2 St. Judes Avenue

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay two-storey former rectory for St Jude’s Parish Church, now office, built c.1880 to designs by John Lanyon and located on the corner of St Jude’s Avenue and the Ormeau Road south of Belfast city centre. L-shaped plan with two-storey canted bay window to west and single-storey extension to rear.

Hipped natural slate roof with decorative terracotta ridge tiles and finials. Four red-brick chimneystacks having clay pots on masonry plinths. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with hopper on corbelled eaves course. Walling is Flemish-bonded red-brick on smooth rendered plinth with smooth rendered string course to ground floor and continuous sills to both floors; decorative black tile detail between corbels at eaves band. Windows are 2/2 timber-framed sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars and painted smooth rendered lintels; windows to ground floor are segmental-headed with key-block.

The principal elevation faces south and is three openings wide. Central entrance comprises bolection-moulded four-panelled timber door with brass door furniture and transom light; smooth rendered surround with corbelled canopy having decorative cast-iron brackets.

The west elevation has two-storey canted bay at left and a window to each floor at right.

The north (rear) elevation has a projecting bay to centre and left of centre (that to left is wider and projects further). The right bay is blank, abutted at ground level by a slated lean-to. Central and left projecting bays each have a window to first floor and two windows to ground floor. The basement level central bay has a small single-storey extension, abutting the exposed section of left bay.The Left bay has a single-storey extension abutting a yard wall.

The east elevation has two windows to first and ground floor; at ground-floor right is a timber casement window.

Setting:

Prominently sited on the corner of St Jude’s Avenue and Ormeau Road, facing St Jude’s Parish Church (HB26/02/005A) and opposite Ballynafeigh Methodist Church. Set back from the street, lawned to front with central pathway and ramped access to entrance. Tarmacadamed parking area to west and north; shared driveway with neighbouring apartment block to east. Paved rear yard is enclosed by a red-brick wall with timber-sheeted gate. Enclosed to south and east by red-brick boundary wall topped by original cast-iron railings with red-brick and masonry piers. Original cast-iron latch gate to entrance; modern metal gate at vehicular access to west.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Flemish-bonded red-brick
Windows: 2/2 timber-framed sash
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The current building was constructed in 1880 to designs by John Lanyon as a rectory for the neighbouring church of St Jude’s. (McCarter). The need for a church rectory was discussed as soon as the parish of Ballynafeigh was formed in the mid-1870s but it was not until 1880 that the second Rector, Arthur Moore, entered into possession. The architect was John Lanyon and he donated his fee of 21 guineas towards the cost of £1,000 which was received from the Board of Works as a loan under the Glebe Loans Act. Messrs Fitzpatrick, the builders of St Jude’s Church, subscribed the sum of £390 towards the cost which totalled £1,500. (McCarter; Opening Ceremony of St Jude’s Parochial Hall).

The house first appears on the third edition OS map of 1901-2 and enters valuation records in 1892 as a ‘manse and land’ valued at £29 for buildings and £1 for land. The occupier is Rev. Arthur Moore, incumbent from 1879 to 1886. (Annual Revisions; Clergy of Down and Dromore)

The 1901 census finds William Henry Davis in residence, rector from 1886 to 1917. Canon Davis is memorialised in the Canon Davis parochial hall (HB26/02/004) and presided over two major enlargements of St Jude’s church (HB26/02/005) to meet the requirements of an expanding congregation. Dublin-born Canon Davis lived with his American wife, sister and three sons, one from a previous marriage. The family kept two domestic servants. The house is described as first class and had twelve rooms. (1901 census)

Occupants of the rectory then changed with incumbency until 1925 when Rev James Quinn found that the noise from the traffic on the Ormeau Road so affected his health that he was obliged to move out of the house. He took up residence at Cherryvale House on the Ravenhill Road which he occupied until his retirement and the rectory was let out to tenants. In 1956 £2,800 was spent on repair and renovations to the rectory when it fell vacant and the house then became home to the next incumbent Alfred McKelvie and his family. (McCarter)

In 1971 due to the ever-increasing volume of traffic on the Ormeau Road and the consequent noise, a new rectory was acquired at 11, Bladon Drive and the old rectory was leased to the NI Hospital's Authority as a rehabilitation hostel. (McCarter) Since the 1990s the house has belonged to a solicitor and is used as offices, with part of the property sub-let to an architect.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/4/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902
4. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-21
5. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1931
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/1-45 – Annual Revisions (1863-1930)
7. 1901 census online
8. 1911 census online

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P “Belfast, An Illustrated Architectural Guide” Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987
2. McCarter, N “St Jude’s Parish Church, Ballynafeigh – A Record of the First Hundred Years”
3. “Opening Ceremony of St Jude’s Parochial Hall” Belfast: W & G Baird, 1934
4. Rankin, F, Leslie, Canon J B , Swanzy Dean H B "Clergy of Down and Dromore" Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical three-bay two-storey former rectory, now office, built c.1880 to designs by John Lanyon and located on the corner of St Jude’s Avenue and the Ormeau Road south of Belfast city centre. Displaying proportions and detailing typical of the late-Victorian period, much of the architectural fabric is intact. Sympathetically converted into a modern office in recent years, the internal layout is unchanged and some elements of a typical Victorian interior survive. The setting has been altered by the additon of a parking area to side and rear, and by the construction of a modern apartment block to east, which shares an entrance with number 2. Although no longer functioning as a rectory, there is group value with St Jude’s Parish Church (HB26/02/005A).