1 College Park East, Belfast, BT7 1PS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

High Victorian two and a half storey red brick end of terrace house, with entrance to longer side elevation; built 1869 to a design by Young & MacKenzie and now used as university offices. Located at the junction of College Park East and University Avenue with entrance facing N into latter, it is part of a mixed row of six (HB26/27/064A-F), with similarly styled neighbours nos.2-3 of same date. The whole terrace, (along with ‘Hope House’ in College Park to the SE) is now integrated internally. To the rear is a small two storey return and former yard with attached single storey outbuildings, which back onto a wide alleyway (which, along with those of the neighbouring buildings, now functions as a small car park) running along the rear of the whole terrace. College Park East is located immediately south of Union Theological College (HB26/27/004) and to the east of the main buildings of Queen’s University (HB26/27/005).

Materials:
Roof: Natural Welsh slate
Walls: Red brick in Flemish bond
Windows: Timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed (likely to be replacements)
RWGs: Cast iron

The main block is basically rectangular on an E-W axis with the ends gabled. The narrow (W) front forms part of the frontage of terrace and has a two-storey canted flat-roofed bay, whilst that to E (rear) has a lower two-storey gabled projection which is abutted to E by an L-shaped row of single-storey lean-to sheds. The S ‘yard-facing’ side of the main block has a flat-roofed single-storey extension which covers this part of the yard and links to the return of no.2. The rest of the yard (which, along with those of the neighbouring buildings, now functions as a small car park) is open to the entry which runs along the rear of the terrace.
Small garden to front now paved with concrete paving stones. Painted plinth wall to street with replacement painted metal railings.

Walls are in Flemish bond brickwork with simple brick eaves detailing to part of N facade, with street-facing windows having bevelled brick relieving arch and reveal detailing with painted stone header ‘bands’ to the bay, a decorative brick and terracotta band between floor levels, and a painted stone base course. The long N facade merges (to E) with a tall brick wall with a pierced brick and stone parapet with stone coping. Walls facing into yard are without any of the above detailing. Window openings have a mixture of shallow segmental, flat and semicircular heads with painted stone sills and (mainly) 1/1 timber sash frames with horns. The overhanging roof is slated with black clay ridge tiles, exposed rafter ends to N, timber bargeboards to E & W, those to the bay and dormer having simple decoration. Four brick chimneystacks (one shared with no.2.)

N elevation – Four openings to each floor with centrally-located wall-head dormer to attic level. Entrance (second from right on ground floor) consists of tall semicircular opening with entirely stone surround including ¾ column jambs with tall bases and Corinthian-like foliate capitals, painted brick reveal and recessed panelled timber door which sits forward of its original position and is no longer in use. Two window openings to left of entrance and one to right, with four openings in line with all of these to first floor. Half-dormer has semicircular-headed opening with replacement casement frame.

W elevation - Bay has window openings to each facet on each floor. Attic level has paired semicircular-headed openings with central ¾ colonette with ‘twisted’ shaft.

E elevation – Ground level of gabled projection is covered by the lean-to shed that to the S merges with the extension linking to the return of no.2. The latter has a small window and doorway with recent flat panel door (with similar doors to the S –facing part of the shed). To the upper (i.e. landing) level of the projection are three windows of similar height but different widths. That to the far left (which lights the stairwell) has shouldered corners and a margin paned sash frame with coloured and patterned glazing, whilst the rest have flat heads and more regular 2/2 sash frames. To the upper landing level on the main body of the building above the projection there is another window to left, with a smaller one to right on the uppermost floor.

S elevation - There is a first floor window to left and another at landing level to far right, (within the projection), similar to that to left on the E elevation.

Historical information

College Park East, originally simply known as ‘College Park’, was laid out in or shortly before 1864 on what was up to then the edge of the still semi-rural ‘Plains’ of Malone, just east and south of the recently-established Queen’s College (completed 1849) and Union Theological College (completed 1853). The foundation of Queen’s in particular prompted several decades of development in the vicinity, with regularly-planned streets filled largely with 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 (approximately) centrally-positioned No.4, built in 1864, was the first of this terrace to be completed, with nos.1-3 and 5-6 following in 1869 and ‘Hope House’, (not strictly part of the row, but directly abutting the rear of No.6), in 1873. Nos.1-3 appear to have been developed by William Sherrie (a brush manufacturer, with premises in North Street), no.4 by Alexander Holmes, and nos.5-6 and ‘Hope House’ by Matthew Pattison. A tender ‘for making streets in College park East’ was advertised by Young & MacKenzie in August 1870 and this firm was indeed responsible for the design of this house and its neighbours.

[Note – The property to the north end of the terrace, present no.1 College Park East, faces into the latter but is actually accessed from University Avenue. Consequently the initial (1870s-early 80s)
references to the row in both the street directories and the valuations are confusing, as some include the property as part of College Park East, and others as part of University Avenue with discrepancies in the street numbering as a result. Due to this it is difficult to trace the earliest occupants of the terrace with accuracy as we cannot be wholly certain as to which house the various sources are actually referring.]

‘No.1 College Park East’ is recorded as vacant in an 1870 annotation to the valuation revision book, with the earliest street directory to cover the terrace - that for 1877 - listing John Charley, as living there; in the aforementioned directory he is noted as the occupant of 'no.2'. In the next - 1880 - directory the terrace commences with no.2, with no mention no.1 at all, with all of the properties recorded in University venue seemingly all of those actually in located in College Park (the site of the present car park west of College Park East and the ground to the south where the McClay Library now stands). The following - 1884 – directory makes no reference to no.1 either, but does refer a single house within University Avenue in the hands of R. McGeagh, which would appear to be no.1 as ‘Robert McGeagh, flax merchant’ is named as the occupant when ‘No.1 College Park East’ reappears in the succeeding directory of 1887. Thereafter the residents can be tracked with more certainty, with James Riddell moving in c.1891 and W.W. Brydon in c.1896.

The building was up for let again in 1898, the Belfast Telegraph advertisement describing it as a ‘Well situated house…containing three reception rooms, five bedrooms, bath, lavatory etc…now being done up.’ Martin Lynass, an accountant, had taken up the lease by 1900 and remained there until c.1906 when it passed to Alfred Thomson (‘yarn and linen agent’). William MacMillan is noted as head of household in the 1911 census, residing there with his wife, Margaret, their three grown-up children and a house guest. For a period during WWI the property served as a ‘nurses’ home in connection with [the] UVF Hospital’, but by at least 1923 had reverted to a private dwelling once again, occupied by an M[?] Bradshaw. At some point between this and c.1940 the building appears to have served as the residence for the Principal of the neighbouring Theological College house, but in 1941 following the destruction of their HQ Chichester Street, the College was requisitioned to serve as the temporary RUC headquarters, with 1 College Park East used to house police trainees.

Both buildings were handed back in May 1948, and by 1955 No.1 was being used as a private nursing home, run by a Miss Elizabeth Bradshaw, (probably a relation of the previous occupants of the early 1920s, and someone who may have been associated in some way with the building’s role during WWI). It remained as such until c.1962, when both it and neighbouring No.2 had become the ‘Queen’s District Nurses’ Home’ for the Belfast County Borough Health Committee; by 1980 both Nos.1-2 are noted simply as ‘Community Health Services’. By 1990 both had come into the ownership of QUB, being utilised for a number years as temporary premises for the university’s Department of Modern History. No.1 is now integrated internally with the rest of the terrace with the whole presently serving as the offices for the QUB School of Sociology, Social Policy & Social Work.

References – Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL12B/43/A/4, 14, 27, 42, 45 (1864-1930)
2 Belfast Street Directories (various dates, 1870-1990)
3 Belfast News-Letter (3 Sept.1869)
4 Northern Whig (19 Aug. 1870, 8 April 1948)
5 Belfast Telegraph (28 Oct. 1898)

Secondary sources
1 Carleton, S.T., ‘The growth of South Belfast’ MA Thesis (QUB, 1967)
2 Harron, Paul, ‘Architects of Ulster: Young & MacKenzie...’, (Belfast, UAHS, 2016), pp.216, 302 [Harron states that the whole terrace was developed by William Sherrie, but the valuation books and contemporary newspaper notices suggest he was only responsible for nos.1-3.]

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
U. Historic Associations
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

High Victorian, two-and-a-half-storey, red brick, end of terrace former house, constructed to the designs of Young & MacKenzie in 1869, located at the junction of University Avenue and College Park East, immediately south of Union Theological College (HB26/27/004) in the Queen’s University area of South Belfast. No.1 is part of a mixed row of six, with No.4 being the first of the terrace to be completed in 1864, followed by Nos 1-3 and 5-6 in 1869 and then ‘Hope House’, which directly abuts the rear of No.6, in 1873. The whole terrace is now integrated internally and is now used as university offices. The original entrance onto University Avenue is no longer used and No.1 is now accessed through No 2. Despite this change, the original staircase and much of the original floor plan remains internally. The exterior retains much original character, proportions and detailing with its fine doorway with Corinthian-like foliate capitals and the tall brick wall extending along University Avenue with pierced brick top. The building has had varied uses over the years including serving as a nurses’ home in connection with the UVF Hospital during WWI, then between 1925-1940 it served as the the Principal's residence of the neighbouring Theological College house, and in 1941 it housed police trainees. The terrace has strong value as a group (HB26/27/064A-F) and the dual aspect onto both College Park East and University Avenue adds significant character to its setting within the University area.