Parklands

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Six-bay, five-storey flat-roofed mid-twentieth century red brick apartment block on rectangular plan, constructed 1961/2. The northern block one of a three-part apartment complex (HB26.12.054B and HB26.12.054C) built in a modern-style with recessed stairwell blocks between. Set within mature parkland to the south of Knocknagoney Road and adjacent to Knocknagoney Linear Park which lies to the south and west.

Flat roof with overhanging eaves and painted soffit. Plant room to roof with flat roof and three stainless steel flues. Painted metal downpipes to east and west elevations. Mono-pitch fibre cement slated canopy to ground floor door openings, supported on metal posts. Square-headed window openings having rendered painted sill with replacement uPVC and metal casement windows throughout, unless otherwise stated.

Front elevation faces west. Rustic red brick walling with horizontal bands of curtain walling at first and third floor levels having a shallow projecting concrete frame forming galleries with plain vertical metal railings. Each bay has original aluminium framed sliding door and side-lights. Second and fourth floors have a pair of square-headed windows to each bay, with aluminium casements and painted clips. Square-headed door and window openings to ground floor have smooth rendered raised band. Doors are timber sheeted with flanking side-light; tiled step to entrance. Stair tower to north side projects above main elevation and is built in brown brick having projecting flat-roofed canopy, with rough-cast rendered upper floors. Square-headed entrance opening with glazed door flanked by side-lights and approached by pathway.

East Elevation: Recessed ground floor having square-headed window and door openings. Upper floors supported on red brick piers. Strip windows to first and third floors with blockwork infill panel below. Stairwell presents as four-storey block to east in rustic red brick, as remainder of elevation, with square-headed openings to upper floors and door opening at ground floor level with monopitch slated canopy.

South Elevation: Red brick walling. Window opening to third floor.

North Elevation has red brick walling; raised smooth render band to north-east corner and first floor string course. Elevation is attached to recessed stairwell.

Setting: One of a block of three apartments with linking stairwells. Set within mature parkland with entrance from Knocknagoney Road to north, mature tree boundary hedge to north, west and south and steep grass embankment to east. Bitmac parking and formal lawns to west.

Materials:
Roof: Felt
RWG : Metal painted
Walls : Red Brick
Windows : Metal casement

Historical information

This apartment block was constructed at the Holywood Road end of what had been, in the nineteenth century, the lower end of the demesne of Richmond Lodge. This district of Belfast was largely developed in the post-war years.

Parklands was originally known as Knocknagoney Dale and was built at the beginning of the 1960s by Belfast Corporation in what was then Castlereagh Rural District. The flats may have been the dwellings referred to in the 1960 street directory as being in the process of being built at the municipal boundary on the Holywood Road.

The flats were first noted in 1961-2 in the Second General Revaluation Records. The flats on the ground floor were given a valuation of £23 each, while those on the remaining four floors were valued at £25 each.

In the 1981 street directory Knocknagoney Dale was declared to be vacant. In the 1986 street directory it was listed as Parkside Apartments under the heading of Knocknagoney Dale. In 1991 Parklands appears in the street directory in its own right. It has not been possible to learn the reasons for these changes of name.

References

Primary sources
1. Belfast and Northern Ireland Directory, 1960 onwards
2. PRONI, VAL/4/B/3/18, 1956-72

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Apartment building constructed in the ‘International Style’, originally known as Knocknagoney Dale. The building was constructed in 1961/2 by Belfast Corporation and retains some original features such as the flat roof, over sailing eaves to front and rear elevations, horizontal band of aluminium framed glazing and balconies on alternate floors. Built as part of a group with two adjacent blocks (HB26.12.054B and HB26.12.054C). The original open-deck access to the apartments has been infilled with metal casement windows and it is not considered of special interest.