The Beehive Bar

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey with attic, 12-bay High-Victorian building complex dating from c1888 to designs by architect John Joseph McDonnell. Rectangular plan form with single- and two-storey returns to rear and a large flat-roofed modern extension to NE. The building is now separated into three properties: No 197 occupying the three bays to E, No 195 occupying bays four and five from E and No 193 occupying the seven bays to W. The Beehive Bar is located to the N side of Falls Road, at the top of Broadway Avenue.

Pitched natural slate roof. Two plain rectangular section red-brick chimney stacks to E. uPVC rainwater goods. Red brick walling with elaborate plasterwork to the rendered principal elevation. Replacement top-hung uPVC casement windows throughout.

Principal elevation:
The principal elevation faces S and consists of a two-storey plus attic 12-bay elevation with five dormers. The elevation appears to have been symmetrical originally although the E part has been rebuilt after bomb-damage replicating the size and scale of the original elevation but not the original detailing. A further two storey bay has been added to the E end.

Modernised shop fronts to GF and rendered upper floors with elaborate plasterwork to central and W bays.

The first three bays to E have segmental-headed window openings to FF with elaborate architraves supporting moulded hoods on dentilled cornices. Fluted pilaster to E end. Decorated frieze and cornicing between FF and attic. Gabled dormer with scrolled kneelers to attic, dentilled cornicing and finial having round-arched window opening with projecting keystones and decorated tympanum.

The bay immediately to W has a three-sided recessed canted and pedimented bay to FF with square-headed window openings to all three sides. Flanking shallow pilasters with decorated capitals on a moulded frieze with a pediment above. The canted bay has projecting elaborate detailing to base of attic storey supported on narrow pilasters.

Paired round-arched windows to FF to central bay with moulded architrave to arch on circular pilasters. Large stucco beehive to the centre of attic storey within a square-headed niche having the inscription BEE HIVE above. Central pedimented gable with moulded tympanum and weathervane.

The rebuilt bay directly to W of the centre bay has a plain detailed three-sided canted bay to FF with square-headed windows. Segmental headed window openings to remaining bays with moulded triangular shaped hood. Raised plaster detailing at cornice level. Two dormers with kneelers to attic.

North elevation:
The rear elevation faces N. Although the rear elevation was only partially accessed, it appears that No 197 has single- and two-storey returns. Two-storey red-brick flat-roofed return to No 195 with square-headed openings.

A large modern square-plan flat-roofed two-storey extension to the rear of the property to the W end. Square-headed doors and windows opening onto a tarmaced rear yard. Metal staircase leads to FF.

East elevation:
The E elevation overlooks the grounds of St Mary’s University College.

West elevation
The W elevation is abutted by the neighbouring three storey modern building (of little interest).

Setting:
The BeeHive Bar is located to the N side of Falls Road, at the top of Broadway Avenue.
The building is now separated into three properties: No 197 occupying the three bays to E, No 195 occupying the central and immediately to E bays and No 193 occupying the seven bays to W. Enclosed rear yard to all three properties.

Materials:

Roof: natural slate pitched roof
RWG: uPVC
Walling: rendered
Windows: uPVC casement

Historical information

On the 6-inch Ordnance Survey map of 1857 an oblong building is shown on the site of the bar. It is not named. The earliest mention of the ‘Bee Hive tavern’ comes in the Belfast Newsletter of 27 April 1867 when its proprietor was a man named Willis. The Beehive Tavern appears in the 1870 Belfast directory when William Willis was listed as the proprietor. In 1872, Patrick Cullen took over the spirit license from Willis. In 1887, according to the Belfast directory of that year, Hugh P. McKeown appears in possession of the Beehive.

Very soon after taking over the Beehive, McKeown commissioned the architect John Joseph McDonnell to prepare plans for a new public house. In January 1888 McDonnell advertised for tenders ‘for the rebuilding of the Beehive Spirit Vaults and adjoining premises’. It has not been possible to identify who carried out the work.

The scale of the works carried out at this time is reflected in the substantial increase in the value of the premises. In the Valuation Revision Book the valuation of the property rose from £26 to £50 in 1888, to £70 in 1891 and to £90 in 1894. In 1890 the business was listed as the Beehive Liquor Palace. It is marked on the 1:1056 Ordnance Surey map of 1905 as ‘Bee Hive (P. H.)’. According to Neal Garnham (p. 46), at this time the Beehive was the headquarters of Belfast Celtic Football Club.

The 1901 census shows the McKeown family in residence at 255 Falls Road. The household was headed by Hugh Patrick McKeown, aged 57, a native of Belfast. His wife, Frances Anna, on the other hand, was a native of Lancashire, as was their eldest daughter Kathleen De Ricci, aged 17. As their eldest son Hugh Patrick junior was aged 15 and a native of Belfast, it means that we can date Hugh and Frances’ move to Belfast to c. 1884-85. They were certainly resident in Belfast by 2 August 1885 when Hugh was baptised in St Peter’s Catholic Church. This record reveals that Frances Anna’s maiden name was Butler. The 1911 census shows the family still in residence on the Falls Road though the property was no. 251.

Hugh Patrick McKeown senior of 251-255 Falls Road died on 18 January 1918. Though the will calendar gives his occupation as ‘shirt merchant’, it seems likely that this is an error for spirit merchant. His estate was valued at £764 and probate was granted to his widow. Mrs Frances McKeown died on 23 August 1927. In the will calendar her address is given as ‘Beehive Hotel, Broadway, Falls Road, Belfast’. Her estate was valued at £86 6s. 8d. In 1927 the valuation of the property was reduced twice, first to £64 and then to £51, though without any explanation being provided.

Brett (p. 59) notes that the building ‘has a very fine stucco façade with a most convincing beehive (and bees) incorporated in it.’ When Brett was writing in 1985 the Bee Hive had been badly bomb-damaged and its façade had still to be restored. It had previously been bomb-damaged in 1973 when part of the interior was destroyed.

References

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Valuation Revision Books, 1882-96 – VAL/12/B/43/E/8
Valuation Revision Books, 1897-1905 – 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
First Northern Ireland General Revaluation Books: Annual Revision Lists, 1936-57 – VAL/3/C/3/13
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1857 – OS/6/1/60/2
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1901 – OS/6/1/60/3
Ordnance Survey 1:1056 map, 1905 – OS/8/30/5/76
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1920-31 – OS/6/1/60/4

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
First Survey Record – HB/26/24/004

Published
Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory, 1870-1887
Belfast Newsletter, 27 April 1867, 16 May 1870, 30 May 1872, 23 January 1888, 24 September 1890
C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of Belfast (revised edition Belfast, 1985)
Neal Garnham, Association Football and Society in Pre-Partition Ireland (Belfast, 2004)

Ulster Historical Foundation
Birth, marriage and death databases

Online sources
Dictionary of Irish Architects: www.dia.ie – which
references Architect, 27 Jan 1888, suppl. p. 2
1901 and 1911 census returns: www.census.nationalarchives.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey with attic High-Victorian building from c1888 to designs by architect John Joseph McDonnell, with rendered front elevation in elaborate stucco decoration. The building suffered extensive bomb-damage in the 1970s causing the loss of much of its interior and the W part of its principal elevation, which has been rebuilt to reflect the original detailing and scale of the building. Although of local interest, the re-built elevation is much simplified and lacks the craftsmanship and detail of the former, and It is not considered of special interest.