Fortwilliam Gateway

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two pairs of identical dressed sandstone gate pillars, square in plan, mark the western entrance to Fortwilliam Park from the Antrim Road. Designed by William J. Barre in 1864, they are situated within the Somerton Road Conservation Area immediately adjacent to a small gate lodge (HB26/46/001A). An ornate dwarf sandstone wall originally flanked the wall on both sides but it has not survived.

Sandstone plinth with moulded base above; corners of each pillar are dressed with triple foliated, capped engaged columns rising to an astragal from which springs an early Gothic style arch with cusping, trefoil embelishment and Romanesque moulding. Spandrels are decorated with two quatrefoil ornaments on each of the four sides. Above acanthus-leafed cornices, pyramidal caps in ashlar stone rise to decorated arched octagonal pinnacles with carved ornamental finials.

Materials: Sandstone.

Setting:
Located at the western end of Fortwilliam Park, within the Somerton Road Conservation Area at the junction with the Antrim Road.

Historical information

This Victorian gateway, consisting of four sandstone Gothic Revival gate pillars located at the Antrim Road entrance to Fortwilliam Park, was constructed in 1864 as one of the main entrances to Fortwilliam House in the townland of Skegoneill. Fortwilliam House was constructed pre-1830 and was one of the many gentlemen’s mansions that were built along the Antrim and Shore Roads. The first edition Ordnance Survey map records that the mansion was neighboured by Sea View and Mount Vernon (two similar gentleman’s dwellings) in the 1830s. Lewis’ contemporary Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) records that Fortwilliam House was constructed near, and named after, an encampment known as Fort William that was believed to have been erected by King William III in 1690. Lewis states that the encampment measured 70ft square and was ‘surrounded by a deep fosse and defended by a bastion at each angle … near it is another intrenchment of ruder construction.’ Dean states that the estate was owned by the Lendrick family until 1810 when George Langtry, a local ship owner, acquired the site (Lewis; Dean, p. 13).

By the mid-19th century Fortwilliam House had grown to become one of the most extensive gentlemen’s manors along the Shore Road. In 1859 Griffith’s Valuation recorded that Fortwilliam House was owned by Elizabeth Langtry and consisted of the house, a gate lodge and numerous outbuildings that dotted its estate (which consisted of approximately 155 acres). In 1859 Fortwilliam House passed to William Valentine Esq, a Director in the Northern Banking Company and the Belfast and Ballymena Railway. In 1864 Valentine had the two gateways constructed at the Antrim Road and Shore Road entrances to his estate. Although the architect of the Shore Road gateway (HB 26 / 46 / 002) is not known with certainty, the ornate Gothic Revival gate pillars located on the Antrim Road were designed by W. J. Barre (UTD).

William Joseph Barre (c. 1826-1867) was born in Newry and became one of Belfast’s most prolific (if short-lived) architects. Barre moved to Belfast after winning the competition to design the Ulster Hall in 1859 and designed some of the city’s most impressive Victorian edifices including Belmont Presbyterian Church (1860-61), The Moat (1863-64), University Road Methodist Church (1864-65), the Provincial Bank on Royal Avenue (1864-69), Bryson House on Bedford Street (1865-67) and the Albert Memorial Clock Tower (1865-69). Barre’s Gothic Revival design for the Antrim Road gate pillars was typical of his style and resembles the ornate detailing also seen on the Albert Clock. Barre died in 1867 of an illness having made a brief but lasting mark upon the architectural landscape of Belfast (DIA).

Late Victorian photographs of the gateway on the Antrim Road shows that it originally consisted of five piers. The four side piers were utilised by pedestrians, whilst the central pier divided the road for traffic (the central gate pier was removed in the 20th century). Dean described the completed gateway as ‘an early French Gothick concoction. Framing the gate screen, sexfoil-pierced dwarf concave walls lead into two pairs of large sandstone piers flanking pedestrian gates. These are basically square, but embellished on each corner with three slender engaged columns having medieval capitals from which spring foiled pointed arches. The quaint pier central to the carriageway, resembling a Chinese lantern, was in cast iron as were the decorative gates and wicket overthrows.’ Barre also designed the gate lodge to the north side of the gateway. Dean describes the building as ‘a charming and innovative entrance lodge … on an L-plan … the composition dominated by a nice square belfry rising from the central hall’ (Dean, p. 13).

In the 1860s the Fortwilliam Estate was broken up and developed into one of Belfast’s most exclusive residential areas. A new street was laid out, running between the gateways on the Antrim and Shore Roads, and was named Fortwilliam Park. A number of merchant’s manors were constructed along the newly formed suburban street including Morven House (HB26/46/003) and Rosaville House (HB26/46/006). Fortwilliam House was demolished in the 1930s when the remainder of the estate was developed for housing although the original gateways remained. Following the demolition of the gate lodge at the Shore Road entrance in 1955 the City Surveyor stated that ‘these gateways are picturesque and in no way interfere with traffic’ but, due to the increasing traffic along the Antrim and Shore Roads, the central gate pier of the Antrim Road gateway was removed in the mid-20th century (Old Belfast).

The Antrim Road gateway to Fortwilliam Park was listed in 1980. The Antrim Road gateway had already fallen into a state of disrepair by the First Survey (1973) which noted that only two of the pillars’ finials remained intact. The NIEA HB Records recorded that, shortly after their listing, the gate piers had deteriorated ‘to such a state that they are now a danger to road users.’ A report stated that ‘it seems unlikely that they can be repaired satisfactorily and … they should be removed for the public safety. In 1985 the Belfast Telegraph noted that the pillars ‘constituted a danger to the public walking by’ following a vehicular collision on 11th April that severely damaged one of the pillars. Holding repairs were carried out on the pillars but it was not until 2003/ 04 that an extensive restoration of the Antrim Road gateway was undertaken. The pillars were dismantled by McConnell’s Stonemasons, defective stone was replaced and the pillars were reconstructed in their current form (NIEA HB Records).

Resources

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1832-33)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1931)
5. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938)
6. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/21C – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
8. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
9. First Survey Record – HB26/46/001B (1973)
10. Belfast Telegraph (13 Apr 1985)
11. NIEA HB Records – HB26/46/001B

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Old Belfast: Belfast’s local history magazine - Vol. 12’ Belfast: Glenravel Local History Project.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985.
3. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
4. Dixon, H; Walker, B., ‘No Mean City: 1880-1914’ Belfast: The Friar’s Bush Press, 1984.
5. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Two pairs of Gothic Revival ornate dressed sandstone gate pillars, designed by W J Barre in 1864, mark the western entrance to Fortwilliam Park from the Antrim Road, within the Somerton Road Conservation Area. Barre was one of one of Belfast’s most prolific architects at the time and designed some of the city’s most impressive Victorian edifices, including the Albert Clock which has notable similarities to these pillars. Despite the removal of the cast iron gates and central pillar and the flanking dwarf sandstone walls, the pillars make a unique and significant contribution to the character of the area. Together with the neighbouring gate lodge (HB 26/46/001A) and sandstone gate screen at the opposite end of Fortwilliam Park, they provide a visible reminder of the former grandeur of Fortwilliam Estate.