Caretakers House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey pyramidal roof red brick house dating from 1936 to designs by the Belfast-based English architect R. S. Wilshere, built as the caretaker’s House to Elmgrove Primary School (listed under HB26.05.002 A). Square plan with a small attached timber outbuilding (boiler house) to E. The house is located to the S side of Beersbridge road, NW of the Elmgrove Primary School buildings.

Pyramidal red-clay tile roof with overhanging eaves. Half-round aluminum guttering discharging to circular aluminum downpipes.
Tall red brick chimney stack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots. Rustic red brick walling laid to stretcher-bond with a double chamfered plinth course. Original six-paned square-headed timber casement windows with clear glazing (unless stated otherwise). Painted concrete cills to main windows with brick stretcher course to heads with double row of clay tiles over forming hood.

The principal elevation is symmetrical and faces N. Single storey flat roofed projecting porch to centre with chamfered corners and a recessed round arched door opening. A replacement glazed timber door opens onto two nosed steps. Narrow three pane windows with frosted glazing to either side to GF and a window above the entrance door to FF to centre. GF windows have clay tile cill and vertically laid tiles forming flat-arched head.

The three-bay E elevation is dominated by the projecting chimney to central bay. The N bay has a single six-pane casement window with frosted glazing to GF and double casement window to FF above. Attached single storey timber outbuilding to the N bay adjacent to the projecting chimney. Narrow three pane window with top opening light having frosted glazing, clay tile cill and head, as before, to S bay.

The S elevation has a four-part window to GF and a three-part window to FF.

The W elevation has two bays. Single windows to GF and FF to S bay. Square-headed door opening to N bay with a modern sheeted timber door and a double window to FF above.

Setting:
The Caretaker’s House is located to the S side of Beersbridge road, NW of Elmgrove Primary School (listed under HB26.05.002 A).
The site includes a grassed yard with a tarmaced pathway to the front of the house (N side) and a spacious garden to the rear (S side). The property is built on a slightly elevated site; four steps to the front garden. The rear garden is separated from the front yard by a brick wall to W and a timber fence with sheeted gate to E of the house. Modestly landscaped garden to rear with timber deck to NW leading to the rear door. Wooden shed to NE.
The site is enclosed by a low brick wall topped by simple wrought-iron railings with arrow head railing tops and situated on Beersbridge Road. It is accessed through a simple wrought-iron gate. Brick walling to W, metal railings and hedges to E and S.

Materials:
Roof red clay tiles
RWG aluminum
Walling red brick
Windows original timber casements

Historical information

The caretaker’s house at Elmgrove Primary School, a two-storey redbrick dwelling located to the northwest side of the main school building, was constructed in 1936. In 1932 the Belfast Newsletter included a quote by Wilshere who stated that ‘every one of [my schools] has something distinctive about it architecturally, though all follow the same line in planning, and in that respect are in conformity with the best modern practice.’ Wilshere was also responsible for the design of many of the pavilions and caretaker lodges at his schools, Larmour described the associated buildings ‘each one in itself a gem’ (Larmour, p. 84).

Elmgrove Primary School was erected in 1930-33 to designs by Reginald Sharman Wilshere. Originally from England, Wilshere (1888-1961) was appointed architect to the Belfast Corporation Education Committee in 1926 and designed 26 new schools before the outbreak of the Second World War. The Irish Builder noted that ‘Wilshere’s own idea ... is that if the children of a district have no beauty in their daily surroundings, they need beauty all the more in their schools;’ his typical technique was to construct large schools along quadrangles with corridors open to the air (Irish Builder, pp 1089-1091).

Elmgrove Primary School was officially opened on 9th March 1933 but the caretaker’s house was not completed until 1936. Dean states that the design of this ‘porter’s lodge’ was influenced by the work Edwin Lutyens and described the building as ‘proud and lofty on an elevated site, the two-storey gate house rises from a double plinth to a wide eaved pyramidal roof with red pantiled finish. Symmetrical front elevation dominated by a central projecting flat roomed hall with chamfered corners and semi-circular arched doorway. Flanking, two tiny slit windows and above a single wide casement light with squared panes. Tall chimney stack riding from a side elevation’ (Dean, p. 75).

The total rateable value of the new school had been set at £800 under the First Revaluation in 1935. The combined value of the school and its caretaker’s house was subsequently increased to £1,500 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72). Elmgrove Primary School was listed in 1994 and continues to be utilised as a school for primary education. During the Second Survey the caretaker’s house was utilised as a private dwelling. Field Inspection of the site finds that the property was converted into a private dwelling in c. 1990 after lying derelict for some years. In recent years the former caretaker’s house has been renovated with the installation of new aluminium rainwater goods and the addition of a new entrance door.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/3/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
2. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/12 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
3. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/30 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland (1956-1972)
4. Irish Builder (19 Dec 1931)
5. Belfast Newsletter (25 Apr 1932; 13 Aug 1932; 9 Mar 1933)
6. Belfast Telegraph (8 Aug 1932)
7. First Survey Record – HB26/05/002 (1991)
8. First Survey Image – HB26/05/002 (No Date)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB26/05/002

Secondary Sources
1. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie
2. Elmgrove Primary School website - http://www.elmgroveprimary.co.uk/index.asp

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A two-storey red brick house dating from 1936 to designs by the Belfast-based English architect R. S. Wilshere, built as a Caretaker’s House to Elmgrove Primary School (listed under HB26.05.002 A). The site is located to the S side of Beersbridge Road and together with the school are two of the very few buildings of architectural and historic interest remaining to that part of the street.
As with most of Wilshere’s lodges and outbuildings to his schools the materials, architectural features and layout are carefully chosen to complement the main school buildings, whilst also being considered compositions themselves.
The caretaker’s house was completed in 1936, 3 years after the school. Dean, in his publication ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’; states that the design of this ‘porter’s lodge’ was influenced by the work Edwin Lutyens and described the building as ‘proud and lofty on an elevated site, the two-storey gate house rises from a double plinth to a wide eaved pyramidal roof with red pantiled finish. Symmetrical front elevation dominated by a central projecting flat roomed hall with chamfered corners and semi-circular arched doorway. Flanking, two tiny slit windows and above a single wide casement light with squared panes. Tall chimney stack riding from a side elevation’ (Dean, p. 75).