Ucatt House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

No. 79-81 May Street:

A two-storey two-bay Edwardian freestyle terraced red-brick building, dated c.1920 and designed by William J. Gilliand; located to the south side of May Street in Belfast city centre. Rectangular-on-plan with recessed entrance.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and raised sandstone verges. Walling is Flemish-bonded red-brick with embellished carved foliate dressings and sandstone string course between floors. Sandstone string courses and window surround to first floor; surround has ornately carved keyblock and is flanked by sandstone panels with carved wreath. Windows are leaded casements with clear and coloured glass. Bowed windows to ground floor pub-front are timber-sheeted and vertically divided with timber pilasters; multi-paned casements above. To first floor, large bowed sandstone mullioned and transomed leaded window with five panes; flanked by two slender windows.

The principal elevation faces north and is symmetrically arranged. Pub-front to first floor is set into a flat-pointed sandstone arch with carved console keyblock and flanked by paired chamfered pilasters with Corinthian capital heads. Recessed entrance with mosaic tiled floor contains modern double-leaf timber doors with glass panel and six-paned transom light. Apex pediment bearing the date.

The south (rear) elevation has a modern fire-exit to ground floor; metal casement window to landing level at left; three metal-casement windows to first floor.

The east elevation is almost entirely abutted by the adjoining two storey building no.83 May St, now under the same ownership.

The west elevation is abutted by a modern four-storey block.

No.83 May Street:

This is a 2 storey corner building; the ground floor is green faience tiles over a brown ceramic tiled plinth (recently painted gold) and red brick at first floor. It has a double pitched natural slate roof, largely concealed behind parapet, front and side. It has brick chimneys. The front elevation is symetrical, it has a central door in an arched opening on stilts with glazed spandrels and sidelights; corner stops to carry wreaths and fasces under cornice. The first floor has three 1 over 1 sash windows with segmental heads and a decorative brick string course over. The facade has projecting brick pilasters framing the bays including projecting brick quoins. The East elevation is divided into 3 bays with faienced arches at ground level and two 1 over 1 sashes per bay. The left hand bay sashes have been removed and replaced with a small modern casement window.

Setting:

Sited between Cromac Street and Vemer street; forming a terrace of three, with a modern four-storey block abutting the building to west. Opposite the High Courts, with St Georges Market directly to east.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Flemish-bonded red-brick; faience (no.83); sandstone
Windows: Leaded casements with clear and coloured glass
RWG: None

Historical information

Construction of nos. 79-81 May Street, also known as UCATT House (Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians), was completed in 1920 when the building was first valued in the Annual Revisions. In the year of its construction the building was let by the Corporation of Belfast to Torney Bros. Ltd., fruit importers and produce merchants, who had their head office in nearby Oxford Street (Belfast Street Directory). The building was initially valued at £265; however by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930 this was decreased to £190. It is not known why this decrease in value took place, however in 1933 the property changed hands when a Mr. J. M. Adair took possession and established a seed trading business from the premises (Belfast Street Directories).

In 1935 nos 79-81 May Street was valued along with the unfinished Telephone Exchange, at the corner of Cromac Street and May Street, at £3,000 and it was not until 1956 that the building was again valued separately at £300, although this was reduced to £240 under the 1957 Rent and Valuation Act at which it remained by the end of the second revaluation of property in 1972. In 1956 the building passed into the possession of a trade union, the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, a precursor of UCATT, which represented joiners and carpenters in the United Kingdom. In 1971 the society merged with the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers to form the Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians which continued to occupy nos 79-81 May Street until the 1990s (Belfast Street Directories).

Patton records that the two-storey UCATT House was originally constructed 1916-20 to designs by W. J. Gilliland (1859 1929) who planned the building in a distinctly Arts and Crafts style; Gilliland, a Belfast based architect, who mainly designed commercial and industrial premises (of which nos 79-81 May Street is a prime example), was a founder member of the Ulster Society of Architects and from 1912 was a councillor for Victoria Ward (Dictionary of Irish Architects). UCATT vacated nos 79-81 in the 1990s when the site was acquired by the neighbouring Magennis Bar (No. 83 May Street) which had also originally been constructed c. 1920; in 1998 the Belfast Town Planning Committee granted permission for the conversion of the premises (as well as nos 1-3 Verner Street) into an extension of the adjoining pub. This conversion was completed c. 2000 and since that time nos 79-81 has formed part of Ronnie Drew’s bar (Patton, p. 233; Town Planning Committee minutes – 4 Jun 1998).

The adjoining building, no. 83, now incorporated into the same ownership as 'Ronnie Drews' was built c.1920. Originally this site was occupied by a grocers shop in 1840 and a public house from 1850.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1832-33
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931
5. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/A/43 – Annual Revisions 1915-1930
7. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/1– First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/9 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-1972
9. Belfast Street Directories (1918-1990)
10. Town Planning Committee minutes (1998)

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
2. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

UCATT House is an Edwardian freestyle two-storey, two-bay terraced red-brick public house, built c.1920 to designs by William J Gilliland; located to the south side of May Street in Belfast city centre. A sophisticated synthesis of the Queen-Anne and Arts-and-Crafts styles by a local architect, with some fine Art Nouveau detailing, UCATT House is a relatively rare example of this style of architecture in the city. Much of the architectural fabric is intact but the majority of the historic interior has been lost through refurbishment.
Originally let by the Corporation of Belfast to Torney Bro.s Ltd., fruit importers, it passed into the possession of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers in 1956. It became known as the UCATT building when the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers merged with the Amalgamated Society of Building Trade Workers to form the Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians in 1971.
This lisitng includes no.83 May Street now under the same ownership as UCATT house and incorporated to make 1 large bar area at ground and first floor. The setting has been compromised by a four storey modern building to the west, UCATT House and No.83 May St are buildings of architectural distinction in the area and make a positive composition with St Georges market to the East.

General comments

Formerly HB26/LQ055