26 COLLEGE GREEN

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey with attic red brick end-of-terrace house, built 1870-71 and located at the corner of Rugby Road and College Green, NE of the main quad at Queens University, Belfast. Group value with adjoining No.24 College Green (HB26 27 032K), the two houses interlock in plan, both originally ‘L’ shaped with 2-storey returns. The pair read as a symmetrical composition and form a bookend to a longer Victorian terrace incorporating No.2 – 26 inclusive, within Queens Conservation Area, Belfast. Now used as the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, associated with the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church (HB26 27 004) directly opposite. Unlike the adjoining property, No.26 retains its original two-storey gabled return, built at half-landing level and centred on the rear elevation.

Natural slate duo-pitched roof with black clay ridge tiles, including return. Half-hipped at gable end. Red brick chimney, rectangular on plan and shared with No.24, centred on ridge and comprised of three stacks with chamfered edges and shared corbelled brick cap. The chimney has three square-based yellow clay pots with pointed arched tops that resemble bishop’s hats. Corbelled brick eaves to front (S), comprised of one row header, one row stretcher and one row alternating angled bricks. Simpler projecting angled brick eaves to rear. Eaves to front and back terminate in moulded kneeler stones that support lead-clad raised copings to E gable end; that to front (S) is more decorative with raised club motif.
Small duo-pitched dormer with slated cheeks to front pitch and similar dormer to rear, both timber framed.

MATERIALS -
ROOF: Natural slate, including return & dormers. Lead roof to canted bay (S), square projection (N). Mineral felt sheet to single storey flat roofed canted bay (E) & external store (NE).
RWGS: Cast aluminium (replacement) ogee profile gutters (S); cast iron elsewhere.
WALLS: Red brick in Flemish bond (S) and English Garden Wall bond (N).
WINDOWS: Single glazed timber framed sliding sash with 1/1 panes (S & E); mix of steel framed ‘Crittal-type’ windows, timber casements and sliding sashes to N & return – refer to description below.

South Elevation
The south elevation is the principal façade. Asymmetrical and formally arranged with entrance to left and two-storey canted bay to right side. Entrance raised three steps above pavement level. Square headed nine-panelled timber framed entrance door with raised and fielded panels in bolection moulding and gothic arched over-light and surround. Surround decorated with moulded leaf band set within archivolt and supported on impost blocks and grey marble colonnettes; latter have Corinthian-style capitals and simple moulded base, all on substantial plinth. Apart from colonnettes, surround is set flush with brick walling and entirely painted – as other painted dressings, probably combined stucco and dressed stone below paint.
Continuous projecting brick plinth either side of entrance, with chamfered stone top and continuous string course between first floor window heads, both painted. Continuous brick string course of headers in alternating depth topped by terracotta tile between ground and first floor. Similar detail between first floor and attic, where string course consists of alternating straight and angled headers between two rows of terracotta tiles. Glazed ceramic black and white tiled street sign, with lettering ‘College Green’ wall-mounted near E corner at first floor level.
All openings have stop chamfered head and jamb detail and cavetto moulding to underside of cills. Single window aligned above entrance at first floor, with painted cill and slightly cambered lintel having simple keystone. Historic glass noted to bottom sash. Relieving arch formed in brick headers above lintel. Canted bay has three windows each to ground and first floor and continuous painted cills and lintels.
Duo-pitched dormer centred above canted bay, meticulously detailed with paired fixed lights, stop-chamfer detail to timber framing, projecting bargeboard supported on exposed ridge and eaves beams with carved ends, sheeted timber spandrel (diagonal) above windows and exposed sheeted timber soffit, all painted. Slated cheeks.

East Elevation
Gable end with half-hipped roof overlooks Rugby Road. Asymmetrical: external staggered and tapered chimneybreast off-centred to left, capped and slated over at verge; and two-storey square-based projection to right side, abutted by single-storey canted bay. Two round-arched attic windows: one more or less centred on gable and the other aligned over projecting bay.
Plinth and string course between ground and first floor continued from main facade. String course between first floor and attic continues as far as chimneybreast only. Additional string course of two terracotta tiles between attic windows.

North Elevation
Largely symmetrical with two-storey high central gabled return and flat roofed abutment to NE re-entrant corner, built in matching red brick and appears contemporary. Informally arranged openings; the rear is one bay wider than front and detailed plainly by comparison, with simple soldier coursed headers and projecting stone cills.
Main building: at ground floor, sheeted timber door within flat roofed store to left and sliding sash window with 6/6 panes, likely original, to right of return; at first floor, tripartite steel framed window aligned with sash window below. Above return, small tripartite single-glazed timber framed window lights half-landing to attic.
Return: flush modern painted door at ground floor flanked by two steel-framed single glazed casement windows; one large segmental arched sliding sash window, 1/1 with margin panes, centred on gable apex and a further sliding sash window to right. Clipped eaves.
East and west faces of return are similar, with informally arranged smaller windows. To east, above flat roofed store, two small steel framed casement windows at first floor, both with top hung night vents. To west, two small windows offset to right: timber framed single-glazed casement at ground floor and sliding sash at first floor. As with all other sliding sash windows, the latter is single glazed and likely original.

The corner of Rugby Road and College Green is enhanced by a curved red brick wall, which encloses a yard to the NE of this property. Wall formed in red brick headers with chamfered plinth and large indented panels that culminate in dentilled brick flat arches along Rugby Road; substantial stone coping; blocked opening to S face possibly served as a secondary entrance – soldier coursed brick headers and stone threshold step remain in place. Plainer red brick walling to College Green Mews, replaced in part with large structural opening framed in concrete to E and ledged and braced sheeted timber gate to W side. Smooth rendered walling to remaining boundary at College Green and Rugby Road, with matching rendered piers between metal railings (modern). Graded paving to east side of house forms ramped access to front entrance. Concrete steps provide access from College Green, with tubular metal handrails (painted).

Historical information

College Green was laid out in 1866 on what was then the semi-rural ‘Plains’ of Malone, the land east of the recently-established Queen’s College (completed 1849) and around and beyond the Union Theological College (completed 1853). The foundation of Queen’s prompted several decades of development in the vicinity, with regularly-planned streets filled with mainly High Victorian terraced housing for the professional and merchant classes moving southwards beyond the confines of a rapidly commercialising and industrialising centre of Belfast. The present nos.6-8 were the first to be built along the new thoroughfare in 1866, with nos.2-4, College Green House, (originally ‘Culfeightrin House’, rebuilt c.1882), and nos.24-26 next in 1870-71, 10-12 and 20-22 in 1876 and 14-18 in 1878. The street was originally conceived as part of Fitzroy Avenue (which stretches off eastwards beyond the intersection of what is now Rugby Road) and was considered as such for the first few decades of its existence, with the name ‘College Green’ applied only to Culfeightrin House and nos.2-8 on the 1871-73 OS map.

No.26 No.26 dates from 1870-71 and appears to have been built by the estate of the late Robert Corry, the Belfast timber merchant who had developed part of College Green in the mid-1860s, and previous to this in the 1840s and 1850s, Upper and Lower Crescent. The identity of the architect is uncertain.

The original occupant seems to have been William Crawford who leased both this property and neighbouring no.24 from Corry’s estate. Mr. Crawford appears to have died in the mid-1880s and the lease passed to his wife and, in c.1894, to Miss Emily Crawford (presumably a daughter), who in the 1901 census she was occupying the house with her sister and a domestic servant, with the building itself noted as a ‘first class’ dwelling with 13 rooms in use. In c.1906 the property passed to William McVicker, a leather merchant, who remained until c.1909. By 1911 Miss Emily S. Montgomery had become the householder, retaining the property into the early 1960s. Sometime between 1965 and 1969 the house was acquired by the Presbyterian Church.

The building was listed in 1979 and presently serves as the offices for the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland.

References – Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL12B/43/A/4, 14, 27, 42, 45 (1864-1930)
4 Belfast Street Directories (various dates, 1870-1996)
5 OS town plans of Belfast, 1871-73, 1884
8 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [online - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/]

Secondary sources
1 Carleton, S.T., ‘The growth of South Belfast’ MA Thesis (QUB, 1967)

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
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey with attic red-brick late-Victorian house, built 1870-71 and facing south on College Green, NE of the main quad at Queens University, Belfast. Group value with adjoining No.24 College Green (HB26 27 032K), the pair interlock in plan and read as a symmetrical composition, forming a bookend to a longer terrace, incorporating No.2 – 26 inclusive, within Queens Conservation Area, Belfast. Now used as the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, associated with the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church (HB26 27 004) directly opposite. The building is well articuated with formally arranged openings to both public facades and a decorative gothic arched doorcase marks the entrance. Inside, the plan form and remains largely intact together with some historic detailing. Unlike the adjoining property, No.26 retains its original two-storey gabled return and distinctive curved boundary walling along Rugby Road, both of which further augment its character.