40 Linenhall Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached six-storey redbrick former warehouse, built c.1901, to the designs of Young & Mackenzie. Rectangular on plan facing west lining the east side of Linenhall Street.

Roof not visible behind redbrick parapet wall with sandstone coping and resting on moulded cornice with cogging. Circular redbrick drum structure rises above parapet wall to each end bay with blind bays and dentilated redbrick cornice below circular parapet wall as per above. Redbrick walling laid in English garden wall bond with moulded sandstone sill course to second floor and rock-faced red sandstone ashlar plinth course with drafted margins. Segmental-headed window openings with red sandstone sills and replacement casement windows.

Front elevation is fourteen windows wide with a slight bow to either end bay corbelled out at second floor level in red sandstone. Stepped three-centred arched window openings to fifth floor forming a recessed vertical panel above second floor sill course. Square-headed window openings to ground floor with flush splayed red sandstone sills and rock-faced keystones. Plain red sandstone keystones to all but fourth and fifth floors. Central entrance bay contains an elaborate double-height carved red sandstone doorcase comprising a round-headed door opening with smooth bowtel-moulded jambs, and alternating voussoir blocks and figuratively carved keystone to entablature. Door opening flanked by rock-faced rusticated pilasters with drafted margins surmounted by swagged Ionic capitals, lion head and pair of foliate scrolled console brackets supporting entablature. The entablature has a pulvinated frieze with a central plaque with lettering; 'M & S Ltd'. Above the entablature is a semi-circular overlight with stepped keystones fronted by a trefoil-arched balustrade flanked by squat piers and obelisks.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.32 Linenhall Street.

East rear elevation has a circular bay to the south end with segmental-headed window openings, sandstone sills and replacement windows.

Blank rendered south side elevation.

Setting;
Located on the east side of Linenhall Street with a square-headed vehicular entrance to the southernmost bay and bitmac car park to rear.

Roof Not visible
RWG Replacement
Walling Redbrick
Windows Replacement

Historical information

The current building was constructed in 1901-2 to designs by Young & Mackenzie as a warehouse for Murphy & Stevenson, linen and handkerchief manufacturers and bleachers. The contractor was W J Campbell & Son, Ravenhill Road and the building is first shown on the sixth edition OS map of 1931. (Irish Builder; Patton)

The building enters valuation records in 1906 as ‘offices, warehouse and yard’ valued at £900 and owned by Murphy & Stevenson Ltd. The valuation is reduced to £820 in 1912 probably as the result of an appeal. Murphy & Stevenson continued to be the occupiers until at least 1957, and continual improvements were made to the building, resulting in a rise in the valuation to £1127 by 1952. The building has now been converted into offices.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1901-2
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1931
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/P/1-8 – Annual Revisions (1897-1930)
4. PRONI VAL/12/F/3/14/1 – Annual Revisions (1930-35)
5. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/32 – First General Revaluation (1936-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Patton, M “Central Belfast: An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993

2. www.dia.ie – Dictionary of Irish Architects online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Attached six-storey redbrick commercial building, built c.1890. Rectangular on plan facing west lining the east side of Linenhall Street. An austere early twentieth-century warehouse with repetitive fenestration. Although enlivened by a pair of bowed oriels and an elaborate doorcase, it does not meet the statutory test as a building of special architectural or historic interest. There are other better examples in the Linen Conservation Area.