The Cloisters

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A semi-detached two-storey Tudor-Gothic style house, built c.1830 to designs by John Millar, facing nominal north (north-west) and located on the south side of Marino Park, Holywood. No. 3 comprises the left side of the property, which is U-shaped arranged around a rectangular courtyard fronted to the street by a cloistered arrangement of six four-centred arches with a dividing wall to centre.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue-black angled ridge tiles and saddleback fractables to gables. The principal chimneystack is located to centre of main ridge and comprises five tall unrendered flues with moulded caps on a rectangular stack, all lozenge-shaped apart from central flue. Two slender lozenge-shaped stacks also rise from a stepped projecting gabled chimneybreast to east. Rainwater goods are half-round cast-iron. Walling is rendered over a bevelled plinth, painted white. Windows are timber multi-paned double side-hung casements with chamfered reveals and cills; those to east gable have label mouldings.

Entrance elevation faces north and contains a vertically panelled pointed-arched entrance door with sandstone flagged threshold and cast-iron door furniture, recessed within the left of a series of three arched recesses corresponding with the cloister (remainder are blind). To left, the north gable has timber canted bay to ground floor and a window to first floor.

The east elevation has a projecting gabled bay to centre, also with a window to each floor (that to ground floor is tripartite with timber mullions). Cheeks are blank. Right side has a window set into the gable of the chimneybreast. Left side is abutted by a lean-to outbuilding which is screened by an English Garden wall bonded red brick wall with castellated coping painted white.

Rear (south) elevation has a gable to right, having multi-pane French doors to patio, small arched offset window and first floor. The left side appears to have enlarged openings.

Courtyard elevations could not be inspected. From external inspection, it is evident that the west courtyard elevation has two blind rectangular recesses and a window set into a gable. There is also a gable at centre of the north elevation, presumably shared between the two houses.

Setting

The
setting comprises a cobbled parking area to front with tree and hedge bounded garden to east.

Roof: natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

This house is one of a pair of semi-detached villas together with its neighbour, Marino Villa (HB23/18/38B) and was built c1830 to designs by John Millar for Thomas Ward.

The building is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1834) as one of a number of villas within a single plot. These are all listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40), the current pair of dwellings being described as ‘two houses and offices’, the property of Mr Thomas Ward, and valued at £34.9s. Brett comments that “this delightful pair may have been based by Millar on a design in J C Loudon’s Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture.” (Brett, p.179)

In his 1837 publication, Samuel Lewis writes, “There are several good lodging-houses in the village and its environs; and from the increasing number of visitors [sic], several houses in detached situations and chiefly in the Elizabethan style of architecture are now in progress on the Cultra estate, by Thomas Ward Esq, after designs by Millar. These houses are sheltered with thriving plantations and beautifully situated on a gentle eminence commanding a richly diversified and extensive prospect of Carrickfergus bay, the Black mountain, Cave hill, the Carnmoney mountains and the town and castle of Carrickfergus, the view terminating with the basaltic columns of Black Head.” However, it appears these observations were made some time before publication, as the OS Memoirs records the houses as already complete in 1834. The Memoirs note that they “have been built for the bathing season, when they are generally filled from Belfast.” (Lewis, Vol II, p.6; OS Memoirs, p.74)

The second edition OS map (1858) shows the villas captioned ‘Marino’. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) of this period gives the occupier of the villa to the west as Robert Patterson. Dimensions are given for the two dwellings and they are both valued at £39. Robert Patterson was a successful businessman and a distinguished naturalist who published several works, his first Letters on the Natural History of the Insects Mentioned in Shakespeare's Plays, appeared in 1838. In 1846 and 1848 he published, in two parts, what was probably his most important work, Introduction to Zoology for the Use of Schools, and then First Steps to Zoology again in two parts. His next work, in 1853, was his large coloured Zoological Diagrams and all were very popular and widely used in schools. Patterson was also a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society.

In Belfast, Patterson was active in various local institutions, such as the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge, and he actively supported the Royal Botanic Gardens, and his old school, the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He was one of the Belfast harbour commissioners from 1858 to 1870. In 1865 he retired and he died in 1872 at his residence, 6 College Square North. Marino was evidently a summer residence for him and his family. (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online)

By 1880 the house had been taken over by Edgar Arnold, a merchant, who died in 1900. In 1886 the value of both houses was reduced to £30. The OS map of 1900-02 shows the villas captioned ‘Marino Villas’. The valuation of the house is reduced further in 1907 to £21, probably indicating that the house is falling somewhat into disrepair. However, by 1908 Hugh Adair is in residence. It may be that this was Hugh Adair, the publisher of Hugh Adair’s Belfast Directory, 1860-1, and other works, but no positive confirmation of this could be found.

By 1919 the occupier is William Pyper, who appears to have been a master at Campbell College from 1895 to 1917. (The Campbellian)

After 1933, William Pyper is still in residence and the value is raised to £31 in stages. The accommodation comprises, two receptions, a kitchen, scullery, washhouse, three pantries and upstairs, four bedrooms, a bathroom and WC. There is a gas supply to the house in three of the rooms and well water with a pump. A plan and dimensions are given. The valuer comments that the house is ‘old fashioned’ but has a ‘good view’ and a ‘nice situation’.

Brett comments that all the houses in this group were bought in the post-war years and narrowly escaped destruction. They have now been sympathetically restored. (Brett, p.179)

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/3/1/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2.PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3.PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
4.PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
5.PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
6.PRONI VAL/1/A/3/1 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
7.PRONI VAL/1/B/318 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
9.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
10.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
11.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
12.PRONI VAL/3/D/4/4A/5 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)
13.Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Down II, 1832-4, 1837, Vol. 7.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1991.

Secondary Sources

1.Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002
2.The Campbellian, Vol X, December 1941, p.96-8
3.Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate, Market, and Post Towns, Parishes, and Villages, With Historical and Statistical Descriptions; Embellished with Engravings of the Arms of the Cities, Bishopricks, Corporate Towns, and Boroughs; Of the Seals of the Several Municipal Corporations.” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837.
4.www.oxforddnb.com – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A striking semi-detached Tudor-Revival house, built c.1820 to designs by John Millar, comprising part of a development of similarly detailed villa-style buildings designed as bathing houses for the developing merchant classes of Belfast. As a group, the houses share several distinguishing characteristics such as lozenge shaped stacks, raised fractables to gables and Gothic detailing and individual interest is conferred through the variation in design. Together with its neighbour, Marino Villa (HB23/18/038B), The Cloisters forms a notable element within the group, having original aspect preserved with distinctive U-shaped plan form around the courtyard fronted by a cloister of Tudor-arches. Most fabric remains intact and its character is well preserved. Of architectural and historic interest, the pair form a significant element in the notable and unusual neo-Tudor character of the enclave.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB23/18/038