ST. PAUL'S RC PRESBYTERY, GATES AND RAILINGS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey hipped roof building in Italianate style, dating from 1889 to designs by architect John Joseph McDonnell and constructed by W.J. Hegan. Square plan with an L-shaped extension to rear. The building is located within the grounds of St Paul’s church (HB26/31/005B), on a site including a modern two-storey Parish hall, and enclosed by cast-iron gates and railings. The site is located at the corner of Falls Road and Cavendish Street.

Hipped natural slate roof with roll top black clay hip tiles. Projecting eaves supported on corbelled cornice. Cast iron ogee guttering discharging to rectangular section downpipes. Rectangular section chimney stacks with corbelled coping and red clay chimney pots. Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with black brick dressings and projecting plinth. Decorative clay tiling at impost level on each floor. Paired round-arched windows to GF separated by a stone colonnette, segmental headed window openings to FF and square-headed window openings to SF (unless noted otherwise). All window openings have replacement timber casement windows, moulded stone cills and two-colour brick detailing to arches above.

Pitched natural slate roof to extension to rear with angled black clay ridge tiles. Cast iron guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with black brick dressings. Segmental headed window openings with brick arch above and projecting stone cills; replacement timber casement windows.

Principal elevation:
The three bay principal elevation is symmetrical and faces E. Round arched door opening to central bay flanked by stone colonettes opening onto two nosed stone steps.

South elevation:
The S elevation consists of the three-storey three-bay wide original building to E end and a lower three-storey two-bay wide extension to W end.

West elevation:
The W elevation consists of a gabled bay to S end, three recessed bays immediately to N and single storey lean-to bay to N end.

Window to FF and SF of the gabled bay. Square-headed door opening to next bay to N having a double-leaf timber panelled door with fanlight. Round-arched windows to FF and SF. Square-headed windows to all remaining bays to GF.

North elevation:
The N elevation consists of a gabled bay to W end and the four-bay original building to S. The N elevation is abutted to E by a single-storey two-bay wide extension with castellated parapet having a square-headed door opening with metal door.

Setting:
The site is located at the corner of Falls Road and Cavendish Street. The building is located within the grounds of St Paul’s church (listed under HB26.31.005 B) on a site including a modern two-storey Parish hall and enclosed by cast-iron gates and railings. The cast iron railings have square section vertical bars with pike heads, flat-bar section top rail and mid rail. Alternate vertical bars do not extend full height and are topped with flower heads. Standards with dog leg support and cross-shaped finials. The wide double SW gate opening onto Cavendish Street is of the same design as the railings. It is supported on square plan caged gate piers with cross-shaped finials. The single SE gate opening onto Cavendish Street is of the same design as the railings. It is supported on square plan caged gate piers with cross-shaped finials. The double gate to E fronting onto Falls Road has scrolled decorations and cross-finial to meeting rail. It is supported on rectangular section standards with scrolled finials. The double gate to NE opening onto Cavendish Square is of the same design as the railings and is supported on rectangular section standards with scrolled finials. The wide NW gate opening onto Cavendish Square is of the same design as the railings and it is supported on square plan caged gate piers with cross-shaped finials.
Tiled yard to W enclosed by stepped red brick walling with a segmental headed door opening having a sheeted timber door opening onto Cavendish Square W.
Large yard to N partly lawned with tarmaced driveway accessed through a gate on Cavendish Square N.
Paved yard to E accessed through a gateway on Cavendish Street.
Narrow tarmaced pathway to W.

Materials
Roof: natural slate
RWG: cast iron/ metal to rear elevation
Walling: red brick
Windows: replacement timber casements

Historical information

In the early 1880s Dr Patrick Dorrian, the Catholic bishop of Down and Connor, was the driving force behind the foundation of a new church, St Paul’s, on the Falls Road. A field behind Springfield Cottage was purchased in 1884 from Maurice Lindsay Coates and the first sod was cut on 13 June of that year. The bishop himself covered the costs of the new church (£4,000). The church was dedicated on 23 October 1887.

The architect of the church, John Joseph McDonnell, was also the architect of the adjoining presbytery which was completed in August 1889. The contractor was W.J. Hegan. In the HB files it is described as a ‘Lombardic Romanesque style’ building.

The Valuation Revision Book records the address of the presbytery as 3 Cavendish Street. The occupier was noted as Rev. James McArdle and the immediate lessor was Committee of St Paul’s Church. The valuation of the presbytery was given as £45. A comment was recorded for 1889: ‘Ex[amin]d value of ho. [ – ] very fair’. St Paul’s National School opened in 1890. The Pastoral Centre now stands on the site of the school.

The Building Return of the 1901 census records that there were 10 windows in the front of the house and 14 rooms were then in occupation. On the night of the census, 31 March, there were six priests in staying at the presbytery. Rev. Patrick Magill was the senior priest, while there were also three assistant priests and two visitor priests. In addition, a cook and a housemaid were resident.

References

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Valuation Revision Books, 1882-96 – VAL/12/B/43/E/8
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1904 – OS/6/1/60/3
Ordnance Survey 1:1056 map, 1905 – OS/8/30/5/66
Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1920-39 – OS/6/1/60/4

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
First Survey Record – HB/26/31/005A
HB Records – HB/26/31/005A

Published sources
Ambrose Macaulay, Down and Connor: a short history (no date)
Danny Curran, St Paul’s, 1887-1987: the story of inner west Belfast (no date)
Irish Builder, 15 September 1889

Online sources
Natural Stone Database: www.stonedatabase.com
Dictionary of Irish Architects: www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A three-storey hipped roof Presbytery in Italianate style, dating from 1889 to designs by architect John Joseph McDonnell and constructed by W.J. Hegan. The building is located within the grounds of St Paul’s church on a site including a modern two-storey Parish hall and enclosed by cast-iron gates and railings (listed under HB26.31.005 B). The site is located at the corner of Falls Road and Cavendish Street.
A very good example of a building in Italianate style with decorative clay tiling to elevations, paired round-arched windows separated by colonnettes and polychromatic brick detailing above. Although the interior layout has been altered, the building retains its character both inside and out. The building, together with the main church and walling, gates and railings makes a group of considerable architectural interest.