Dominican Convent Chapel

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A gabled building in Gothic Revival style dating from 1926 by Patrick Gregory. L-shaped plan form attached to the Dominican Convent (HB26.24.001 A) to SE to comprise a quadrangular plan form. The site includes a four-storey with attic gabled wing to W (attached) occupied by the School (HB26.24.001 C), a number of modern school buildings to SW (of little interest) and the two-storey modern Convent to E (of little interest).

Pitched natural slate roof with roll-top crested black clay ridge tiles. Celtic cross to apex. Moulded cornicing supports cast iron guttering discharging to uPVC circular downpipes. The lower ground floor level to E is built in rock-faced random-coursed stone masonry and the upper floors are in red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with ashlar stone dressings and quoins. Square-headed windows to lower GF with ashlar stone dressings having 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows and projecting painted cills. Pointed arch tracery windows to N and W with stained leaded glazing (unless noted otherwise). All stone appears to be limestone.

Principal elevation:
The principal gabled elevation of the chapel faces E and is abutted to S by the eight-bay wide E wing of the convent.
Two windows to lower GF with decorative metal grilles. Three pointed arch bipartite plate tracery windows to lower GF and a large rose window above set within a pointed arch. Narrow lancet arched opening at high level within gable which is surmounted by a carved stone celtic cross finial. The gable is flanked by slender two-stage brick buttresses topped by ashlar stone gablets.

North Elevation:
The N elevation consists of the five-bay wide N elevation of the transept and two-bay wide N elevation of the chancel with a three-stage buttress at the junction externally. Two-storey three-bay wide flat-roofed lean-to extension to chancel. Windows to lower GF to transept have galvanised metal surface-mounted grilles and timber sashes. Pointed arch tracery windows to FF to transept and chancel with stone dressings, splayed stone cills and stained leaded glazing. Storm glazing fixed to outer face beyond reveal of each window opening. Nosed stone steps lead to a stone platform and a square-headed door opening to the extension, that has narrow square-headed windows to the with projecting stone cills having 6/6 panes to double hung timber sash windows and uPVC RWG's.

West Elevation:
The W elevation consists of the three-bay apse and four-bay wide W transept of the chapel. It is abutted to S by the convent and to W by single- and two-storey lean-to extensions to N end. Pointed arch tracery windows to apse with stained leaded glazing. Pointed arch tracery windows to transept with stone dressings, splayed stone cills and stained leaded glazing. Square headed window openings to extension with projecting stone cills having 1/1 panes to timber sashes. Replacement uPVC casement to GF to N end.

Quadrangle:
Tarmaced quadrangle to the centre of the building. All elevations facing into the quadrangle are in red brick. The chapel elevations have pointed arch tracery windows with stained leaded glazing. Single and two-storey extensions have square-headed windows with projecting stone cills and 6/6 panes to double hung timber sash windows. Modern four-storey flat-roofed extension to NE corner contains a lift.

Setting:
The building is located within the grounds to St. Dominic’s Grammar School for girls, to the corner of Cavendish Street and Falls Road. Tarmaced driveways and pathways; part lawned to the E and S. The site is enclosed by rock-faced random coursed basalt walling to N and S with irregular stone coping. Replacement metal gates to gateway to SE. Double gates supported on square section stone pillars in rock faced coursed basalt. Projecting plinth and dressed pyramidal stone coping. Raised section of walling to N and E form square pedestrian gateways with round-arched openings formed in cut-stone, now blocked with painted metal screens. The walling to NE is topped by painted metal fencing supported on dog-leg stays.

Materials
Roof: Natural slate
RWG: Cast iron guttering, uPVC downpipes
Walling: Red brick walling with ashlar stone dressings
Windows: Tracery windows (stone) with stained leaded glazing

Historical information

St Mary’s Dominican Convent in Belfast was built in 1868-70 to designs by O’Neill & Byrne (specifically John O’Neill). On 22 March 1870, seven nuns of the Order of St Dominic came to the new convent from the parent house at Cabra, County Dublin. They did so at the invitation of the bishop, Dr Dorrian. These nuns engaged in teaching girls through day and evening classes.

In 1897 John O’Shea with E. & J. Byrne designed an additional wing to the west in a similar style to the original block. In 1926 the original block was extended to the north. The architect of this extension, Patrick (Padraic) Gregory, also designed the chapel which was built by Felix G. O’Hare and opened on 5 October 1930.

The chapel is really two chapels – one for the community and the other adjoining it at the sanctuary for the boarders at the school. The mosaic floor of the sanctuary in the Celtic style was by Oppenheimer & Co. of Manchester. Messrs Clarke of Dublin were responsible for the rose window. In 1935, Gregory added the baldachino.

The First Survey card includes a helpful ground plan showing when the different parts of the convent complex were built.

References

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Valuation Revision Books, 1882-96 – VAL/12/B/43/E/8
Valuation Revision Books, 1897-05 – VAL/12/B/43/D/18
Valuation Revision Books, 1906-15 – VAL/12/B/43/J/3
Valuation Revision Books, 1915-30 – VAL/12/B/43/J/6
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1857 – OS/6/1/60/2
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1904 – OS/6/1/60/3
Ordnance Survey 1:1056 map, 1905 – OS/8/30/5/66
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1920-39 – OS/6/1/60/4

Published sources
Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (Belfast, 1987)
Ambrose Macaulay, Patrick Dorrian: Bishop of Down and Connor, 1865-1885 (Dublin, 1987)

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
First Survey Record – HB/26/24/001

Online sources
Natural Stone Database: www.stonedatabase.com
Dictionary of Irish Architects: www.dia.ie
St Dominic's Grammar School website: www.stdominics.org.uk

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A very good example of a gabled chapel in Gothic Revival style dating from 1926 to the designs of Patrick Gregory. Built at the same time that the adjoining Dominican Convent (HB26.24.001 A) was extended by the same architect. Well-proportioned and designed, the L-shaped plan form of two-storey red brick and stone chapel is attached to the Byzantine style convent to SE; together they form a quadrangle that is located near to the corner of Cavendish Street on the Falls Road. The interior of the chapel is impressive with many original details such as the rib vaulted stone ceiling and brightly-coloured stained glass windows, including an excellent rose window by Messrs Clarke of Dublin. Despite the addition of uPVC framed secondary glazing to the apse, and some modernisation of the lower ground floor, the chapel retains much of its architectural interest and makes a positive contribution to the character of the area. It forms an integral part of a distinct complex to the N of St. Dominic’s School grounds, having group value with St Dominic’s Convent (HB26.24.001 A) and School (HB26.24.001 C); the configuration of three buildings adds important historic interest and social significance to the St James ward.