Belfast Roof Truss Shed

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey early twentieth-century shed, located on the Gilford Castle estate, south of the main house and immediately south of the kennels recorded under HB17/01/002B. The shed is accessed via the rear saw yard entered via a gate way to east. Bowed roof over Belfast Roof Truss, covered with corrugated metal. Walling is of brick, laid in Garden Wall bond. Dimensions are roughly 18.5m x 12.7m.

East elevation is divided into six bays by full height brick piers with offsets; all are lit at high level by a squat timber window, with vestiges of inward opening bottom-hung casements. Second bay from right has a door opening with brick lintel and a timber double-leaf half-door.

South elevation is largely concealed by vegetation, and has two windows detailed as east.

West elevation could not be inspected (concealed by vegetation) but is revealed by internal inspection to have a series of high level windows as before.

The north gable has a timber sheeted door to left side and is otherwise concealed by the kennels.

Setting

The shed is set in close proximity to other estate related structures including saw mill, kennels and stableyard. It is concealed and surrounded by woodland and vegetation to south and west.

Roof: Corrugated sheeting over Belfast Roof Truss
Walling: Brick
Windows: Timber
RWG: None

Historical information

The shed is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1901-2. A plan of the outbuildings including the present building is given in a valuer’s notebook of 1917 and at this time it is said to measure 28 feet by 44 by 13 and is built of brick with a wood and felt roof. It is possible that the shed was built as part of improvements to the estate made by Katherine Carleton who bought Gilford Castle in the opening years of the twentieth century. The addition of the shed to the site is not noted in valuation records, but other agricultural buildings were added to the site in 1904 (PRONI). By the 1930s the roof is noted to be of asbestos. (First General Revaluation)

The roof was constructed with five Belfast trusses of the McTear type.

The Belfast truss was developed in Ireland as a wide-span shallow rise roof truss for industrial structures. McTear & Co of Belfast, Ireland began fabricating these trusses in wood starting around 1866. By 1899, spans of 24 metres had been achieved, and in the 20th century, shipyards and airplane hangars demanded ever greater clear spans. Refer to NIEA:HBU draft publication 'Thematic Belfast Roof Truss survey' for further information on Belfast roof trusses.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/26/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/26/2 Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/26/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/26/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-21
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/25A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/17A – Annual Revisions (1923-29)
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/9 – Valuer’s Notebook (1916-22)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/2 – First General Revaluation (1936-57)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/M/1 – Valuers RV Binders (1933-57)

Secondary Sources
1. Gould, M “A Historical perspective on the Belfast Truss Roof” Journal of Construction History (2001)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A simple shed with Belfast Truss Roof, built around the beginning of the Twentieth century and forming part of the estate related structures of the Gilford Castle demesne. Of interest due to the innovatory qualities of the Belfast truss and as a late example of the type. It is part of the group of structures that demonstrate the running of a country house in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

General comments

This was previously recorded as HB17/01/002 B