71 University Road (Fitzwilliam Place)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively plain, two storey gabled house, one of a somewhat squat, mildly Neo-classical, terrace of three (‘Fitzwilliam Place’) dating from c.1846-48. The terrace is set on the W side of University Road, abutting Queen’s University Student’s Union at an angle to the S, and roughly facing Lanyon’s original Queen’s College building of 1845-49. To the N is Fitzwilliam Street and directly in front all properties in the terrace share a garden, which lends the block a slight ‘country cottage’ air. No.71 is to the N end of the terrace.

The symmetrical front façade faces E. To the centre of the ground floor is the front entrance which consists of a panelled timber door with plain rectangular fanlight, all encased with panelled pilasters, with decorative brackets supporting a cornice hood. The edges of the hood appear to be ‘enclosed’ in timber. Either side of the entrance is a fairly large window with plain sash frame, simple moulded surround and relatively slim cill. To the first floor are three similar windows, all smaller than those to the ground floor but with the outer windows broader and squatter than that to the centre. The façade has full height, panelled, outer pilasters and a deep eaves course and a gutter course.

The N gable is blank and has a pilaster (as front) to the left hand (E) edge. To the W side of the gable there extends a high, rendered, wall which eventually abuts the left hand edge of the front façade of No.2 Fitzwilliam Street. This wall has a doorway to the left with a plain sheeted timber door and simple moulded surround.

The rear façade has a single storey gabled return extending from the right on the ground floor. The N face of this return has a panelled and glazed door to the far left, then a window with modern frame (made to resemble sash with Georgian panes), and to the right of this, a larger window, also with a modern frame. To the S face of the return there are two windows, similar to that to the left on the N face. To the far right (E) on the N face is a lean to ‘linking corridor’ which backs into the main rear façade of Nos.71 and 73 and links to the return of No.73. The W gable of the return abuts the gable of No.2 Fitzwilliam Street. This whole return was rebuilt in c.1991, replacing an earlier, smaller version

The main rear façade has a sash window, with Georgian panes (6 over 6) to the left on the ground floor and a similar (but slightly smaller) window to the left and to the right on the first floor. To the centre, near the eaves, is a squat window with fixed light frame.

The entire façade is finished in plain render and painted. The main roof is gabled and covered in natural slate. There are three Velux windows to the rear and a rendered parapet to the N gable. There are two rendered chimney stacks to the N and S on the ridge, both with octagonal pots. Metal [?cast iron and aluminium] rw goods.

Historical information

What is now University Road began life as the original route from Belfast to Lisburn, and thence to Dublin. It was superseded in 1817 by the newly cut Lisburn Road, a short distance to the west, but with the establishment of Queen’s College in 1845, and the growing movement of Belfast’s merchant and professional classes to the suburbs, it witnessed much development from the mid 1800s onwards.

Fitzwilliam Place was a small part of this development. It stands on land which had been leased from the Donegall estate since 1711 to the ancestors of one John Alexander, who had obtained a renewal of his title in 1823. In 1849 Alexander in turn leased part of this land to William Magill Collins, a solicitor with offices in Arthur Street, and in 1866 (the Donegall Estate having been largely sold off) Collins obtained full title to the property.

Shortly after obtaining his initial lease, Collins proceeded to build the present terrace (probably c.1846-8). As stated above, like many other terraces springing up in and around the newly built Queen’s College, this block was designed to attract Belfast’s professional and merchant classes. The earliest of Collins’ tenants were clergymen, merchants, manufacturers and fellow solicitors, in fact Collins himself lived in one of the houses for a time. Subsequent directories reveal later tenants (and owners) in similar moulds well into the mid 20th century. These included wine merchants, accountants, doctors, clergymen, company directors and academics undoubtedly attached to Queen’s.

William Magill Collins himself died in 1880 and the properties passed to his daughters and their descendants. In 1962 all of the houses had been conveyed to Queen’s University who afterwards appear to have rented them to university staff. By the mid 1960s, however, with the expansion in the academic scope of Queen’s, the properties were given over for use as various faculty offices.

No.71
One of the earliest (perhaps the original) occupant of No.71 was a linen merchant by the name of Hugh McClelland, who remained there until c.1863. After this a Rev. James Collins was in residence and from 1870 to 1899 it was home to Benjamin Haughton, a merchant. He was followed by one Hugh A. Ross (who is listed as of the ‘Durham Street Weaving Factory’), and then, in c.1903, by a Mr. Frederick. Wheeler a ‘Mineral Water Manufacturer’. Wheeler’s family remained at No.71 for the next three decades, buying the house in 1929 and selling it to Queen’s in November 1931.

Queen’s initially [?] rented the property to an F.A. MacLaughlin, who was followed by an R.P. Smyth, a medical doctor. During the war years the property was given over to the disposal of the government but afterwards returned to domestic use and was home for a time to G.O. Sayles, the medieval historian, and later a Professor Graham Bull. By the mid 1960s the building ceased to serve as a home and became the offices for the Faculties of Arts, Sciences and Economics, and in more recent times, offices for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

In c.1990-91 the building was extensively renovated with the return rebuilt on a larger scale.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/1/61 OS Map, 1st ed. 1832, Co. Antrim, sheet 61.
2 QUB Estates Office- Title deeds etc. concerning 71 University Road, 1823-1932.
3 PRONI ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
4 PRONI OS/8/30/1/49 OS Town Plans- Belfast 1858, sheet 49.
5 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) Valuation, Parish of Shankill, 1861. [Printed volumes in PRONI search room and Linen Hall Library.]
6 PRONI OS/8/30/2/49 OS Town Plans- Belfast 1871-73, sheet 49.

Secondary sources
1 S.T. Carleton ‘The growth of South Belfast’ (QUB MA dissertation 1967).
2 C.E.B. Brett ‘Buildings of Belfast (London 1967, reprinted by Friar’s Bush Press 1985).
3 David Evans ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the vicinity of Queen’s University of Belfast’ revised edition (Belfast, UAHS, 1980), p.26 etc.
4 J.C. Beckett ‘Queen’s- A short history of Queen’s College Belfast and Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB 1984).
5 David Evans and Paul Larmour ‘Queens- An architectural legacy’ (QUB Inst. of Irish Studies 1995).
6 Brian Walker and Alf McCreary ‘Degrees of excellence- The story of Queen’s, Belfast 1845-1995 (QUB Inst. of Irish Studies 1995).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively plain two storey gabled house, one of a somewhat squat, mildly Neo-Classical, terrace of three dating from c.1846-48. To the rear is a large single storey return, with modern window frames, which was added in c.1990-91, replacing a smaller return which was probably original.