Meter House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A large single-storey, double height, neo-Classical styled late 19th century building at the east end of a modern commercial building situated in the middle of the former Belfast Gasworks site.

Flat leaded roof surrounded by brick blocking course, with cast-iron down pipes. A semicircular glazed dome rises from the centre of the roof. It is made up of multiple leaded fish-scale panes, each of which carries a hand-painted design (its seven circular rows have different designs). It is surmounted by a low circular ventilator with glazed sides and capped with leaded glass identical to that on the main dome. The walls are of red brick, but faced with large terracotta blocks set in regular courses to the lower half of its north and east elevations. The basal sections of these two elevations have a slightly advanced moulded terracotta courses.

The east and north elevations are symmetrical with four and five openings respectively. The east elevation has a partly-glazed timber entrance door at each end (with fielded panels), granite doorstep and rectangular overlight. Between them are two timber-framed windows with one-over-two (fixed glazing). Openings have moulded terracotta arises and their heads form part of a continuous sandstone platband; all windows has a chamfered cills that also forms a common sandstone platband. Above the header platband is a decorative stringcourse of small square terracotta panels (with alternate bas-relief square and round motifs).

The upper half of the east and north elevations is of plain brick embellished with large square raised-and-fielded moulded terracotta panels, set one above each of the openings below. The wall is surmounted by an elaborate cornice of moulded terracotta dentillation surmounted by sandstone blocks sandwiched between moulded brick specials. Although the large panels are restricted to two of the elevations, this cornice continues around all four walls with a short blocking course over.

The south elevation is of plain red brick. Originally it was abutted by a lower lean-to building, of which there is now no trace except for five cast-iron brackets protruding from the wall (these supported a timber purlin on which the monopitched rafters were laid). Lower down are ten dressed sandstone blocks set flush with the surface, the function of which is unknown.

The west elevation is abutted to its lower half by a modern building connecting through to those beyond. The exposed section of walling is devoid of openings.

The building is now surrounded to all sides by modern buildings.

Roof: Flat leaded
RWG: Cast iron
Walls: Terracotta and brick
Windows: Timber framed

Historical information

The ‘Middle Section’ Meter House, as this building was originally known, is situated in what was once Belfast Corporation’s Gasworks which opened on the Ormeau Road in 1823. The meter house formerly contained several large station meters for measuring the volume of coal-gas produced in the retorts and is said to have been designed by James Watt, a notable Belfast-based architect who was also responsible for the Gas Office (1888) and Klondyke Building (1891) at the Gasworks. Other note worthy buildings include the nearby Ormeau Road Baths (1889).

Its precise date of erection is uncertain. Published sources state that it dates from 1887 or 1888, but a building matching its footprint is shown on the 1871 large-scale OS town map. The same footprint is also shown on the 1883-84 OS map, with a boiler house along its south elevation. On a 1910 plan of the Gasworks, the same plan form is captioned ‘Meter House’, with an exhauster house to the west and boilers to south. Steam would have been generated in the boiler house to power the exhausters which pumped the gas out into the mains. On balance, the building probably dates from 1860-70. It is shown on all subsequent OS map editions.

The Meter House became obsolete when coal gas manufacture stopped in 1978 and production switched to gas made from naptha (an oil derivative) at the Corporation’s new gasworks at Sydenham. Thereafter Ormeau Road gasworks was used for storing this oil-gas until its final closure in 1988.

The site was subsequently acquired by Ormeau Road Gasworks Ltd and the Meter House was restored in c 2000. Much of its internal detailing is a replica of original surviving fragments of material, most of which had deteriorated beyond restoration. The restored building re-opened in 2006 for use as an events space and gallery. It was the recipient of RIBA and RSUA conservation awards in 2008.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/8/30/2/44. OS 1:1056 map, Belfast sheet 44 (1871).
2. PRONI VAL/7/A/57/1. Valuation 1:1056 map, Belfast sheet 44 (1883-4). The map on which the valuation is overwritten - OS/8/30/3/44 - is missing from PRONI.
3. PRONI D/3231/8. Plan of Gasworks, 1910.

References – Secondary sources:
1. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914, p.60 (Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985).
2. P. Larmour, Belfast: an Illustrated Architectural Guide, p.52 (Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987).
3. M. Patton, Central Belfast: a Historical Gazetteer, pp 258-259 (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Historical Society, 1993).
4. K. Alexander, ‘The Meter House’, in Architects Journal, 29 May 2008.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

An attached single-storey,double height former Meter House, built c.1870 to designs by Robert Watt. Set within an urban setting, surrounded mostly by modern buildings. The building has group value as one of three original gasworks buildings to survive, the others being the Gas Office (HB26.30.010C) and the Klondyke Building (HB26.30.010B). Displaying good proportions and detailing the building has retained much of its original character. Details include a classical ornate façade of red brick embellised with terracotta panels and a fish-scale dome, the latter an excellent example of its kind. Although most of the orginal interior did not survive, the quality of the restored interior is high. The Meter House is of historical interest, both in relation to the development of the Belfast Gasworks and in the context of Northern Ireland, and is without parallel anywhere in Ireland.