A-D & F-I inclusive) running between Malone Avenue and Eglantine Avenue. Rectangular on plan as a group on N-S axis with ends gabled; they form one of the most impressive terraces within Malone Road Conservation Area, each having full-height bowed bay with conical slate roof. Currently used as commercial offices, combined with No43 (HB26.28.059D), the pair sit mid-terrace, handed to mirror each other in plan and elevation. Three-storey return built at half-landing level to rear (W), adjoined to same at No.43 to form wider gabled return than remainder of terrace. Single storey flat-roofed extension c.1995 (of little historic interest) fills yard along S face of return. Natural slate roof with bands of fish-scale slates; red terracotta ridge tiles and finials to bowed bay; black clay ridge tiles to main roof; artificial slates and black ridge tile to return. Large red brick chimney centred on ridge to main roof with simple corbelled brick coursing to cap and eight circular yellow clay pots. Cast iron gutter supported on scrolled terracotta brackets and projecting eaves course to front (E); bowed bay rises beyond main eaves, highlighted by cornice of classical ornamentation in stuccowork below the gutter. UPVC gutter and circular section RWP to both rear (W) and return. Materials ROOF: Natural slate; return: artificial slate; extension: PVC sheet membrane. RWG: Cast iron (E); uPVC (W). WALLS: Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with painted render/stone dressings (E); variation of English Garden Wall bond to return (N, S & W). WINDOWS: Single glazed timber sliding sash with 1/1 panes, unless otherwise stated. Front Elevation (E): Front elevation faces east, two bays wide with bowed bay offset to left and entrance to right. Deep painted render base plinth with chamfered top; projecting moulded cill and string courses and textured render plat band to all floors; all painted. Textured render also to bowed bay, except some brick header courses between each floor level. Incised decoration in render above bay windows and edge roll moulding. Textured render surround to segmental headed door (without hood and label stops noted on other houses in terrace), above plat band on pink marble colonnettes with dressed sandstone plinth and capital (painted); plain fanlight above square-headed 5-panelled timber door; toothed rendered quoins below plat band and decorative terracotta panel (painted) above door head. Colonnettes and terracotta panel repeated on first and second floor windows above door. Two replacement windows noted to bay at 2nd & 3rd floor, facing S – timber sliding sashes, single glazed with 1/1 panes to match original windows. Rear elevation (W): West elevation faces shared alley. Simple detailing: brick, soldier coursed window heads and projecting brick headers to eaves. Three-storey return to left (N) joined to same at No43 forming wide gable; painted timber bargeboard; one timber framed casement window with concrete head and cill to second floor; otherwise blank. Cantilevered metal chequer-plate escape ‘deck’ connects flat roofed extension in yard to No43. Painted smooth rendered wall to ground floor. Right of return, main building has one window to each level: uPVC to third and timber sliding sashes with 1/1 panes to second and 2/2 panes to third floor. Further uPVC window to main building above return at uppermost half-landing; and small timber casement window with top-hung night vent. Double glazing to uPVC framed windows. ‘Ghost’ marking of single storey gabled abutment (now removed) visible on W elevation of return. South Elevation: No.47 Malone Road (HB26.28.059F) abuts south face. South elevation of return has informal fenestration with one remaining timber framed sliding sash at second floor and flush modern door at first floor to far left; remaining openings are widened with concrete heads and cills and modern timber framed casement windows. Projecting boxed timber eaves supports ogee uPVC gutter. North Elevation: No.43 Malone Road (HB26.28.059D) abuts north face, including return. Set back from tree-lined street with paved front gardens bound by low rendered wall with rounded top (no coping) and galvanised steel tubular rail on the west side of Malone Road. Part of terrace of town houses aligned parallel to main road. Front garden surfaced in precast concrete paving slabs with modern quarry tiled steps across both entrances to No.43 & 45. Tree in front garden and white pebbles hard set to border at bay; otherwise paved. Located directly opposite Fisherwick Presbyterian Church (HB26.17.014) and from this aspect, at corner of Chlorine Gardens, it is most impressive. Rear yard bound by concrete block wall combined with No.43 to form car park with splayed section opening S to alley; wall topped by palisade fencing and projects further W than boundary to adjoining properties.

Architects

Eaton, William

Historical Information

Nos.37-53 Malone Road were constructed in 1886-88 to a design by the then Botanic Avenue-based architect, William Eaton, on what had been the grounds of Eglantine Hill, a pre-1832 house bounded by the Malone and Lisburn Roads in the east and west what is now Malone and Eglantine Avenues to the north and south. The terrace, originally named ‘Windsor Gardens’, was built for James Johnston, possibly the insurance agent of that name listed in contemporary directories as operating out of Waring Street. The whole grouping appears to have been completed by mid-1888, and all of the properties are recorded as occupied in the earliest available street directory of 1890. No.45 – The first occupant of this building seems to have been John Cleaver, the linen merchant and founder of the firm of Robinson & Cleaver. By 1895 R.F. Kennedy, a bank manager with the National Bank was in residence, followed by a Mrs. Mackie in 1900. In the 1901 census building is noted as 1st class dwelling containing 15 rooms occupied by Mrs. Mackie, her daughter (Lizzie Courvoisier) and granddaughter, and a domestic servant. The property is noted as vacant between 1907 and 1910, but when the census was taken in mid April 1911 it was occupied by Anna Matier (the then Vice Principal of Victoria College), her aunt, Jane Hawthorne, and a domestic servant, Rose Ann McClary; the house itself is again described as a first class dwelling in this survey, but it is stated as having of 10-12 rooms as opposed to 15. The property is noted as vacant again in 1915, with a Mrs. Beck the householder in 1918, G. McDowell (‘Manufacturer’) in 1925, Mrs. G.S. Camphill in 1930. After another period of vacancy the building was in multiple occupancy (four tenants) by 1935. It appears to have remained as such until the early 1970s when it was largely given over to office accommodation, and has remained as such ever since. The building was listed in Novemebr 1991. The extension to the return was added c.2007. References – Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL12B/43D/14 annual valuation revision book, 1882-97 2 PRONI OS8/30/3/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1883-84 3 ‘Belfast Telegraph’, 5 August 1886, 15 September 1887 4 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory’, (Belfast News-Letter, Belfast), various dates from 1887 to 1996 5 ‘Belfast News-Letter’, 23 April 1887 6 PRONI OS8/30/4/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1896 7 PRONI VAL7B/14/15 valuation of Belfast, 1900 8 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [online - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/] 9 PRONI OS8/30/5/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1903 10 PRONI VAL12B/43K/4 valuation book, 1906-15 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)

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

R. Age S. Authenticity V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Mid terrace four-storey red brick late Victorian town house, built 1886-87 by William Eaton, architect. One of a terrace of nine similar houses comprising No.37-43 & 47-53 Malone Road, Belfast (HB26.28.059A-D & F-I inclusive); as a group they form one of the most impressive terraces within the Malone Road Conservation Area. The Malone Road facade is particularly striking due to the rhythm created by each having a full-height bowed bay with conical slate roof and a wealth of ornate detailing. Converted to offices with substantial alterations to the stairwell and return; this results in some loss of integrity and plan form. The domestic scale, however, remains legible with some fine historic detailing inside that adds to its character.

General Comments

Date of Survey

29 November 2017