16 Knockbreda Park, Belfast, BT6 0HB

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey semi-detached 1930s house with double-pitched roof; Rectangular on plan with a small single-storey return to the rear. Located near the Ormeau Road approx. 3 km from the city centre, in a residential area consisting of mainly late 19th and early 20th century semi-detached, red-brick housing; The house is part of a group of similar style houses from the inter-war period?

Materials:

Roof: Natural Welsh slate to front/ fibre-cement to rear
RWG: uPVC
Walls: Slap dash painted render
Windows: Single-glazed multi-pane metal.

Front elevation (S)
The front elevation faces S and has front door located to the left and a 2-storey breakfront to the right. The front door opening has rustic red-clay brick coins on the side reveals, a concrete semi-circular projecting hood at the door head and 1 no. recessed concrete step. The door is painted timber( half-glazed) with timber panelling to the lower section and a stained glass panel to the upper section. The breakfront curves in the profile of a quadrant where it adjoins the S façade, for its entire height. There is a large rectangular multi-paned single-glazed metal window located within the breakfront at ground floor level. The window opening, window frame and glazing all curves in the profile of a quadrant to adjoin the S façade. This is repeated at first floor level with an identical window directly above. There is a narrower portrait style multi-paned single-glazed metal window to the left-hand side at first floor level, above the front door. All window openings are square-headed with plain reveals and concrete cills. Walls are finished in slap dash render, painted white. There are deep over-hanging eaves with plain painted timber soffits and fascia. Roof is double-pitched with natural slate roof finish to front and blue-black clay tiles to ridge and hip. There is uPVC guttering and a large single red-brick chimney to the right, located centrally within shared roof with no. 18. It is plainly detailed with a slightly projecting double soldier course in brown-brick at the cap (possibly replacement) and a single ventilation cowl (Original clay pots appear to have been removed).

Rear elevation (N)
The rear elevation faces N and has a small single-storey return with mono-pitched roof to the right and a large rectangular multi-paned single-glazed metal window to the left. The return has a small rectangular painted timber casement window to the N façade and an original painted timber door on the E façade. The door is painted and panelled timber with upper glazed panel and is accessed via a set of ad hoc timber steps. The door way is covered with an ad hoc corrugated monopitch hood flush with the roof and wall of the return. At first floor level there is a similar window directly above the large ground floor window opening and another narrower window to the right. All windows, walls, roof and guttering detailing is as per the front elevation, apart from the roof finish, which is fibre-cement in this location.

Side elevation (W)
The side elevation faces W and has a small single-storey return flush with main house to the left. The elevation is plainly detailed with 4 no. randomly positioned multi-paned single-glazed metal windows ( 3 no. window openings at ground level and 1 no. at first floor level). 2 no. narrow windows at ground floor to the right service the hall and under stairs toilet and there is a square kitchen window to the right. There is a larger portrait style stairwell window at first floor level with patterned obscure glazing panes. Walls, eaves, roof and guttering as per Front elevation.

Side elevation (E) abuts No 18 Knockbreda Park.

There is a small front garden with tarmacadam driveway to the left and large flower bed bound with hedgerow to the S and E. Driveway accessed via 20th century painted metal gates ( replacement). Gates mounted on pair of replacement concrete posts. To the rear is lawned area bound with hedgerow to E and wire fence boundary to N. There is a plain rectangular single-storey shed to W boundary with double pitched felt roof, horizontal timber boarding to walls and concrete plinth. It has a single window to the E and a set of large boarded painted timber double doors to the S (replacement).

Historical information

Knockbreda Park is located within what were previously the grounds of Knockbreda Rectory, a house built in 1816. In 1885 a section of the western side of these grounds, close to what is now Ormeau Road, was opened to the development and a series of red brick detached and semidetached suburban dwellings were built along the eastern side of the of north-south stretch (most of the present nos.27-41 as well as the south-facing no.25). In the later 1890s the western side of the plot - fronting on to the main road - was populated with larger similarly-styled detached properties (nos.400-414 Ormeau Road), and present nos.4 and 6 were added to the short northern boundary, the beginnings of the main east-west stretch of Knockbreda Park, a thoroughfare which was further developed eastwards largely in the 1930s.

This house was part of the last development of ‘attractive semi-detached villas’, built in 1936-37 by a company called ‘Manor House Estate’ with William Patterson the contractor and ‘house Type A’ costing £475, and ‘Type B’ £600. The architect appears to have been the Belfast-based Thomas H. Guthrie, who was responsible for the designs of a number of private developments in the city during the 1930s. The occupant in the 1943 directory is listed as John Rowland, a ‘claims officer’. He was still living there into the 1960s, but appears to have left before 1967. The present owner seems to have acquired the property prior to 1980.

References – Primary sources
1 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory’, (Belfast News-Letter, Belfast), various dates from 1936 to 1996
2 ‘Northern Whig’, 29-30 January 1937

Secondary sources
1 Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940 http://www.dia.ie/architects/view/2302/GUTHRIE-THOMASH.#tab_works (accessed 5 October 2017)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
R. Age
S. Authenticity
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An excellent example of a 1930s semi-detached suburban house, designed by Belfast-based Architect Thomas H. Guthrie. Located near the Ormeau Road, Belfast, in a street of similar style houses, it is virtually unchanged externally and internally. Retaining its original plan form and metal framed windows and featuring curvilinear windows in a breakfront on the main elevation, internal features include original stairs, balustrade and internal joinery. Built in the interwar period the house represents a departure from traditional Edwardian building techniques and the move towards International style architecture. An early and rare example of a modest house type and predecessor to the common semi-detached house, still prevalent today.