STONE PILLAR

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An 1860s sandstone gate pier which originally formed part of the entrance to Fortwilliam Park, north Belfast (HB26/46/002); moved here in 1920s.
Situated at a path junction in Grovelands, an area of landscaped gardens at the NE corner of Musgrave Park and surrounded by flower beds, shrubs and trees.
A heavily decorated ashlar sandstone gate pier of rectangular cross-section. As now positioned, its principal elevations face NE and SW and are identical. The narrower SE and NW faces, also identical, originally supported the top of the gates which were hung from both sides when the pier was in its original context.
The pier comprises two stages. The lower one is of sandstone blocks embellished with shallow banded string courses over a moulded base course. The top of this stage is delineated by advanced sandstone blocks, the bottom edges of which are dentillated, and the principal faces of which are embellished with four-leaf clovers set within entwined circular banding. The NE face is now heavily eroded. At bottom centre on each of the principal faces is an advanced decorative shield on a low base.
Slender square posts rise up the sides to terminate in wrought-iron gate hinges pinned into the stonework. The hinge’s pins have corroded and exfoliated, causing the stonework to split.
The upper stage comprises four squat square columns with moulded bases and decorative capitals between a small exedra on each of the principal faces. The columns support a plain frieze above which is a moulded dentillated cornice under an oversailing cap.
The cap is of shallow pyramidal profile with small crockets around its edges. It is surmounted by a small plinth on which sit four garlanded cherubs. Each face of the plinth carries the monogram ‘WV’ (i.e. William Valentine). The cherubs originally surrounded the base of a three-orb gas light which rose from the top of the pier; this light was removed.

Historical information

The sandstone pillar located in the Grovelands landscaped gardens at the north-east corner of Musgrave Park, was constructed in 1864. The pillar originally formed part of the gateway on the Shore Road entrance to Fortwilliam Park (HB26/46/002) but was moved to its current location in the 1920s.

The original gateway at Fortwilliam, consisting of a pair of sandstone classical gate piers (designed as triumphal arches), was constructed in 1864 as one of the main entrances to Fortwilliam House in the townland of Skegoneill. Fortwilliam House was constructed pre-1830 and was one of the many gentlemen’s mansions that were built along the hills between the Antrim and Shore Roads. The first edition Ordnance Survey map records that the mansion was neighboured by Sea View and Mount Vernon (two similar gentleman’s dwellings) in the 1830s. Lewis’ contemporary Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) records that Fortwilliam House was constructed near, and named after, an encampment known as Fort William that was believed to have been erected by King William III in 1690. Lewis states that the encampment measured 70ft square and was ‘surrounded by a deep fosse and defended by a bastion at each angle … near it is another intrenchment of ruder construction.’ Dean states that the estate was owned by the Lendrick family until 1810 when George Langtry, a local ship owner, acquired the site (Lewis; Dean, p. 13).

By the mid-19th century Fortwilliam House had grown to become one of the most extensive gentlemen’s manors along the Shore Road. In 1859 Griffith’s Valuation recorded that Fortwilliam House was owned by Elizabeth Langtry and consisted of the house, a gate lodge and numerous outbuildings that dotted its estate (which was approximately 155 acres in size). In 1859 Fortwilliam House passed to William Valentine Esq, a Director in the Northern Banking Company and the Belfast and Ballymena Railway. In 1864 Valentine had the two gateways constructed at the Antrim Road and Shore Road entrances to his estate (UTD).

Although it has been widely asserted that William J. Barre (c. 1826-1867) designed both gateways, the classical triumphal arch design of the piers on the Shore Road is not typical of Barre’s style which was progressive and predominantly drew its inspiration from Renaissance architecture and the Gothic Revival. Barre did design the gateway on the Antrim Road but Larmour states that the Shore Road gateway was ‘certainly not by Barre as has often been supposed’ but was likely designed by either James Hamilton, a Glaswegian architect who built Dublambert (and possibly Morven House which possesses similar detailing to the gateway – HB26/46/003) in Fortwilliam Park in the early 1870s, or the local architect Thomas Turner who Larmour states ‘used banded masonry on occasion’ (Larmour, p. 25; DIA).

A late Victorian photograph of the gateway on the Shore Road shows that it originally consisted of the two classical arches and the central gate pier. The side piers were utilised by pedestrians, whilst the central pier divided the road for passing traffic. Dean described the original grandeur of the Shore Road entrance: ‘A once majestic entrance screen, in style wholly appropriate to the Italianate villas beyond. Over both footpaths triumphal archways, each rich in Classical detailing; niches with anthemions, dentil courses, decorative friezes, shields, pilasters and banding. Each semi-circular arch below a projecting cornice crowned by a sculpted group of maiden, cupid and urn. [The central pillar] contained the monogram of Valentine and at the top of which a putti threesome held aloft a trio of globe gaslights’ (Dean, p. 13). Photographs of the gateway dating from the late-19th century show that the piers possessed decorated iron gates (now gone) and an Italianate gate lodge (demolished in 1955). Behind the arches were two isolated miniature sandstone pillars.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

An 1860s sandstone gate pier situated in Grovelands landscaped gardens at the north-east corner of Musgrave Park, originally the central gate pier on the Shore Road entrance to Fortwilliam Park (HB26/46/002). It is a comparatively rare survival of a monogrammed mid-Victorian gate pier. Although now relocated, the rich degree of ornamentation on this gate pier reflects its context as part of the finely detailed Shore Road entrance to Fortwilliam Park, now consisting of 2 no. sandstone classical gate piers (designed as triumphal arches). Erected by a former owner of the prominent north Belfast estate at Fortwilliam House, William Valentine, it is thought to be designed either by James Hamilton of Glasgow or the local architect Thomas Turner. It is of local interest and has group value with the other gateway structures to Fortwilliam estate including the gateway at the Antrim Road entrance, designed by William J. Barre (HB26.46.001B).