3 College Park East, Belfast, BT7 1PS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

High Victorian two and a half storey red brick mid terrace double-fronted former house, now used as university offices; built 1869 to a design by Young & MacKenzie. The terrace is located at the junction of College Park East and University Avenue with front elevation facing W onto College Park East. It is part of a mixed row of six, with similarly styled neighbours Nos 1 & 2 of the same date, with No 2 (HB26/27/064B) on its north side and No 4 (HB26/27/064D) on its south. The whole terrace, (along with ‘Hope House’ in College Park to the SE) is now integrated internally. To the rear is a two storey return and yard, 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). The front elevation overlooks a university car park.

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

Front elevation (W):
Walls are in Flemish bond brickwork with deep corbelled brick eaves detailing to W facade below a natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimney to right side with no concrete coping and no pots visible, attached to chimney of No 4. Decorative brick and terracotta band between first and second floor levels, and a painted stone plinth with brick below.
The front elevation is double fronted with paired openings to left of front door on GF & FF levels and a timber dormer with replacement six-pane timber windows (bottom panes are top-hung) above at attic level. In the centre there is a single window opening at FF level aligned with front door below. On the right side is a two storey lead flat-roofed canted bay with a wall-head dormer above at attic level with replacement six-pane timber top-hung windows above under a modern brick soldier header course. Both dormers have decorative timber bargeboards, pointed timber finials and exposed rafter ends. The smaller dormer to left side is timber clad and the dormer cheeks appear to be painted timber on right side and possibly lead to left. The cheeks of the wall head dormer are partially brick and partially lead (where seen).
Centrally located entrance consists of tall segmental arched 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 with plain fanlight over.
All windows, apart from the replacement dormer windows are 1/1 single-glazed, timber sliding sash with horns and are likely to be replacements. Ground and first floor windows to left and above front door have bevelled brick relieving arches and chamfered brick reveals while the canted bay windows have painted stone header ‘bands’.
Rainwater goods are cast iron.
Small garden to front now paved with concrete paving stones, replacement tiled steps and modern wheelchair ramps with metal railings leading to No 2. Painted plinth wall to street with replacement painted metal railings.

Side elevation (N):
Fully abutted by No 2 (HB26/27/064B) to the north side.

Side elevation (S):
Fully abutted by No 4 (HB26/27/064D) to the south side.

Rear elevation (E):
The rear elevation of the main block is abutted centrally by an original two storey return, both roofed in natural Welsh slate. The original yards to left (south) and right (north) remain and are enclosed by the rear yard walls.
On the left side of the rear return, on the main block rear elevation is a 1/1 window to GF, 2/2 to FF and a modern flat roofed dormer at attic level with a triple timber casement window.
The south face of the rear return (onto the south yard) has three openings at ground floor level; from left to right - a modern timber and glass door, a 2/2 window with frosted glass and an extractor fan in upper left pane and then a high-level wide opening with a painted rendered head and two timber top-hung windows within a painted insert panel. The first floor consists of five windows openings of various widths, all 2/2 windows with the exception of the second from right which is 1/1 and smaller than the rest. The yard is formed by the rear wall of the main block, the south facing wall of the rear return, a modern red brick wall with modern double timber fire doors leading to the rear car park and the two storey wall of a modern building behind Nos 4-5.
On the right side of the rear return, on the main block rear elevation is a single-storey lean-to with hip to left side with an artificial slate roof and large six-pane timber windows behind metal bars at ground floor level. Above on FF level there is a 2/2 window and at attic level a modern flat roofed dormer with a triple timber casement window, identical to that on the left side.
The north face of the rear return (onto the north yard - no access – viewed through windows) consists of a door on extreme right of GF (not seen), and two 2/2 windows to left, both with frosted glass. The first floor has a wider 1/1 timber sliding sash landing window with rounded corners, and two windows to the left, the one on extreme left being 1/1 and smaller than the other, which is 2/2. The yard is formed by the rear wall of the main block, the north facing wall of the rear return, the rear yard brick wall with a modern painted panelled timber fire door leading to the rear car park and the single storey wall separating the former rear yard of No 2 with No 3. A modern bike shelter is attached to the latter wall.
The rear elevation of the rear return (onto the carpark) is blank (apart from a downpipe to left side and soil pipes from toilets) with clipped eaves. The yard wall extends to the right, one storey tall with a profiled terracotta coping, forming the rear wall of the yard. There is a modern painted timber panelled door on extreme left under a splayed brick head, a bricked-up opening to the right (brick splayed head remains) and a further diminutive bricked-up opening at the top right (brick splayed head and concrete cill remains).

All windows to the rear have splayed brick heads, painted stone cills, are single-glazed, timber sliding sash with horns and are likely to be replacements. All brickwork is laid in Flemish bond. Rainwater goods are cast metal.

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 houses the various sources are actually referring.]

No.3 The earliest recorded occupant seems to have been an E.C. McMaster who is listed as residing at number ‘3’ in an 1870 annotation in the valuation book. In the 1877 street directory James Magean (or Mageean) is listed as residing there, but in that for 1880 he is at no.4, which, given the problems with the numbering discussed above, may or may not be same building. From 1884 the numbering becomes consistent, and by this date William Kennedy, a ‘factory manager’ was occupying the house. He was followed c.1886 by Thomas McCann, a ‘linen manufacturer’, who in the 1901 census was living there with his wife, Isabella, their four grown-up children and a domestic servant, with the building itself a ‘1st class’ dwelling with 13 rooms in use by the family. Mr. McCann died c.1906 and the property had passed to his son, John, an ‘apron manufacturer’, who shared it with his unmarried sisters, all or some of who appear to have remained there up until the mid-1940s. Norman Wilson, a solicitor, seems to have been the next resident, remaining there until at least 1960. At some point before 1967 the building was acquired by Queen’s University and became QUB Deptartments. Of Social Anthropology and Economic and Social History, remaining with the latter department, remaining as such until at least the later 1990s. It 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, 1870-1995)
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
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

High Victorian, two storey with attic, red brick, mid terrace double-fronted former house, constructed to the designs of Young & MacKenzie in 1869. The terrace is located at the junction of University Avenue and College Park East, to the immediate south of Union Theological College (HB26/27/004) in the Queen’s University area of South Belfast. No. 3 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 with much of the layout remaining intact, with the exception of some minor alterations and linkage with No 2 at upper level. Interior detailing remains such as decorative plasterwork and the original staircase. The exterior retains much original character, proportions and detailing with its fine doorway with Corinthian-like foliate capitals. The terrace has strong value as a group (HB26/27/064A-F) which adds significant character to its setting within the Queen’s University area.