4 College Park East, Belfast, BT7 1PS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

High Victorian three storey red brick mid terrace double-fronted former house, now used as university offices; built 1864, it was the first of this terrace to be completed 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 and a university car park beyond. 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). No 4 is located between Nos 1-3 (HB26/27/064A-C) on its north side and Nos 5-6 (HB26/27/064E-F) on its south. The whole terrace (along with ‘Hope House’ in College Park to the SE) is now integrated internally. There is no return to the rear of No 4, however a modern 2-3 storey flat-roofed building has been constructed behind Nos 4 & 5 which is connected internally with Nos 5, 6 and Hope House. An external alleyway separates the rear elevation of No 4 from the modern building. This alleyway links on the north side to the external rear yard of No 3 and on the south side with the now internal former rear yard of Nos 5 and 6.

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 to front (W) & PVC to rear (E)

Front Elevation (W):
Double fronted and symmetrical three storey red brick facade built in Flemish bond with a centrally located entrance to ground floor and a single storey canted bay to either side. Three window openings on both first and second floor levels, aligned with the bays below. First floor openings are square with splayed brick soldier heads and second floor are segmental arched with brick voussoirs. Continuous painted stone cill course to first floor windows and painted stone string course above same window heads. Small painted rendered plinth to base. Toothed quoins to north and south edges, again painted render.
Painted rendered single storey canted bays have flat roofs with modern roof membrane over projecting cornice. Entrance consists of a tall square-headed opening flanked by projecting painted stone pilasters with decorative moulded plaster console brackets of acanthus leaf design under a projecting moulded flat entablature forming the porch roof. These pilasters sit proud of the recessed door surround, consisting of painted plain pilasters below simple capitals and plain entablature above. The door itself (possibly original) is painted panelled timber with a plain overlight. One square stone step to entrance and painted rendered dwarf wall either side, left side with original cast iron boot scraper.
All windows to the front are single-glazed timber sliding sash with horns and are possibly replacements. Windows to canted bay on left side are 1/2 (horizontally split) to central section and 2/2 (horizontally split) to the splays. Bay on right side same except central window is 1/1. Windows to first floor level are 1/1 and those to second floor are 2/1 on left side and 2/2 (vertically split) to centre and right.
Overhanging eaves on cast iron brackets below a natural slate pitched roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimneys to each side centred on gable, terracotta pots visible to right side chimney. Chimneys both abutted by chimneys of houses either side.
Small garden to front now paved with concrete paving stones. Painted plinth wall to street with replacement painted metal railings.
Rainwater goods are cast iron.

Side elevation (N):
Fully abutted by No 3 (HB26/27/064C) to the north side.

Side elevation (S):
Fully abutted by No 5 (HB26/27/064E) to the south side.

Rear elevation (E):
The rear elevation is a flat facade with multiple openings of various sizes. Some alterations have been made (patches of different brickwork apparent throughout the façade). The top floor is of an entirely different red brick to the floors below.
Ground floor consists of a centrally located modern timber and glass door with glazed side panel. To the left are two window openings, 4/4 to extreme left and 6/6 to its right. To the right of the door is one large window opening, 10/10 panes.
Directly above the front door at half landing level is a large segmental arched opening with a replacement double-glazed timber window. The brickwork surrounding the window, including the brick voussoirs is replacement. A small original rear return may have been demolished in this location.
First floor consists of two windows on the left side of the door, a 6/6 to left and a 4/4 to right. On the right side is a single window which is 6/6. At second floor half landing level is a 6/6 window, aligned with the window below. Second floor is comprised of two windows on the left side, both 2/2 with the window on the right of the pair being narrower than the other. The right side has a single window, 2/2.
All windows to the rear have splayed brick heads, painted stone cills and painted rendered reveals, with the exception of the half landing window. All windows are single-glazed (some panes with historic glass), timber sliding sash with horns and are likely to be the original windows, again with the exception of the half landing window. Brickwork is mostly laid in English Garden Wall bond; three rows of stretchers between one row of headers, although in places there are four rows of stretchers between the header rows.
Pitched roof to rear is natural Welsh slate. Rainwater goods are plastic.

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 / Patteson. 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.4 The earliest recorded occupant seems to have been Alfred Edgar who is listed as residing at number ‘4’ in the valuation book commencing in 1865. In the 1877 street directory (the first in which ‘College Park East’ appears) linen merchant James Glass is listed as residing there, remaining on until c.1882. He was followed before 1887 by another linen merchant, George Fiddes, relations of whom are listed as occupying the house in the 1901 census, with Mrs Margaret Christie Denham (who appears to have been George Fiddes’s sister) named as householder, sharing the property with her father, Alexander Fiddes, and her nieces, Mary and Jessie Fiddes, with the building itself noted as a first class dwelling with 13 rooms in use. Mrs Denham and her nieces were still living at no.4 at the time of the 1911 census, and she herself (at least) was still there in 1935, but by 1943 the property had been divided into four flats. At some point in the 1980s the property was acquired by Queen’s University and (by 1995 at least) was in use as the University’s Scholastic Philosophy Department. 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, three storey, red brick, symmetrical, mid terrace double-fronted former house built in 1864, the first of this terrace to be completed to a design by Young & MacKenzie. 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. 4 is part of a mixed row of six, with Nos 1-3 and 5-6 following 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. Much of the layout remains intact, with the exception of some alteration at the rear of the ground floor and linkage into No 5 on upper floors. Original historic detailing remains internally such as the staircase and decorative plaster work. The exterior also retains much original character, proportions and detailing with its decorative moulded plaster console brackets to the doorcase. 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.