'David Alexander Builders' Merchant'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large and somewhat altered builders’ merchant’s warehouse of perhaps c.1910 -with painted brick and render façade and Belfast Truss roof- which may have originally been two separate buildings. The property is set within a ‘terrace’ on the W side of Tennent Street, off Shankill Road, to the NW of Belfast city centre.

The building has a long rectangular plan form and measures roughly 52m x 14, and is entered via a large vehicle doorway on the E elevation of the neighbouring building to N (which is internally integrated with this building).

Only the long E elevation is visible from the street. This elevation is in a mixture of painted brick and painted render. To the left hand side of the elevation there are outlines of what were once tall segmental headed window openings, all now totally blocked up. The centre / right hand section has ten tall semicircular headed windows with mullioned and transomed frames glazed only within the arched portion of each (ie at the top of each window). Internal evidence shows that the lower third of all of the windows is actually blocked up behind the frame. The variation in the shape of the window openings suggests this building was originally two separate properties. The elevation has a deep, rendered eaves course.

Only a small upper portion of the S gable is still visible; this is in a mixture of red brick and concrete (breeze block-like) bricks with timber cladding to the gable area itself. The rear elevation was not accessible to the writers. The curved roof is covered in corrugated metal to the S ‘half’ at least, the N ‘half’ of the roof could not be seen, but internal evidence suggests it is also in corrugated metal. Internal evidence also shows that there is a long central roof light with corrugated Perspex. A noticeable ‘join’ in the roof reinforces the idea that this building was once two separate properties.

Historical information

This building may date from c.1910, but appears to have originally been two separate properties.

The Belfast truss was developed in the mid-nineteenth century to meet the demand for efficient, lightweight and long span roofs brought about by the industrial revolution. A detailed description of the historical development of the Belfast truss is included in the record for HB18/08/139. In brief, the first known reference to a curved wooden felted roof structure supported by bowstring girders is in an advertisement in the Dublin Builder for 1866 by the Belfast firm of felt-makers, McTear & Co. McTear’s continued making trusses until they went out of business in 1908.

A second Belfast felt supplier, Anderson & Co., began to produce trusses, to a slightly different design, in 1886. In 1896, Anderson’s launched their Mk II version; promoted as maximising long spans whilst maintaining light weight. This model was subsequently used by other companies, and is referred to by historians as the Belfast truss, although this term is widely used to apply to all timber bowstring trusses where the internal bracing members meet not on the bottom of the truss as was the convention but on the top curved member.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large and somewhat altered builders’ merchant’s warehouse of perhaps c.1910 -with painted brick and render façade and Belfast Truss roof- which may have originally been two separate buildings. A large, increasingly rare example of a Belfast Truss roof building, but one with the signs of considerable alteration.

General comments

Surveyed as part of the Belfast Roof Truss survey.