73 University Street, Belfast BT7 1HB

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 73 is the second from left and is flanked by No 71 University Street (HB26/27/046C) on right, and No 75 (HB26/27/046E – Ibis Hotel) 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. Original two storey return to rear. No 73 University Street is now in use as offices for the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

Materials:
Roof : Natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles / artificial slate to rear return / roofing felt to rear hall and flat roof extension to rear
Walls : Red brick (Flemish bond), painted stone, painted stucco / red brick to hall at rear
Rainwater goods: Painted metal downpipe (N) / cast iron guttering (N) / PVC rainwater goods & some cast iron (S)
Windows: Timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed (possibly original) (N) / some metal casement windows to rear (S)

Front Elevation (N):
Three storey brick façade built in Flemish bond with a centrally located front entrance, 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 original, with the exception of the GF curved bay where the windows have been recently replaced with uPVC top hung windows.

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 sandstone coping to plinth below brickwork.
The bow culminates in a natural Welsh slate conical roof with a decorative lead apron and cast iron finial above a decorative stuccoed eaves band with fleur-de-lis motif.
The doorway in centre has a segmental headed painted sandstone arch with carved edges above corner colonettes with capitals depicting heads to each side on tall raised chamfered stone bases.
Original raised and fielded panelled timber door with original door handle, bell and letterbox.
On first floor level, and aligned with the doorway below are two narrow window openings within a painted stone surround with stylised Composite decorative plaster capitals, circular colonettes and chamfered stone bases.
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 foliated fern-leaf and foliated capitals and chamfered stone bases, first and second floor levels have stylised Composite capitals and chamfered stone bases. Rough coursed sandstone with chamfered sandstone 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 slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimney stacks to right and left; chimney to right side has been rebuilt - centred on ridge with corbel detailing and multiple yellow clay pots with triangular tops, built in stretcher bond. Left side chimney is original and is built in three-stages with decorative yellow brick inset panels and brick corbelling to top two stages, multiple yellow clay pots. Ogee cast iron guttering to front, discharging from conical and chateau roofs to gutter in central section and then to square section 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 and replacement metal gate. Modern paving slabs to path which leads to five replacement reconstituted steps between replacement painted rendered plinth walls with modern metal handrails. Left side of steps now incorporates disabled platform lift. Former front gardens either side of path now flagged in paving stones.

Side Elevation (W):
Fully abutted by No 71 University Street (HB26/27/046C).

Side Elevation €:
Fully abutted by No 75 University Street (HB26/27/046E – Ibis Hotel).

Rear Elevation (S):
Two and a half storey brick façade in Flemish bond abutted to left of centre by an original two storey brick return with pitched roof that hips towards main rear elevation, built at half landing height. Return is further abutted by a large red brick hall (on its S side) built in stretcher bond, with a shallow pitched roof in roofing felt, extending to the rear boundary with College Green Mews. Long thin yard to left (W) side with boundary of No 71. Former yard to right side of rear return now infilled with single storey flat roof extension with raised plastic skylights.
Pitched natural Welsh slate roof to rear slope of roof with black clay ridge tiles. Catslide and wall-head dormer roofs also have natural Welsh slate roofs. Dormers have painted timber barge boards with decorative brackets with knopps and cross-tie members, exposed rafter ends to sides. Original rear return has replacement artificial slate roof.
PVC gutters to rear elevation, generally painted cast iron downpipes.
Splayed brick heads to all rear openings with exception of metal windows to second floor level, and ground floor window onto yard. Corbelled and bevelled brick eaves. Stone cills to all windows with exception of metal windows on second floor and ground floor window in yard.

Main rear elevation has a window opening on ground floor level to left side within yard (replacement PVC), a single window opening above on first floor (2/2 timber sliding sash) and two window openings above on second floor (metal casement). The latter windows sit under a catslide roof which appears to have been altered during the c1950s-60s. Two tall windows to first floor landing to right side of rear return (timber fixed pane with stained glass), and three storey advanced shallow square bay with pitched roof to right side; high level window opening on ground floor level (timber) (above flat roof of single storey extension), and two window openings above on both first (2/2 timber sliding sash) and second floor levels (PVC); the second floor window openings extend as a wall-head dormer.

Small light well located to SW corner of flat roof infill extension (on E side of rear return) has metal windows to toilets and cast iron downpipes.

West elevation of rear return (onto yard) - on ground floor level, from left to right – a metal casement window, timber sheeted door with metal grilles, a further sheeted timber door, PVC window to kitchen; all openings with exposed concrete lintels and concrete cills to window openings. On first floor level, from left to right – a 1/1 timber sliding sash window with stone cill and splayed brick heads and a smaller metal window with pivot top pane and obscure glass within a plain concrete surround and concrete cill. PVC guttering and downpipe.
Rear gable (S) elevation of original rear return is exposed to first floor level only and is blank with a clipped verge.
E elevation of original rear return is exposed to first floor level only and has two window openings on left side with timber 1/1 sliding sash windows with stone cills and splayed brick heads, and a single opening to right side at first floor half landing level, with a fixed pane timber stained glass window. Metal gutter, cast iron downpipe. Windows look onto flat roof over ground floor toilets (G09) – roofing felt with raised plastic skylights.

West elevation of hall (onto yard) – opening to extreme right side with sheeted timber fire escape doors; timber clerestory windows running full length of hall, concrete cill, painted timber fascia; PVC guttering, metal downpipe to right hand side; surface mounted pipes.
Sheeted metal double doors with concrete head in south wall of yard leading out into College Green Mews.
East elevation of hall abutted by extension to rear of No 75 University Street, and only exposed at clerestory window level; PVC guttering.
North elevation of hall exposed to E side only at first floor level and is blank with painted timber fascia.

Blank brick rear wall of hall (S) 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. 2 is now No. 73 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 developed by the timber merchant 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. 2 was occupied by William Cameron and valued at £85, valued down to £80 in 1880. Cameron was a solicitor who practised at the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Buildings and lived in University Street until 1887. Another resident is also listed in the Street Directories in the mid-1880s called John Rogers, a local councillor whose trade was described as “Wireworker, Patent Felt and Grease Manufacturer” at 79 Victoria Street. After a period of vacancy from 1887, Gabbey himself is listed as the occupier from c.1890-1906. The house is recorded in the Belfast Revaluation as having 11 sitting rooms or bedrooms excluding the kitchen and valued at £75, with its original cost of construction being about £1475. It was vacant in 1907 before being occupied by Clyde Kirkwood, possibly a manufacturer of cast-iron drain covers, from 1907-1915, who was replaced by a linen merchant called James Brady from c.1918-1932. The building has been home to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland since 1933 who employed Thomas Houston to undertake substantial alterations in that year. It was the first permanent headquarters for the Society which had been founded in 1925. When opened by the Minister of Home Affairs, the refurbished building provided a council room and secretary’s office (GF), assembly room, library and lounge (FF), and a museum and committee rooms (SF). A lecture hall was added in 1963.
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. D’Arcy, P.F., and Gorman, W., “The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland: A Short History 1925-1975” (1975).
Online Sources
http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/supplementary_guidance/conservation/conservation_map/conservation-queens.pdf
https://www.dia.ie/works/view/47398/CO.+ANTRIM%2C+BELFAST%2C+UNIVERSITY+STREET%2C+NO.+073+%28PHARMACEUTICAL+SOCIETY+OF+NORTHERN+IRELAND%29

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Three-storey, High Victorian, mid-terraced, red brick and painted stone townhouse of 1878-79, now offices. One of a terrace of five, No 73 is the second from left and is flanked by No 71 University Street (HB26/27/046C) on right, and No 75 (HB26/27/046E – Ibis Hotel) 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. Since the 1930s it has served as offices for the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. Both the interior and exterior retain much original character, proportions and detailing as is evident with the conical roof over bowed bay and the truncated chateau roof over square bay to the front elevation. The setting within the Queen’s University area is enhanced by its presence, adding significant character to the Botanic Avenue Area of Townscape Character.