5 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 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 5 is part of a mixed row of six, with similarly styled neighbours Nos 1-3 (HB26/27/064A-C) & No 6 (HB26/27/064F) of the same date, with No 4 (HB26/27/064D - the first to be built of the terrace in 1864) on its north side and No 6 (HB26/27/064F) on its south. The whole terrace, (along with ‘Hope House’ in College Park to the SE) is now integrated internally. 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. The former rear yards of Nos 5 and 6 have been enclosed by modern construction and a new main entrance formed on College Park to the SE. The rear elevations of Nos 5 and 6 are now internal.

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):
Double fronted and asymmetrical two and a half storey red brick facade built in Flemish bond with a centrally located entrance to ground floor and a two and a half storey canted bay to left side, the top floor of which is jettied and extends above the eaves as a large half-timbered dormer. Smaller timber dormer on right side and small modern rooflight between dormers at attic level. Continuous painted stone cill course to first floor windows with bevelled brick course immediately below. Deep corbelled brick eaves detailing to two storey section below a natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimney to left side, abutting chimney of No 4. Terracotta pots visible (number unknown). Small painted rendered plinth with brick below to base.
The half-timbered jettied dormer above the canted bay has convex chamfered corners at each side infilled with brick in header detail. There are carved timber brackets beneath the timber bargeboard, a pointed timber finial to centre and exposed rafters ends. The smaller timber dormer on right side is timber-clad to the apex with fish-scale vertical slates to the cheeks.
All windows, apart from the dormer windows are 1/1 single-glazed, timber sliding sash with horns and are likely to be replacements. All have chamfered brick reveals (apart from dormer windows). The canted bay windows have continuous painted stone header ‘bands’ with chamfered bottom edges. The paired window openings to right of the front door on both ground and first floor levels have shallow pointed painted render heads with a row of brick headers above. A single window opening with same head detail is located on first floor level, aligned with the front door below.
Both dormer windows have been replaced; those to the jettied dormer are four-pane timber casements while those to the smaller dormer are four-pane with the top panes top-hung.
Entrance consists of a pointed arched painted stone engaged surround beneath a pointed arched hood mould which terminates each side with a decorative foliated label stop. Indented keystone to centre.
Original painted raised and fielded six-panelled timber door with plain round arched fanlight over, three (replacement concrete) steps up.
Small garden to front now paved with concrete paving stones and gravel. Modern wheelchair ramp to right side of entrance with modern metal railings. Painted plinth wall to street with replacement painted metal railings.
Cast iron guttering and cast metal downpipe to right side of elevation.

Side elevation (N):
Abutted by No 4 (HB26/27/064D) to the north side. A small section of gable wall is exposed at the rear due to No 5 having a deeper plan than No 4. A new window opening has been formed in this exposed section for a timber top hung window at ground floor level. Otherwise this section is blank with the exception of several modern metal vents and a PVC downpipe. There is a projecting stone corbel at eaves level.

Side elevation (S):
Fully abutted by No 6 (HB26/27/064F) to the south side.

Rear Elevation (E):
A modern two storey extension abuts the rear wall of Nos 5 and 6 College Park East, linking both houses with the new block constructed to the rear of Hope House. Most of the existing rear elevation of No 5 is now internal, within the new extension, with the exception of a narrow strip on the north side which remains external.
The (now internal) rear elevation of No 5 consists of a centrally located modern glass and timber door with glazed side screen within a plain painted plaster surround and a large original 6/6 timber sliding sash window to the left at ground floor level. Directly above the door is a large arch-headed 2/2 half landing window with coloured glass margin panes and etched glass to main panes. A modern internal bridge with glass panelled sides abuts the first floor level on the left side at a door opening with a modern glass and timber door and rectangular fanlight above. There are two small 2/2 windows to the right, with the bridge handrail abutting the pier between them. A structural steel beam abuts the existing rear wall of No.5 at right angles between the heads of these two windows. On second floor half landing window is a similar but smaller version of the first floor half landing window. A modern glazed roof structure abuts the rear wall of No 5 above the second floor half landing window, running N-S.
The exposed narrow section of wall outside of the new extension, on the N side, has a bricked up opening at ground floor level and a 2/2 window above on first floor level. PVC downpipe to right side.
All windows to the rear have splayed brick heads (apart from the half landing windows) and painted stone cills. All windows are single-glazed, timber sliding sash with horns and some are likely to be replacements. All brickwork is laid in Flemish bond.
Externally, above the modern glazed roof is the existing eaves of No 5 which has PVC guttering. On the left side is a flat-roofed dormer with a replacement timber triple casement window, and on the right, a pitched roof dormer with painted timber barge boards, a natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and a replacement timber paired casement window.
The roof to the rear pitch of No 5 is natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles.

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.5 The earliest recorded occupant seems to have been William Browne who is listed as residing at number ‘5’ in the valuation book commencing in 1865. In the 1877 street directory (the first in which ‘College Park East’ appears) Matthew Pattison, ‘financial mission secretary to the General Assembly’ (the developer of this southern part of the terrace), with a Miss Millar listed as the occupant in the 1887 directory, followed by Mrs. Isabel J. Vanderhof in 1899. In the 1901 census the New York-born Mrs. Vanderhof, a 74yr-old widow is listed merely as a boarder, with a James C. Long (possibly her son-in-law) named as the householder, the other occupants including his New York-born wife, Mary, a domestic servant, and Miss Sarah J. Patterson, Mrs. Vanderhof’s ‘nurse companion’, with the house itself noted as a ‘first class’ dwelling with 13 rooms in use. Mr. and Mrs. Long were still living there at the time of the 1911 census. Mrs. Long is named as the occupant in 1918, but by 1924 the property had (along with neighbouring no.6) been converted to a private hospital run initially by a Miss Caldwell. It appears to have continued as a hospital into the 1960s, but by 1967 had been acquired by Queen’s University for use as its Department of Scholastic Philosophy. This department expanded into neighbouring no.4 in the 1980s, and remained as such into 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. 5 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. A modern flat-roofed building has been constructed at the rear and the rear elevations of Nos 5 and 6 are therefore now internal. Much of the original layout remains intact, with the exception of linkages into No 4 on the N side and No 6 on the S. Original interior detailing remains such as decorative plasterwork in the hall and the original staircase. The exterior retains much original character, proportions and detailing and is distinguished by its jettied dormer, a device used elsewhere in the city by Young and Mackenzie (28 & 30 Wellington Park, Belfast - HB26/28/055A&B). 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.