Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/101

Address :
Kelly's Cellars 30-32 Bank Street Belfast Co Antrim BT1 4HL

Townland:
Town Parks

---

Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
02/03/1977 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Public House

Former Use
Public House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
Yes

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
130/13 SE

IG Ref:
J3368 7433

---

Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

An attached two-storey painted brick public house located on Bank Street, in Belfast city centre. Dating from the eighteenth century, but much altered. Corner sited, full abutted to side and rear. Slate roof, hipped, with angled blue clay ridge and hip tiles and tall painted brick wallhead chimneystacks; simple cast iron gutters on drive-in brackets. Walling is painted brick with contrasting base course; windows are replacement timber in contrasting reveals. East elevation: Asymmetrical painted brick two storey facade, terminating at neighbouring building to S. Ground floor has a panelled door set in stone surrounds as part of a shopfront with entablature and plain pilasters and small-pane window. At first floor two small square windows with four-pane lights sit alongside a (currently obscured) wide 21-pane window. Chamfered corner at ground floor. Two carriage lights and a further lantern in ornate iron fixings appear to have been added since the first survey. North elevation: The main part of the pub is two storeys high with chimney rising from the wallhead. The elevation is broken only by a door and two 6/6 pane sash windows with outside shutters. A later section to the W is also two-storey but with higher wallhead and flat roof and again a tall brick chimney set at the front. Door at ground floor and two small 6/6 windows at first floor. The other two sides are built against adjoining buildings and the rear elevation is inaccessible. Setting: Set in a pedestrian precinct in Belfast city centre, with a backdrop of much taller early 20thC redbrick buildings. Formerly set at a bend in a narrow entry, the demolition of nearby buildings has left the pub more exposed. Schedule of materials Roof: Slated Walls and chimneys: Painted brick walls with black plinth Doors and windows: Timber RWG: cast iron.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Bank Street may first appear on the Thomas Philips’ map of Belfast in 1685 which depicts a short lane branching off from Castle Street and possessing a small number of early dwellings. By John Maclanachan’s 1757 plan Bank Street had been laid out along its current route; the bend in the street caused by Kelly’s Cellars can first be seen on this map suggesting that the current building, or an earlier structure occupying the current layout, had been constructed by 1757. The current building, an early Georgian dwelling, is one of the earliest surviving buildings in Belfast and, although debate continues over the actual construction date, it is certain that the current building was constructed by c. 1780 (Kelly’s Cellars maintains a traditional build date of c. 1720). The building can clearly be viewed on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1832-33; the contemporary Townland Valuation (c. 1830) notes that the property, which was valued at £4 7s. 5d. And was simply described as a store and offices, was occupied by a Mr. Hugh Kelly. The valuer recorded that Hugh Kelly had held the lease for approximately 10 years, had repaired the premises upon coming into possession and paid annual rent of about £40. The 1843 Belfast Street Directory records that Hugh Kelly & Co. Were Wine and Spirit Merchants who operated from Bank Street; the directory notes that Mr. Kelly lived at a residence on North Queen Street, however at the time of the Townland Valuation Kelly resided in a house on Bank Street close to his business. Hugh Kelly continued to operate from the premises in 1860 when Griffith revalued the property at £25 (the large increase in value from c. 1830 cannot be explained) and recorded that Kelly leased the site from a Mr. Robert Stewart. Stewart administered the Belfast estate of Captain William Mussenden of Larchfield House (see HB19/06/003A); the Mussenden family primarily leased land in Co. Down, however they were also instrumental in establishing the first bank in Belfast in the mid-18th century and owned a number of properties in the area around the premises which included Bank Street. The Belfast Street Directory for 1861 notes that as a successful businessman, Kelly moved from North Queen Street to a more affluent residence in Holywood. Between 1862 and 1881 the value of Kelly’s public house was reduced to £22 due to the removal of a small cellar from the record. Although the Annual Revisions continued to record Hugh Kelly as the occupant of the public house until c. 1900, possession of the site passed to new tenants with the death of Kelly in 1871 in Holywood; it was likely at this time that Kelly’s Cellars was taken over by Young, King & Co. Who were not recorded as occupants until the Belfast Revaluation in 1900 (however the bar continued to be recorded under the name Kelly in subsequent Belfast Street Directories). The Belfast Revaluation noted that Young, King & Co. Continued to lease the site from the Mussenden estate; at that time the public house was described as ‘very old,’ in a ‘dilapidated’ condition and fitted with gas installations. The property was increased in value to £65 as part of the revaluation and it was determined that Young, King & Co. Pay annual rent of £18 5s. Kelly’s Cellars was primarily utilised as a public house and was not occupied as a private dwelling; as a result the property was not occupied during either the 1901 or 1911 Census’ of Ireland. There was no further change to the premises until 1917 when the value of Kelly’s Cellars was increased to £95 as part of an application against the previously low rating; this was the last alteration recorded in the Annual Revisions which ended in 1930. Young, King & Co. Continued to be recorded as occupants at the time of the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland in 1935, however the value of the site was once more altered, a slight reduction to £86. By the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) Kelly’s Cellars had been purchased from the Mussenden Estate by a Mr. James Tohill (head of the Tohill Vino wine firm); as a result of general inflation and the carrying out of extension and alteration work, the value of Kelly’s Cellars stood at £880 by the end of the revaluation in 1972. Although there is debate concerning the original construction date of Kelly’s Cellars (most sources, including Brett and Patton, agree on a date of c. 1780 whilst the traditionally believed date advocated by the current owners of the public house rests around c. 1720) it is certain that the building is one of a limited number of structures to survive from the 18th century and is generally accepted as the oldest surviving continually run public house in the city (McHugh’s Pub on Queen’s Square (HB26/50/274) is an earlier building dating from c. 1711, however it did not operate as a public house until the 19th century. The public house maintains a strong historical connection to the 1798 Rebellion as the traditional haunt of the leaders of the United Irishmen; it is a popular belief that in the aftermath of the Rebellion Henry Joy McCracken hid underneath the bar of the Public House to evade capture from pursuing soldiers. The original low bar counter was not removed from Kelly’s Cellars until 1961 (Law, pp 49-50). During its long history Kelly’s Cellar’s has been administered and visited by a number of interesting characters. In the early 20th century, when under the administration of Young, King & Co. The public house was managed by Joe Devlin, Nationalist politician and M.P. For West Belfast. Devlin administered Kelly’s for the nationalist M.P. Sam Young before entering full time politics in 1902; using his time as manager to gain contacts and experience Devlin believed ‘that publicans, properly managed, could underpin nationalist organization in a way that class-based or cross-communal appeals could not’ (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). Kelly’s Cellars was also utilised as storage premises; Law states that in the latter half of the 19th century the loft of the public house was used to store equipment belonging to Dr. Thomas Corry, a well-known amateur showman who produced celebrated diorama shows (moving rolls of illustrated canvas which were the precursors to moving pictures) of idyllic Irish scenes. Kelly’s Cellars was damaged during the 1941 Belfast Blitz; however the site was purchased by James Tohill, head of Tohill Vino, in 1942 and refurbished. Under Tohill a cocktail bar was opened on the first floor in 1948; a second lounge known as the Tudor Lounge was opened in 1954. In 1961 Kelly’s Cellar’s was purchased from Tohill by B. O’Kane & Co. Who paid a record £43,000; the O’Kane firm also operated the Glenshesk Inn at the corner of King and Castle Street. B. O’Kane & Co. Briefly administered Kelly’s Cellars until 1972 when it was once again sold, this time to Croft Inns who purchased the Fountain Tavern on Fountain Street at the same time (Law, pp 50-51). Kelly’s Cellars was listed in 1977. In 1985 Brett stated that the Georgian public house possessed a ‘pleasant whitewashed outside; the downstairs rooms with knee-height bar, low archways, and blackened snugs, are highly interesting and atmospheric if now somewhat self-conscious.’ However, although appreciative of the maintenance of the lower level, Brett was critical of modern alterations to the upper floor describing the upstairs lounge as ‘aesthetically deplorable’ (Brett, pp 7-8). The pleasant whitewashed façade referenced by Brett is not original but dates from c. 1950, produced by Henry Lynch Robinson and Max Glendinning. Kelly’s Cellar’s underwent refurbishment between 1985 and 1994 at which time Patton described it as a two-storey building with irregular façade in white painted brick with black plinth [the interior of which] still retain[ed] something of the atmosphere of the heady days when the United Irishmen plotted here’ (Patton, p. 23). Kelly’s Cellars was purchased by Guinness in the late 20th century, however in 2000 the bar was sold to the current owners; at the time of the sale the Belfast Telegraph noted that due to the refurbishment c. 1990 most of the original features, including the low bar counter, snug booths and pictures, had been removed (Belfast Telegraph). However, Kelly’s Cellars is currently maintained as one of Belfast’s most significant pubic houses and historic buildings proving a popular tourist destination; as a result of its connection with the United Irishmen an Ulster History Circle Blue Plaque was unveiled at the site in 2007. The plaque reads: ‘Society of United Irishmen / 1791-1798 / met here.’ The Ulster History Circle noted that Kelly’s Cellars ‘has successfully survived without major changes, escaping the worst effects of ‘modernisation’ and preserving the best features of the traditional public house’ (Ulster History Circle website). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – Second 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/7/5B – Griffith’s Valuation 1860 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/E/1-24 – Annual Revisions 1862-1930 8. PRONI VAL/7/B/12/2 – Belfast Revaluation 1900 9. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/18 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935 10. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/36 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72 11. PRONI Wills Catalogue (4 Mar 1871) 12. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911) 13. Belfast Street Directories (1861-1943) 14. First Survey Record – HB26/50/101 (1976) 15. First Survey Image – HB26/50/101 (1976) 16. Belfast Telegraph (27 Sept 2000) Secondary Sources 1. HB File - HB 26/50/101 2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985. 3. Law, G., ‘Historic pubs of Belfast’ Belfast: Appletree Press, 2002. 4. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 Online Resources 1. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Website - http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32802 2. Ulster History Circle Website - http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/020707.htm

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey painted brick public house perhaps c1720 but definitely constructed by 1757. It is reputed to be the oldest public house in Belfast and an impression of this character survives, despite extensive alterations. However, more recent changes and renovations have resulted in the loss of most historic fabric and detailing and have compromised its historic and architectural interest. Although no longer a Georgian, or even Victorian, public house, it is of historic significance due to its strong connection to the 1798 Rebellion and the continuous presence of the public house in this location from the time of the early development of the city.

General Comments

Date of Survey

12 October 2012