39 Hill Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey (+ attic) high Victorian design facing west on corner of Hill Street and Marcus Square. Corner of building is canted and features tower rising from the corner above eaves level in a single stage.

Roof is natural slated and L-shaped; gabled to rear and front left with a steeply pitched octagonal tower to front right corner. Tower roof is leaded and natural slated with highly decorative wrought iron finial incorporating a crown. Cement render chimney to each gable, and on ridge to immediate right of tower, as viewed from Marcus Square. Pitch to Marcus Square has a cast iron skylight. Gutters are behind an open balustraded parapet. Down pipes are metal and fall to both main elevations.

Walls to both main elevations are painted lined render, with chamfered base course and assorted render details in a mannerist style.

HILL STREET ELEVATION.

Hill street elevation is one opening wide, on either side of which is a pilaster rising to eaves level. At ground floor the pilasters have raised base courses, banded rustication, and foliated capitals. Over capitals they become decorative corbels at frieze level, supporting a moulded cornice between ground and first floor level.

Main entrance is centred between the pilasters at ground floor. It consists of a pair of four panelled modern timber storm doors with infilled transom over. They are set within a pair of pilasters, with raised base course and panels up to just below door head level. At this stage is a plat band with moulded render shell resting on it, and over is a smooth frieze. Above frieze is a moulded projecting cornice at door head level. The pilasters are plain at transom level and foliated capitals rise at head of transom. Capitals support and deeply moulded entablature, below which, centred over transom, is a keystone decorated with the head of a bearded man. In the wall over the door, and on frieze above are modern raised letters, individually fixed to the building and advertising the business.

At first floor the pilasters are reeded to second floor level. There is a single two paned casement window with segmental headed, fixed transom above and security grill over. Window is set within a segmentally headed opening and has a highly decorative surround. Each side of opening is flanked by a pilaster resting on a battered plinth. Pilaster is plain and rises to a moulded cornice at head level of casement window. Resting on the cornice is a deeply moulded bracket supporting a moulded entablature. Over window head and below entablature is a decorative keystone and stringcourse. The second floor window surround rests upon the entablature. To left of first floor window is a security alarm box and to right is a modern hanging sign advertising the occupant.

At second floor the pilasters are plain, and are crossed by a stringcourse which creates a frieze at eaves level. Each pilaster is decorated at frieze level with a floral roundel panel. The second floor window is 1/1 sliding sash with a segmental head, set within a segmentally headed opening. It has a moulded cill course running between the pilasters and its apron panel (resting on first floor window entablature) is reeded. To each side of window is a plain pilaster, with moulded cornice just below window head level. Linking the pilasters and rising over the window head is a moulded architrave. A dentiled, moulded cornice above the second floor frieze (and raised forward over pilasters) supports an open parapet of balusters and a moulded rail. Enclosing the balustrade, over each pilaster is a panelled, urn topped post (urn is missing to right pilaster).

MARCUS SQUARE ELEVATION

This elevation is three ornamental bays wide, with four pilasters between and to ends. These rise to urn-topped posts and a balustraded parapet. All details above ground floor are as Hill Street façade, with three windows to each upper floor.

At ground floor the pilasters are detailed as Hill Street, however, the second pilaster from the left, at frieze level has the date '1890' raised in render. The right bay at ground floor is infilled by a doorway, detailed exactly as that described on Hill Street elevation. The left and central bays are inset with pairs of two paned casement windows, each with a fixed transom over, a painted render cill and a lined render stall riser.

CANTED CORNER TOWER

At ground floor the tower fits between the end pilasters of each elevation. The frieze and dentilled cornice at ground floor continues from main elevations. To corner is a two paned casement window with fixed transom over (as those to Marcus Square). On either side of this window is a band-rusticated pilaster with foliated head rising to frieze level. Each cheek of the cant has a fixed timber window with single transom over. At first floor there are similar windows but with segmental heads. They have plain pilasters to each jamb, with moulded cornice in line with casement head. Rising from the cornice, over the segmental window head is a moulded architrave. Each window has a moulded decorative keystone (corner one has a figurative, Mannerist mask), with stringcourse between first and second floors. The second floor windows are similarly detailed. stringcourse, creating a frieze below eaves level with a decorative panel over corner window with letters 'M' and' L' and 'B' interwoven on panel. Moulded cornice at eaves level continues from other elevations and forms cill of attic windows in tower. The corner window is a modern two paned casement with a transom over. Windows to either side are modern single casements with single transoms over. They have plain reveals with simple plat bands at casement head level. Simple moulded cornice over window forms eaves of tower roof.

Left gable to Hill Street forms party wall with adjacent property. Right elevation to Marcus Square is rear elevation.

REAR ELEVATION

Rear elevation is gabled and cement rendered with modern extension filling entire yard to rear. At first floor, abutting the whole elevation is a projecting return with lean-to natural slate roof.

There are no windows or doors in ground floor extension, flat roof has three modern skylights. The first floor return has two equally spaced 1/1 modern top hung windows. Just below second floor level, to right of elevation is a 2/2 vertically divided sliding sash window at half landing level. There is a similar window above between second floor and attic. Both windows have render cills.

Historical information

Purpose built by Munster and Leinster Banking Co. Datestone on building implies that it was erected 1890, but bank does not appear in valuation book until 1919 when value of premises increases from £37 to £125. A late 19th century Lawrence photograph shows the earlier three-storey Georgian building.

The Irish builder of 1890 makes oblique reference to the construction of the bank by Mr Wheelan of Newry in this year, thus confirming the datestone, and indicating that the valuation record is wrong in this instance unless, of course, there was a second rebuild in 1919. Wheelan also constructed the Belfast Bank (HB 16/28/038) on the opposite corner of the square.

The Munster and Leinster Banking Company ceased trading in the early 1970s.

Primary Sources:

1. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 12/22/17A, p.5 (valuation book).
2. ‘Irish Builder’, vol.32, p.147 (15 June 1890).
3. Photograph (no. 2145) in Lawrence Collection.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three storey (+ attic) high Victorian commercial building with some mannerist detailing designed for a prominent corner site with imposing corner tower. It is of a relatively late date and the loss of interior fittings, along with the large extension detracts from its value and it is no longer of special architectural or historic interest. It is a significant feature in the conservation area and this is a more appropriate level of protection.