The Crags

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey Arts and Crafts style house designed by local architect John Seeds in 1920, built with roughcast render and natural slate roofs and located within Malone Conservation Area. The roofs are hipped and interconnected at different levels reflecting the irregular shape of the plan, which is roughly L-shaped and asymmetric with the entrance door set in the re-entrant angle. It is located in a large and mature landscaped site with sloping grassed areas containing mature trees and shrubs. The surrounding area is residential with most houses dating from the early part of the twentieth century.

Materials
Walls: painted roughcast render
Windows: replacement painted timber windows with leaded lights
Roof: rough Westmoreland natural slates laid in diminishing courses
RW goods Cast metal with ogee gutters

Front Elevation (N)
The entrance door is contained in a projecting gable set in the re-entrant angle, facing NW between two wings. This gable also contains the staircase which has a large stepped window to the left of the door. The hardwood door has 6 panels and a projecting hood restrained above by two ornate wrought iron ties. This painted hood and the stepped window surrounds appear to be reconstituted stone.

The projecting gable breaks the eaves line of both wings and has large kneelers at its right-hand eaves. There is a window to the right on the ground floor and a smaller one above. The two storey left-hand wing has two windows on each floor. Generally the ground floor windows have projecting swept lintels and the upper windows fit close to the underside of the eaves. Further to the left is a single storey section and attached to this is the garage which has an angled buttress on the front corner.

Side Elevation (W)
The side elevation (W) has a projecting canted single storey bay with natural slate roof which has sprocketed eaves. The eaves throughout the house, unusually have roughcast render to their soffits. The first floor of this elevation has two windows.

Rear Elevation (S)
The rear elevation faces South and is almost symmetrical with a two storey gabled bay on either side and a recessed central section. This central section has double doors that open on to a large patio contained with low rendered walls and modern steps that lead down to the rear garden. Above is a balcony with a painted open work balustrade which is set flush with the wings. Both of the projecting side bays have large windows which are multi-paned to the first floor and mutli-paned to upper panes on the ground floor.

Side Elevation (E)
The side elevation (E), which is asymmetric, has a slightly projecting bay offset to the left that rises above the eaves and has a central rendered chimney stack. There are four chimney stacks in total - all similarly detailed with curved cappings. To the right of this are four windows on the first floor, of varying sizes, and on the ground floor two further windows and a set of double doors. The attached garage projects forward and its gable has kneelers and a semi-circular window at attic level.

The rear and side gardens are extensive and slope away from the house to the South and West thereby elevating the house and giving it added visual significance when viewed from these directions. The gardens are landscaped and contain many mature shrubs and trees – particularly at the rear where there is a double row of pleached trees either side of a path.
The entrance gates have been replaced but the original impressive gate pillars remain. Both are rendered and have a domed coping with corner blocking pieces -and each has 'THE CRAGS' written in relief within recessed panels. The boundary to Newforge Lane is a modern timber fence.

Historical information

New Forge Lane is a pre-1832 route way which was probably established in the early 17th century as a link between the road to Dublin (now Malone Rd) and an iron smelting works (and, in the 18th century, a bleach works), which stood close to the U-shaped bend in the River Lagan to the southwest. Much of its length remained overwhelmingly rural in character until the 1920s when the Harberton (Malone House) estate began to sell off adjacent plots and large suburban villas, many surrounded by generous grounds, began to be constructed along the course of the lane, a trend which has continued ever since.

Dating from 1920, no.29 – ‘The Crags’, was one of the first of these large dwellings to appear. It was built for R.L. Thompson to a design by Belfast architect John Seeds (1881-1966). It remained with Mr. Thompson until c.1937 with Mrs. Stouppe McCance recorded as the occupant in 1943. By James R. Wheeler, a surgeon was resident by 1951, staying on until the early 1970s. Daniel Hale is named as the householder in 1974, with the present owner acquiring the property in the 1990s.

References – Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/45 (1915-30)
2 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory’, (Belfast News-Letter, Belfast), various dates from 1922
to 1996

Secondary sources
1 Larmour, Paul, ‘The Architectural Heritage of Malone & Stranmillis’, (UAHS, 1991), p.141

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Two-storey Arts and Crafts style house designed by local architect John Seeds in 1920 and located within Malone Conservation Area. Built with roughcast render and a natural Westmoreland green slate roof, the largely L-shaped asymmetric floor plan is of interest, featuring an entrance door set in the re-entrant angle. Containing a wealth of good quality Arts and crafts detailing both externally and internally, it is a very good example of a detached suburban house dating from the early twentieth century. Located in a large and mature landscaped site with sloping grassed areas containing mature trees and shrubs, it is of special interest.