71 University St

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three-storey, High Victorian, mid-terraced, brick former townhouse of 1878-79 with pitched roof with a conical roof over bowed bay and a truncated chateau roof over square bay. One of a terrace of five, No 71 is the middle building and is flanked by No 69 University Street (HB26/27/046B) on right, with which No 71 is now linked internally, and No 73 (HB26/27/046D) on the left. Rectangular on plan, the terrace faces north and lines the south side of University Street, a long thoroughfare which runs between University Road on the west side and Ormeau Road on the east, within the Botanic Avenue Area of Townscape Character. Two storey flat roofed twentieth century building (c.1980s) built at rear and accessed via No 69. Nos 69 & 71 are now in use as offices for the School of Education at Queen’s University.

Materials:
Roof Natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles
Walls Red brick (Flemish bond), header bond to bowed window, painted stone, painted stucco.
Rainwater goods Painted metal downpipe to front / cast iron guttering to front/ PVC to rear
Windows Timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed (possibly replaced).

Front Elevation (N):
Three storey brick façade built in Flemish bond with a centrally located former front entrance (now a window), flanked on left side by a three storey bowed bay with conical slate roof and a three storey shallow square bay on right with a truncated chateau roof. Pitched natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimneys to both left and right sides, shared with neighbours.
All windows to the front are single-glazed 1/1 timber sliding sash with horns and are possibly replacements.
Each storey of the bowed bay on left side has a painted stone surround to three large square-headed window openings with plain engaged painted sandstone capitals at shoulder height and rounded-edge mouldings above the capitals. Continuous painted stone cill course. Each level is separated by brick laid in header coursing. Rough coursed sandstone with chamfered painted stone coping to plinth below brickwork.
The bow culminates in a natural slate conical roof with a decorative lead apron and cast iron finial above a decorative stuccoed eaves band with fleur-de-lis motif.
The former doorway in centre has been altered to become a window opening with the section below the window infilled in Flemish bond brick coursing, beneath a painted round-edged stone cill. The surround remains largely intact; segmental headed painted sandstone arch with carved edges above corner colonettes with simplified foliated capitals to each side. In place of the tall raised chamfered stone bases (as per No 69), the colonettes rest on rough rendered and painted quoins above brickwork.
On first floor level, and aligned with the former doorway below are two narrow window openings within a painted stone surround with Corinthian-type decorative plaster capitals and chamfered stone bases, but with the column shafts missing. The chamfered stone bases remain.
Above on second floor level is a centrally located diminutive window opening with a carved stone surround. Decorative eaves within middle section between bowed bay on left and square bay on right with carved stone brackets above a stone string course.
The shallow square right side bay has two large window openings within a painted stone surround with painted stone corner colonettes on each level. Ground floor level has Doric-type capitals and chamfered stone bases, first and second floor levels have decorative Corinthian-type capitals, chamfered stone bases, but with the column shafts missing. Rough coursed sandstone with chamfered painted stone coping to plinth below brickwork.
The square bay is topped with a truncated chateau roof with fish scale bands in natural Welsh slate and a decorative lead apron to top flat section. Decorative stuccoed eaves band with curving leaf motif.
Continuous painted stone cill courses to all floors.

Pitched natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick two-stage chimney stacks to right and left (both rebuilt), centred on ridge with corbel detailing and multiple yellow clay pots with triangular tops, both built in stretcher bond.
Ogee cast iron guttering to front, discharging from conical and chateau roofs to gutter in central section and then to painted metal downpipes.

Nos 69-73 sit behind an original low heavy coursed rough sandstone wall with a painted cut stone coping which runs between original painted sandstone piers with square bases, diminutive engaged corner colonettes with Corinthian-like capitals and a square chamfered coping. Replacement painted metal railings along frontage. Path between piers in centre leads to disabled ramp access within former front garden area, modern paving flanked by heavy coursed pink sandstone walling with cut stone coping. Ramp rises from front of No 71 to the right, curves around bowed bay of No 69, leading to front door of No 69, now main entrance to both Nos 69 and 71.

Side Elevation (W):
Fully abutted by Nos 69 University Street (HB26/27/046B).

Side Elevation €:
Fully abutted by No 73 University Street (HB26/27/046D).

Rear Elevation (S):
Three storey brick façade in Flemish bond with painted render section to left side of ground and first floor levels. No rear return or extension. Shared courtyard enclosed by rear elevation, two storey flat roofed c.1980s extension on left side (of little interest to this survey), continuation of modern building on south side and rear return of No 73 University Street on right side. Concrete paving slabs to courtyard on both upper and lower levels, with brick retaining walls forming edges and large planters for shrubs and trees.

Three storey advanced shallow square bay with pitched roof to right side; bay consists of a wide opening on ground floor level containing double doors with plain overlights, and two window openings above on both first and second floor levels; the second floor window openings extend as a wall-head dormer.
Left section of elevation has two high-level top-hung windows to ground floor to left and centre, and a wide opening to right side containing a door within a glazed screen. First floor level has a single window on left side and narrow paired windows at half landing height on right side. Second floor level has a single opening on left side within a wall-head dormer and narrow paired windows on right side at second floor half landing level.
Both dormers have a pitched natural Welsh slate roof, painted timber barge boards with decorative brackets with knopps and cross-tie members, exposed rafter ends to sides.
All windows to rear are uPVC. Splayed brick heads to rear openings. Corbelled and bevelled brick eaves. Pitched natural slate roof to rear slope of roof. Black clay ridge tiles. Plastic rainwater goods to rear.

Two storey extension and building to rear backs onto College Green Mews, which runs between Botanic Avenue on the west side and Rugby Road on the east. The south side of College Green Mews is backed onto by the rear boundary walls and extensions of the houses along College Green (HB26/27/032A-L) to the south.

Historical information

University Street was only laid out as far east as Botanic Avenue on the OS second edition (1857) and its plots were undeveloped. The fully-developed street first appears on the third edition of 1901 including the terrace called Princess Gardens built 1878-79, of which No. 3 is now No. 71 University Street. The terrace forms part of the late-nineteenth century developments of the suburb around Queen’s College, lying between Botanic Avenue and Fitzroy Presbyterian Church (HB26/27/050). The terrace was built by the developer Robert Corry and the lease was held by William Gabbey who sublet the properties individually. Gabbey was a builder and contractor who ran the Hope St Steam Saw Mills and Joinery Works. When they first appear in the valuation records in 1878, No. 3 was occupied by David Allen and valued at £85, valued down to £80 in 1880. Allen occupied the house until c.1900. His printing firm, D. Allen and Son, was founded in 1857 and had premises in Corporation Street from 1884. In 1910 they were advertising themselves as the world’s largest placard manufacturer and had offices in Leicester Square, London, and agencies in New York, Melbourne and Sydney. David Allen is recorded as a Justice of the Peace in 1900. The Belfast Revaluation notes that in 1900 the house was still sublet by William Gabbey and occupied by a seed merchant called Alexander Bryce. It was valued at £73, with 11 bedrooms or sitting rooms excluding the kitchen, and its original construction cost is given as £1394. Around 1918 the house was purchased by the ladies’ school based next door at No. 4 (now No. 69) and the two houses knocked together to become Princess Gardens School. The school had been founded in Lisburn in 1862 by Mrs William Steen Hunter and moved into Princess Gardens in 1887, under the leadership of her daughter Hannah Hunter. The school later merged with Ashleigh House School in 1987 to become Hunterhouse College taking its name in part from this foundress. No. 71 presently serves as part of the Queen’s University School of Education.
Resources
Primary Resources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/60/4 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey (1901-02)
4. PRONI OS/11/147/1 – 25” Irish Grid Series (1958-1959)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/43 + 44 – Annual Revisions (1865-1930)
6. PRONI VAL/7/B/3 – Belfast Revaluation Records (1900)
7. Belfast Street Directories (1850-1960)

Secondary Sources:
1. Dixon, Hugh, Evans, David “Historic Buildings and Groups of Buildings in the Vicinity of Queen’s University Belfast” UAHS, (1975)
2. Larmour, Paul “The Architectural Heritage of Malone and Stranmillis” UAHS (1991)
3. Schwertfeger, Ruth “The Wee Wild One: Stories of Belfast and Beyond” University of Wisconsin (2004)

Online Sources
http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/supplementary_guidance/conservation/conservation_map/conservation-queens.pdf
http://www.hidden-gems.eu/Lisburn%20-%20Seymour%20House.pdf

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed
Not listed
Not listed
Not listed

Evaluation

Three-storey, High Victorian, mid-terraced, brick, townhouse of 1878-79, now offices. One of a terrace of five, No 71 is the middle building and is flanked by No 69 University Street (HB26/27/046B) on right, with which No 71 is now linked internally, and No 73 (HB26/27/046D) on left. It is now in use as offices for the School of Education at Queen’s University, and has been refurbished for this means with some alterations to the original plan form including the replacement of the original staircase. Despite the retention of some interior historic features, and the character and detailing to the front façade, with the loss of the staircase, the loss of the front entrance and the integration with No 69, the authenticity and intactness of the building have been reduced and it therefore is not of sufficient architectural interest to merit listing.