Fortwilliam Gateway

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Pair of ornate sandstone triumphal arches supporting grouped statuary, located at the eastern end of Fortwilliam Park, with main elevation facing south. Both arches are comprised of rectangular-plan piers, dressed with armorial plaques set against banded dressed stone with alternating projecting string courses. Rising from base pedestal and die to impost with guilloche style frieze, plain square pilasters topped with acanthus scroll on Corinthian capital clasp the outer edges of the arch. These are mirrored and provide a frame to round-arched niches on either side of a shouldered arch with decorated spandrels and scrolled keystone above. Side elevations have square pilasters terminating in square block capitals projecting at frieze height above which clasped pilasters extend. Entablature comprised of blocked frieze with projecting cornice decorated with small, round-headed antefixae. Grouped statuary above comprising figures of women and children posed with urns.

Square sandstone gate pillars sit to south-east of main arches, comprising plinth, shaft with projecting strings courses rising to decorated fillet with guilloche style frieze above, recessed abacus and pillar cap. These are connected to the main arches by moulded dwarf stone walls.

Materials: Sandstone

Setting: Located on a slight incline, at the eastern entrance to Fortwilliam Park from the Shore Road.

Historical information

This Victorian gateway, consisting of a pair of sandstone classical arches located at the Shore Road entrance to Fortwilliam Park, was constructed c.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 (UTD).

Although it has been widely asserted that William J. Barre (c. 1826-1867) designed both gateways, the classical triumphal arch design of the piers on the Shore Road is not typical of Barre’s style which was progressive and predominantly drew its inspiration from Italian architecture and the Gothic Revival. Larmour states that the gateway was ‘certainly not by Barre as has often been supposed’ but was likely designed by either James Hamilton, a Glaswegian architect who built Dunblambert (and possibly Morven House which possesses similar detailing to the gateway – HB26/46/003) in Fortwilliam Park in the early 1870s, or the local architect Thomas Turner who Larmour states ‘used banded masonry on occasion’ (Larmour, p. 25; DIA).

Late Victorian photographs of the gateway on the Shore Road shows that it originally consisted of the two classical arches and a central gate pillar. The side arches were utilised by pedestrians, whilst the central pillar divided the road for traffic. The central pillar (HB 26/ 15/ 001) was relocated to Musgrave Park in the early-20th. Dean described the original grandeur of the Shore Road entrance: ‘A once majestic entrance screen, in style wholly appropriate to the Italianate villas beyond. Over both footpaths triumphal archways, each rich in Classical detailing; niches with anthemions, dentil courses, decorative friezes, shields, pilasters and banding. Each semi-circular arch below a projecting cornice crowned by a sculpted group of maiden, cupid and urn. [The central pillar] contained the monogram of Valentine and at the top of which a putti threesome held aloft a trio of globe gaslights’ (Dean, p. 13). Photographs of the gateway dating from the late-19th century show that the piers possessed decorated iron gates (now gone) and an Italianate gate lodge (demolished in 1955). Behind the arches were two isolated miniature sandstone pillars.

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 and Rosaville House (HB26/46/006). Due to increasing traffic along the affluent Antrim and Shore Roads, the central gate pillar was removed from the Shore Road gateway in the 1920s. The pier was relocated to the newly opened Musgrave Park between 1924 and 1931 and, since that time, has been used as a garden feature in Grovelands gardens (refer to HB26/15/001 for full history). Fortwilliam House was demolished in the 1930s and over the following two decades the remainder of the estate was developed for housing although the original gateways remained. The gate lodge at the Shore Road entrance was demolished in 1955 as part of the redevelopment of the area. In that year the City Surveyor stated that ‘these gateways are picturesque and in no way interfere with traffic’ (Old Belfast).

The Shore Road gateway to Fortwilliam Park was listed in 1980. In 1985 the Belfast Telegraph highlighted the poor condition of the gateways (the Antrim Road entrance in particular) and on 14th May 1987 one of the archways on the Shore Road was severely damaged by a vehicle impact that made it unstable. The unstable arch was taken apart brick by brick (each of which was numbered and photographed) and was subsequently rebuilt as before. In 2003-04 the archways underwent an extensive restoration that involved the cleaning of the sandstone and the replacement of any decayed stonework. The smaller isolated gate pillars to the rear of the archways were largely reconstructed, the work being carried out by McConnell's Stonemasons (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. Ordnance Survey Map – 146-8SE (1958)
10. First Survey Record – HB26/46/001B (1973)
11. Belfast Telegraph (13 Apr 1985)
12. 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

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

Evaluation

Twin dressed sandstone triumphal arches eached topped by a statue of a maiden and cupid posing with urn, located at the eastern end of Fortwilliam Park to a design attributed to the Glaswegian architect James Hamilton, c.1864. The central pillar (HB 26/ 15/ 001) was dismantled, removed and reassembled in Musgrave Park in 1920s and, since that time, has been used as a garden feature. Despite this removal and the fact that the gates and railings have not survived, the stone arches with rich Classical detailing together, square pillars and remaining curved plinth wall make a unique and significant contribution to the character of the area and they provide a visible reminder of the former grandeur of Fortwilliam Estate. They also have group value with the other pair of gate pillars at the Antrim Road end of Fortwilliam Park ( HB26.46.001B)