41 MALONE ROAD

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid terrace four-storey two-bay red brick late Victorian town house, built 1886-87 to designs by William Eaton, architect. Located at north end of Malone Road, Belfast, No.41 is one of terrace of nine similar houses (HB26.28.059A, B & D-I inclusive) running between Malone Avenue and Eglantine Avenue. Rectangular on plan as a group on N-S axis with ends gabled; they form one of the most impressive terraces within Malone Road Conservation Area, each having full-height bowed bay with conical slate roof. Three-storey gabled return built at half-landing level to rear (W) on right side. Return abutted by single storey duo-pitched brick building that extends almost full length of yard with later red brick boiler house at gable end. External fire-escape stair to rear yard connects to exit doors from both main building and three-storey return. Now converted to ground floor office with self-contained residential apartments above.

Natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles to main building and single storey appendage; bands of fish-scale slates, red terracotta ridge tiles and finial to bowed bay; interlocking concrete tiles to three-storey return. Large red brick chimney centred on ridge to main roof with simple corbelled brick coursing to cap and eight circular yellow clay pots (shared with No.39). Cast iron gutter supported on scrolled terracotta brackets and projecting eaves course to front (E); bowed bay rises beyond main eaves, highlighted by cornice of classical ornamentation in stuccowork below the gutter.

Materials
ROOF: Natural slate (including 1-storey building); interlocking concrete tiles (3-storey return).
RWG: Cast iron ogee profile gutter and circular RWP with some square section cast aluminium (E); uPVC elsewhere.
WALLS: Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with painted stone & stucco dressings; English Garden Wall bond to return
WINDOWS: Single glazed double hung single glazed sliding sash with 1/1 panes (E & S); one single glazed sliding sash, 2/2 panes 3rd floor return, otherwise replacement timber & uPVC casements (W & N).

Front (E) Elevation:
Front elevation faces east, two bays wide with bowed bay offset to right and entrance to left. Projecting moulded cill and string courses and painted stucco plat band to all floors. Painted stucco walling also to bowed bay, except some brick header courses between each floor level. Bay windows and segmental arched door have incised decoration in stuccowork above openings with edge roll moulding. Painted hood mould and carved stone label stops to door, above painted stucco plat band on pink marble colonnettes with carved stone capitals (painted); plain glass over-light above square-headed 5-panelled replacement timber door; toothed stone quoins below plat band and decorative terracotta panel above door head, all painted. Colonnettes and terracotta panel repeated on first and second floor windows above door, each with varied floral and foliated detail.

Rear (W) elevation:
West elevation faces shared alley. Three-storey gabled return to right (S) with clipped eaves and two uPVC windows at each first and second floor, with imitation horns applied to top-hung opening casements; and ground floor abutted by single-storey building. Left of return, main building has fire exit doors in place of windows at each level, opening onto external galvanised steel escape stair; and to right, above return, one sliding sash window with 2/2 panes. Projecting brick header course to eaves. Fire exit doors are timber with concrete lintels; plain glass over-light to ground, first and second floor; timber framed sidelight with top-hung opening casements at all levels. Walls painted white up to top of 2nd floor level.

North Elevation:
No.39 Malone Road (HB26.28.059B) abuts north face. North elevation of three-storey return has informal fenestration and simple detailing: brick, soldier coursed window heads (some with concrete lintels inserted below) and projecting brick headers to eaves supporting half-round gutter that discharges to uPVC downpipe. Timber framed glass fire door offset to far right at first and second floor level; same door centred at ground floor. Two timber framed single-glazed windows with top-hung casements at second floor; similar casement offset to far left at first floor, next to twin uPVC framed windows; and timber framed single-glazed windows with top-hung casements either side of door at ground floor. All windows and fire doors fitted with Georgian-wired glass.
1-storey building: natural slated single-storey roof with black clay ridge tiles, with projecting brick header eaves course, uPVC gutter and RWP; four timber framed single glazed windows to with top hung night vents; that to far right smaller than remainder. Soldier coursed headers to all openings, with painted concrete cills. Surface-mounted pipe-work and gas meter boxes fixed to external face of elevations facing on to yard. All walling painted white with 4-5 courses black painted plinth.

South Elevation:
No.43 Malone Road (HB26.28.059D) abuts south face. South elevation of return detailed as north elevation; single glazed 1/1 sliding sash windows with margin panes overlooking yard to No43 at both first and second floor half-landings (no margin panes to lower sash at second floor).

Set back from tree-lined street by paved front gardens bound by low walling with replacement railings on the west side of the Malone Road, part of terrace of eight other similar town houses, rectangular on plan and aligned parallel to main road. Located directly opposite Fisherwick Presbyterian Church (HB26.17.014) and from this aspect, at corner of Chlorine Gardens, it is most impressive. Concrete slabs to front garden and poured concrete path; two slate-clad steps to front entrance. Rear yard bound by red brick walling (painted white) with curved terracotta cap; ledged and braced sheeted timber gate to alley. Concrete hard-standing to yard.

Historical information

Nos.37-53 Malone Road were constructed in 1886-88 to a design by the then Botanic Avenue-based architect, William Eaton, on what had been the grounds of Eglantine Hill, a pre-1832 house bounded by the Malone and Lisburn Roads in the east and west what is now Malone and Eglantine Avenues to the north and south. The terrace, originally named ‘Windsor Gardens’, was built for James Johnston, possibly the insurance agent of that name listed in contemporary directories as operating out of Waring Street. The whole grouping appears to have been completed by mid-1888, and all of the properties are recorded as occupied in the earliest available street directory of 1890.

No.41 – The first occupant of this building seems to have been H.K. Matthews, a tea merchant, followed by James K. Black by 1892 and John Mooney by 1895. Mr Mooney seems to have died before 1899 and in the 1901 census the house is recorded as occupied by his widow Susan Mooney, a boarder and a domestic servant, with the building itself noted as 1st class dwelling containing 15 rooms. Mrs Mooney was still there in 1915, but by 1918 a Mrs Mary R. Kerr was in residence and by 1925 the property was serving as the ‘Sans Souci Nursing Home’ under the management of Misses Lockhart and Anderson. Later renamed the ‘Ruthin Nursing Home’, this closed in the early 1940s and by 1945 the property had become an office for Canada Life Assurance, who from at least 1951 shared the building with two other occupants, and architects firm and an engineer. By the mid-1980s the property had been split into four offices, which by 1990 were largely occupied by several dental practices. It is recorded as untenanted in 1996
The building was listed in November 1991. It is currently vacant and undergoing renovation (Jan. 2017).

References – Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL12B/43D/14 annual valuation revision book, 1882-97
2 PRONI OS8/30/3/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1883-84
3 ‘Belfast Telegraph’, 5 August 1886, 15 September 1887
4 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory’, (Belfast News-Letter, Belfast), various dates from 1887 to 1996
5 ‘Belfast News-Letter’, 23 April 1887
6 PRONI OS8/30/4/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1896
7 PRONI VAL7B/14/15 valuation of Belfast, 1900
8 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [online - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/]
9 PRONI OS8/30/5/49 OS town plan of Belfast, 1903
10 PRONI VAL12B/43K/4 valuation book, 1906-15

Secondary sources
1 Carleton, S.T., ‘The growth of South Belfast’, (unpublished QUB MA thesis), 1967
2 Rowan, A.J. And Brett, C.E.B., Historic Buildings...Queens University of Belfast, (UAHS, 1968)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Mid terrace four-storey red brick late Victorian town house, built 1886-87 on the Malone Road, Belfast by William Eaton, architect. One of a terrace of nine similar houses comprising No.37, 39 & 43-53 Malone Road, (HB26.28.059A, B & D-I inclusive); as a group they form one of the most impressive terraces within the Malone Road Conservation Area. The Malone Road facade is particularly striking due to the rhythm created by each having a full-height bowed bay with conical slate roof and a wealth of ornate detailing. Despite modifications to the internal layout and some replacement windows to the rear that detract from its quality, No. 41 remains fairly intact. Now converted for commercial and residential use, the domestic scale remains legible with some fine historic detailing inside that adds to its character.