Parochial House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Four and a half storey L-shaped ashlar sandstone Parochial House begun in 1867 to designs of John O’Neill, attached to the south east corner of the symmetrical Gothic Revival church of 1866 built of Scrabo sandstone by Jeremiah McAuley. The S elevation with main entrance fronts onto modern housing on Milford Place and the east elevation of both Cathedral and house back onto St Peter’s Square East and St Peter's Place. There is a pedestrian entrance to the grounds from St Peter's Place. The grounds of both the Cathedral and Parochial House are bounded by stone walls and piers with ornamental metal railings, and surrounded by hard landscaping (paviors). Within the grounds, on the north side, is a modern building - St Peter's Immaculata Youth Centre.

All windows are replacement timber double-glazed and have smooth sandstone heads and chamfered sandstone reveals and stone cills. Steep natural slated gabled roof with copings to gables.

South elevation located at the extreme right side of the Cathedral south elevation. Four and a half storey gable to right side with two windows to each floor, all equally spaced and aligned vertically. There is a continuous sandstone cill beneath second floor windows. The gable is corbelled at the eaves and rises to the apex which has a stone Celtic cross atop. The left side of the elevation has a two storey modern extension built in natural stone with flat roof and metal railings to parapet with timber fencing attached behind the metal. Entrance on left side of ground floor with modern front door beneath pitched slate roof to projecting porch and timber brackets either side. Two windows above on first floor. Third floor level of original building visible above extension; two windows beneath stone modillions under eaves.

West elevation of house abuts south elevation of Cathedral and is comprised of a four storey gable to left side, two storey modern extension on right, and exposed third storey of original building behind. The gable has steps leading to first floor timber double doors on extreme left side and two narrow lancet windows with trefoil heads to the right. Below on the original lower ground floor level is a window with metal bars attached between the reveals. An arched opening beneath the steps leads to a basement area. Continuous stone cill course beneath two second floor windows and similar windows above on third floor level. Plain apex to gable. Modern extension to right of main gable with two windows on both ground and first floor levels and metal railings to flat roof parapet above. One window to exposed third floor level of original building behind. The modern entrance extension has stained glass by CWS.

The East elevation consists of the main block to left side and several smaller elements to the right side, linking with the south elevation of the Cathedral. The main block is four storeys with attic. There are three windows on each level, fairly evenly spaced, the ground floor windows being smaller than the windows above. Continuous stone cill course beneath two second floor windows. Stone verges to each side of natural slate roof. Single rooflight roughly aligned with middle windows. Stone modillions beneath corbelled eaves. Tall stone wall with door leading to rear yard on right side with several small modern flat-roofed extensions added to the N elevation to create additional service space.

The North elevation abuts the side chapel on the south side of the Cathedral but rises above it with an exposed gable wall at high level and modern flat-roofed extensions which rise from the rear yard. The exposed gable wall of the parochial house has a window on both second and third floor levels, approximately located in the centre of the gable. On the extreme right at half-landing level is another window and on extreme left at attic level is a small square single-paned window close to the verge. The ground, first and second floor levels of the gable are obscured by the modern extensions.

Setting
The twin spires of St Peter’s are a prominent feature of the Belfast skyline and visible from a considerable distance, although the immediate
setting is dense with housing and other buildings. The Parochial House lies at SE of St Peters Cathedral with its entrance facing onto Milford Place. The Cathedral and Parochial House are located in the Divis area of central west Belfast.

Materials:
External walls: Sandstone
Roof: Natural slate
Windows: Replacement timber double-glazed
Rainwater goods: Cast iron / cast metal to S elevation

Historical information

St Peter’s Cathedral was completed in 1866 but due to a lack of funds, the Presbytery, which was designed by O’Neill and begun in 1867, would take several years to complete (Rogers).

First and second edition OS maps (1832-33, 1858) show that the area known as the Falls was undeveloped until the 1850s. The second edition (1858) illustrates a series of linear and rectangular developments surrounding a vacant rectangular plot in the area now known as St Peter’s Square. Secondary information suggests that the site had been occupied by a number of small buildings but this cannot be proven with the evidence available (Rogers). The site is originally described as ‘vacant’ in Griffith’s valuation (1860), possibly indicating land set aside for building.

According to O’Laverty (1880), the Belfast baker, flour merchant and philanthropist Bernard Hughes obtained this area of land from John Alexander Esq. of Milford Co. Carlow at a high annual rent in 1858. Hughes was famous for his affordable nutritional loaves and baps, which ‘stuck to your belly like lead’ and thus relieved the suffering of those affected by the Famine (St Peter’s Parish). In 1858 Hughes gave tenure of the land to Bishop Denvir “…to erect on it a church, reserving the nominal rate of a peppercorn.” (O’Laverty). That the church was begun in 1860, is confirmed by Griffith’s Valuation (1860), which records the ‘R.C Chapel’ as ‘in progress’. Observations made in this valuation confirm that the land ‘is a free gift from Mr. B. Hughes’.

Rapid population influx occurred in Belfast during the mid 19th century, as industrialisation provided greater employment opportunities. Catholics had represented less than 10% of this in the late 18th century but grew to one third of the 140,000 population by 1866 (Parish of St Peter’s, Brett). Belfast was a place of religious segregation and much of the growing Catholic population was confined to a small residential area, south of Divis Street known as the “Pound Loney” (Livingstone). With only three churches to serve Roman Catholic community of Belfast on the Antrim side of the Lagan prior to 1860, the building of St Peter’s represented the beginning of a much-needed period of church expansion (Livingstone, Rogers).

The church first appears on an 1864 map of the city and the Street Directory entry for Derby Street (1863-64) indicates a foreman and hackler are resident on site where the church is “…in course of erection.” Initially, the contracted builders were John Ross of Great George Street but John Murphy, also of Great George Street, undertook the final construction (Rogers).

Architect Father Jeremiah McAuley, who oversaw the construction until September 1862, left Belfast to complete his ‘ecclesiastical training’ and the project was completed by another Belfast based architect John O’Neill (Brett).

The Annual Revisions (1882-1890) valued the church at £450 but this had risen to £675 in the Belfast Revaluations (1900), reflecting the additions made to the building. The three-storey Presbytery, yard and Sacristan’s House were valued at £60 and £9 respectively (1900). The large stained glass western window was added in the twentieth century and required the division of the organ into two separate pieces (St Peter’s Parish). By the first general revaluation (1935) the church’s value had significantly risen to £1,120.

In 1946-50 architect Padraic Gregory enlarged the original porches of the north and south elevations, creating new side chapels and adding a new high altar and marble baldacchino (Rogers, Larmour). In the 1960s the altar was relocated to a central position and in the 1980s the sanctuary and crossing area were rearranged (Larmour). Valued in 1956 at £2,400 this figure declined by £480 in 1957 and was listed in 1970 as £1,964. The area surrounding the church was subject to extensive redevelopment schemes from the 1960s to 1990s. Major renovations of both the interior and exterior were conducted in 2002-05.

Although never intended as a Cathedral the church became known as a “Pro Cathedral” soon after its construction as it performed most of the ceremonies associated with a cathedral (Rogers). ‘Pro’ comes from the Latin phrase ‘pro tempore’ meaning ‘temporary or provisional’ (In Your Pocket Ltd). In 1986 the church received official Cathedral status of the Diocese of Down and Connor.

Brett states that St Peter’s Cathedral is the first example of a Gothic Revival church in Belfast (1985). Larmour (1987) describes it as ‘Continental Cathedralesque’ in form with the vast twin spires presenting a prominent landmark within the Falls Road area of Belfast.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2- First Edition OS Map (1832-33)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3- Second Edition OS Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4- Third Edition OS Map (1901-2)
4. PRONI T1541/1 – “Town and Suburbs of Belfast” map (1879)
5. PRONI T1541/2 – Map of Belfast Reduced from the 60’ Survey and updated
(1864)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/4D- Griffith’s Valuation (1860)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/D/13- Annual Revisions (1882-1896)
8. PRONI VAL/7/B/12/20- Belfast Revaluations, Valuers Notebook (1900)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/E/22- Annual Revisions (1906-15)
10. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/18- First General Revaluation (1935)
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/37- Second General Revaluation (1956-72)
12. Belfast Street Directory N.B No street directory published between 1871-76
13.Belfast Morning News, 2nd May 1885

Secondary Sources

1. Rogers, Rev. P “St Peter’s Pro Cathedral Belfast 1866-1966” Howard Publications,
1967.
2. Livingstone, Robin “The Road- Memories of The Falls” Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1998
3. The Parish of St Peter’s, “St Peter’s Cathedral Church of Down and Connor 1866-
2005” Belfast, 2005
4. Lavine, Kirsten “Twin Spire Life- A Social History of St Peter’s” Cathedral Community Services, Belfast, 2002
5. O’Laverty, Rev J “An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor Vol II 1878-1880” M.H Gill &Son, Dublin, 1880
6. Larmour, P “Belfast, An Illustrated Architectural Guide” 1987
7. Brett, C.E.B “ The Buildings of Belfast 1700-1914” 1985 ed.
8. www.dia.ie- Dictionary of Irish Architects online
9. In Your Pocket Ltd, St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, 1995-2012. http://www.inyourpocket.com/ireland/dublin/What-to-See/Cathedrals-
and-churches/St-Marys-Pro-Cathedral_35924v

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

T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Four-storey L-shaped ashlar sandstone Parochial House begun in 1867 to designs of John O’Neill, constructed a year after St Peter’s Cathedral (HB26/33/003A) was completed and attached to the latter’s south east corner. The buildings are located in the Divis area of central west Belfast, now densely surrounded by modern housing. The site was given to the Bishop in 1858 for the construction of a church by the Belfast baker, flour merchant and philanthropist Bernard (Barney) Hughes. John O’Neill completed the work on the Cathedral when the original architect Father Jeremiah McAuley left Belfast to complete his ecclesiastical training, O’Neill being a prolific architect of many prominent churches in and around Belfast. A two storey entrance portion was added in recent years as were small extensions to the rear. Despite these modern additions and the replacement of the original windows, much original historic fabric and fine detailing survives throughout such as the steep slated gables with corbelled eaves and original joinery and cornicing internally. As much of its setting is now modern, this Parochial House and Cathedral survive as the most significant group of historic buildings in the immediate and wider area, with the twin spires of the Cathedral visible across much of the city.

General comments

Previously recorded with HB26/33/003; proposed new listing