St. Catherines

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached two-storey three-bay gabled house in the Arts and Crafts style, built c.1900 and located in mature grounds north of Circular Road East in Cultra. Rectangular plan with corner windows and projecting gables; single-storey extension with conservatory and garages to northeast.

Pitched rosemary tile roof with tall red-brick chimneystacks having terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on overhanging eaves over exposed ends; timber bargeboards to decorative half-timbered gables. Walling is Flemish-bonded red-brick to ground floor, painted roughcast render to first floor; string course between floor. Windows are timber-framed replacements; mainly 6/1 sliding sash with horns, and projecting sandstone sills.

The principal elevation faces southeast, left and right bays are gabled (that to right is narrower and projects further). Central bay contains, from left, stepped leaded-and-stained glass sandstone mullioned stairwell window; to right a gablet incorporating three windows; to ground floor are two windows with a diminutive window to left. Right gable has a cambered bipartite mullioned window to first floor and two windows to ground floor. Left gable has a bipartite mullioned window to first floor left and a window to first floor right; corner window at ground floor left and entrance to right; nine-panelled timber door with brass knob and corbelled canopy having scrolled brackets on sandstone corbels.

The southwest elevation has projecting corner bay window at ground floor left and right; window at first floor left under half-timbered gable.

The northwest (rear) elevation has projecting gable to centre with bipartite mullioned window to first floor and canted bay window to ground floor. Right bay has a modern double-leaf glazed door accessed by two slate steps; window to right of centre at first floor; corner window to ground floor. The left bay has three windows to ground and first floor.

The northeast elevation has a window to left at first floor; abutted at ground floor by flat-roof modern extension (of no interest), which is further abutted by conservatory to northwest and garages to northeast.

Setting

Set in large mature grounds accessed via tree-lined driveway. Large lawned, with shrubs garden to all sides; enclosed by mature trees and hedgerow. Modern electric gates and timber fence to entrance at Cultra Road East.

Roof: Rosemary tiles
Walling: brick and roughcast
Windows: timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The house first appears on the fourth edition OS map of 1919-3, captioned ‘St Catherine’s’ but is known to have been in existence in 1907 when it is listed in street directories as the residence of Miss Grace Emily Kennedy. (Belfast/Ulster Street Directory, 1907) Miss Kennedy was the unmarried sister of Robert John Kennedy of Cultra Manor and it would appear that the present house was constructed at around the same time as the manor house. (Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1958) Miss Kennedy is listed in the 1911 census as resident at the house with her parlour maid and housemaid. She lives on the ‘interest of money’. The house is of the first class, comprising fourteen rooms. (1911 census)

References:

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
3. Belfast/Ulster Street Directory, 1907
4. 1911 census online

Secondary Sources

1. Burke’s Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1958

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

St Catherine’s is a detached two-storey three-bay gabled late Victorian house in the Arts and Crafts style, built c.1900. Displaying detailing and proportions typical of the Arts and Crafts style, this is a moderately good representative of the type but it is of a late date and has lost much of interest,