Gates 1-5

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Collection of five, now disused, similar but non-identical, iron gate screens, erected between c.1910-c.1935 to front entrances to various sections of the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding complex. The gates are set at uneven distances within a long brick wall on the north side of Sydenham Road, the wall itself now enclosing a large empty plot, the section of the complex the gates originally served having been completely demolished.

Gate 1
Gate 1 lies furthest W, close to the junction with Old Channel Road. It consists of a wide vehicle gateway with wrought-iron gates, flanked by tall cast-iron pillars, with a narrow pedestrian gate beyond the pillar to W side and a short matching screen beyond that to the E. The gates are relatively tall and have a relatively plain appearance with the only decoration consisting of series of geometrical panels set between the pointed railings. These panels lend the gates something of an ‘Art Deco’ appearance. This appearance is in contrast to the more classical / Victorian appearance of the pillars, with their square panelled shafts, tall bevelled bases, and oversailing caps with ball finials. The vehicle gates have castors which run along recessed tracks (as do all of the other vehicle gates). A small projecting signboard has been attached to one of the pillars and barbed wire has been added to the top of the gates.

Gate 2
Gate 2 consists of a large (single) vehicle gate to right (E) enclosed by pillars, with a matching screen to left with incorporates a small pedestrian gate. The gate and screen are similar in design to those belonging to Gate 1, however the gate itself has a full-width solid ‘panel’ upon which is painted ‘Harland & Wolff Ltd’ (although most of the letters have now worn away). The pillars are slimmer than those of Gate 1, but similar in style, having panelled shafts and oversailing caps. The caps do not have ball finials, they may have had originally. A later signboard has been attached to the screen

Gate 3
Gate 3 is similar in both size and design to Gate 1, however the screens either side of the gate are broader, with the pedestrian gateway to the right (E) side. The vehicle gates have solid panels similar to that on Gate 2; the painted lettering on these panels has largely worn away. A small projecting signboard has been attached to one of the pillars with another signboard has been attached to one of the gates.

Gate 4
Gate 4 is similar to Gate 3 but with a much narrower screen to left. Both the gates and screens have been covered in corrugated metal sheeting. Barbed wire has been added to the top of the gates.

Gate 5
Gate 5 is the largest of all five gateways, more decorative, and, as such, possibly the oldest. Like Gate 1 it consists of a large vehicle gateway enclosed with tall pillars. The screen to the right (W) has been removed and has been replaced with a makeshift modern example. The gates and the screen to left have much more elaborate late Victorian / Edwardian decoration than those belonging to the other gateways, with scrolls, paterae, circles, undulating rails and rail heads, and ball finials. The pillars are similar to those of Gates 1, 3 and 4, however the panels are filled with a moulded scroll pattern.

The ‘driveway’ immediately in front of Gate 1 has been filled in with the area now part of the tarmac-covered pavement, however the other driveways survive, with those in front of Gates 2, 4 and 5 still cobbled.

Historical information

The north side of what was to become Sydenham Road is shown undeveloped on the 1:1056 OS maps of 1901-03. The next large scale plans of the area date from 1935, when all of the drives to the gateways we see today are indicated, suggesting all of the gate screens themselves present by this stage. Unfortunately, there appears to be no other extant large scale OS plan of this area between these dates, and only one small scale, (6in to the mile), one- that of 1921. On the latter some development is shown, but the scale precludes any speculation as the existence of the gateways at that point or not.

The gates themselves were built to serve various entrances to sections of the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding complex, which was extended to this site during the period. Gate 5, to the east end, is the most elaborate and as such would appear to be the oldest. Its design matches that of one which fronted Harland & Wolff’s Clyde foundry in Scotland, a complex which was built after the First World War; so it is possible that this particular gate may have been erected post 1918. The rest of the gates, with their curious mixture of ‘classical’ pillars and geometric, almost ‘Art Deco’, gates and screens, would appear to be later, perhaps added in the later 1920s or early 1930s.

The buildings the gateways served (which became collectively known as the ‘Abercorn Works’) were demolished in the early 2000s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/8/30/5/1-120 Large scale plans of Belfast (1901-03)
2 PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 OS map, County Down, sheet 4 (1921)
3 PRONI VAL/3G/160/1-96 Large scale valuation plans of Belfast [based on OS plans] (1935-37)

Secondary sources
1 Hume, John and Moss, Michael, ‘Shipbuilders to The World- 125 Years of Harland and Wolff, Belfast 1861-1986’ (Belfast, 1986) [On page 224 there is a picture of the gates at the Clyde foundry.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Collection of five, now disused, similar but non-identical iron gate screens, erected at various times between c.1910-c.1935 to front entrances to various sections of the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding complex. With the demolition of the factory buildings they were originally associated with, these gates have been robbed of their original context and as pieces of ‘stand alone’ architecture.