Swimming Pool Victoria College

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Utilitarian, modular structure containing former swimming pool, located at the north-west end of the Victoria College (Cranmore Park) Campus in South Belfast.
Built c.1974 by Dunlop Plastics, it is rectangular on plan with a flat-roofed, concrete block structure on south-west elevation containing plant room and main entrance.
Modular plastic cladding to main pool block supported off an exposed steel structure with low pitched roof, the latter supported by a space-frame truss along ridge. Both south-east and north-west gable elevations are constructed of concrete block.

Historical information

Dunlop Plastics was part of the wider Dunlop Rubber Company, a British multinational that originated from John Boyd Dunlop’s invention of the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1888. By the mid-20th century, Dunlop had diversified beyond tyres into plastics, sports equipment, and industrial products.
The company’s presence in Northern Ireland contributed to local employment and positioned the region within the global plastics boom of the post-war era. Dunlop Plastics embodied the shift from traditional rubber manufacturing to synthetic polymers, aligning with trends in lightweight, durable materials for consumer and industrial markets.
The Northern Ireland operations reflected this diversification, producing moulded plastic components for automotive and domestic use during the 1960s and 1970s - a period marked by rapid industrial growth and material innovation.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunlop_Rubber
2. https://dunloptires.com/about-us/our-history

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Utilitarian, modular structure containing former swimming pool, located at the north-west end of the Victoria College (Cranmore Park) Campus in South Belfast. Built c.1974 by Dunlop Plastics, it is a modular building with exposed steel frame and space frame to ridge, supporting plastic cladding panels.
There is a previous planning approval for demolition (Z/2005/1122/DCA - Demolition of swimming pool and sports pavilion to enable redevelopment of college campus). The Criteria for Listing, para 14.3 states that ‘A building will not normally be considered for listing by the Department once planning permission which will affect its special architectural or historic interest has been granted and is still valid, or while works which have received such planning permission are under way.’