34 Cliftonville Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Semi-detached two-storey-over-basement with attic (containing four self-contained apartments No.34A-D), built c.1830 to designs by architect Thomas Jackson. Rectangular-on-plan facing north with central entrance portico at east. Continuous walkway around basement at north, east and south, retaining wall surmounted by rendered plinth with saddleback concrete coping and galvanised steel railings. Located on the south side of Clintonville Road, Belfast.

Hipped artificial slate roof with leaded ridge, lead-valleys, single brick chimney stack with clay pots at centre of building, adjoining No. 36 (HB26/43/002C). Ogee profile uPVC rainwater goods supported on broad overhanging painted eaves decorated with guttae; small roof light on north slope. Walling is ruled-and-lined cement render with projecting stone stringcourse over basement. Windows are square-headed 6/6 timber sashes contained within rendered reveals and painted stone sills (unless otherwise stated). Attic windows are 3/3 timber sashes with continuous sill course and deep blind panels between openings.

Principal east elevation is symmetrical and contains central decorative galvanised steel portico with hipped leaded canopy (bridging basement walkway). East elevation (within portico) contains single composite entrance door with transom light over. Portico surmounted by one window at first floor; at left and right of the central portico there is one window at first and second floor; all are contained within double-height segmental-headed recesses. Three diminished 3/3 timber sashes at attic level. Basement has window at left and right.

South elevation contains two windows at each floor, contained in segmental-headed recesses at ground and first floors. Two diminished 3/3 timber sashes at attic level. Basement has window at left, panelled composite door at right. Galvanised steel gate encloses basement walkway at right.

West elevation is abutted by No.36 (HB26/43/002C).

North elevation contains two windows at each floor, recesses as before; two windows to basement. Two diminished 3/3 timber sashes at attic level.

Setting

Set on an urban site, slightly back from the street, to the south side of the Cliftonville Road, Belfast. Enclosed at north by brick walling with concrete capping. Tarmac drive at east provides access to a further three apartment blocks built c.2009.

Roof : Natural Slate
RWG : Ogee profile uPVC
Walling: Ruled-and-lined render
Windows: Timber sashes

Historical information

The current semi-detached pair were built and designed by the architect Thomas Jackson in the early 1830s as part of a speculative housing development aimed at the rising mercantile and professional classes of Belfast. Jackson had trained in the Clifton area of Bristol and was inspired by his time there to name the estate ‘Cliftonville’. (Larmour) Numbers 34-36 were built as a semi-detached pair in a Greek Revival idiom and together with a terrace of three at 26-30 were the earliest to be built and the only survivors of a development of approximately six structures, some divided into a number of dwellings. The current pair are more abstract and plainer than the terrace to the west, but originally had Regency ironwork porches (now gone). (Larmour) Thomas Jackson himself lived in a house to the left of numbers 26-30 which has unfortunately not survived.

The structure is shown on the first edition OS map of 1832-3 together with the terrace further to the east. The buildings were situated very much on the outskirts of Belfast in what would have been a largely rural landscape, dotted with the substantial houses of the well-to-do set back within spacious grounds. ‘Cliftonville’ represented the first suburban development of the area, as a row of terraced and semi-detached villas, facing onto what was then part of the New Lodge Road.

The Townland Valuation of 1837 lists the occupier of number 34 as Mrs Alexander and dimensions are given for the house, basement, privy, stable and shed. The valuation of this house and its neighbour is £18.10s.

By 1858 the Cave Hill tramway had made the area more accessible from the centre of Belfast and a total of six structures are shown in the row, which is now captioned ‘Cliftonville’. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists the occupier as Catherine Miller, who leases the property, valued at £42, from Ellen Lear. The property passed to James Watson (nd) and in 1889 the stables and coachhouse to the rear were separated off the valuation which consequently fell to £36.

By 1901-2 ‘Cliftonville’ had been overtaken by the rapid late-Victorian growth of the city, forming an island in a sea of red-brick terraces. Elizabeth Jackson, daughter-in-law of Thomas Jackson, the architect of Cliftonville, was living here with her daughters at the time of the 1901 and 1911 censuses. She was able to keep a small staff of two, a cook and a housemaid. The house had eleven rooms and was designated first class. Mrs Jackson lived at the house until the 1920s and was followed by H A C Griffith, retired civil servant, the house continuing in the Griffith family until at least the 1980s.

The buildings suffered severe fire damage c2003 at which time number 34 was still a private dwelling, divided into two apartments. (Built Heritage at Risk Register; HB file; Street Directories) The building has since been converted into four apartments.

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832-3
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1931
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/719A-B Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/H Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/1-31 Annual Revisions (1863-1905)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/F/1-7 Annual Revisions (1905-1930)
9. Street Directories 1839-1995
10. 1901 census
11. 1911 census
12. HB file 26/43/003A-B

Secondary Sources

1. Built Heritage at Risk Register
2. Kennedy L and Ollerenshaw P eds “An Economic History of Ulster, 1820-1940, Manchester University Press, 1985)
3. Larmour, P “Belfast, An Illustrated Architectural Guide” Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987
4. www.dia.ie – Dictionary of Irish Architects online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

One of a pair of semi-detached two-storey-over-basement with attic houses, refurbished to contain four self-contained apartments, designed and built c.1830 by architect Thomas Jackson as part of a wider development of villa style dwellings which gave the area its name, following Jackson's stay in the Regency Clifton area of Bristol. Despite major restoration, with the loss of much historic fabric and detailing the building remains of architectural and historic distinction, bearing the hallmarks of Jackson's style. With adjoining semi-detached house No 36 (HB26/43/003B), this is an elegant building of fine character and by a significant local architect. Few examples of the style survive, especilly in a group. It also represents an early phase of speculation aimed at the rising mercantile and professional classes of Belfast.

General comments

Renumbered to HB26/43/002B with Nos 26 & 30 as /002A & No36 Cliftonville Road as HB26/43/002C.
Previously numbered HB26/43/003A.