521 Antrim Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey with attic mid-terrace Georgian Revival house dating from 1878 possibly to designs by architect Redfern Kelly. Rectilinear on plan with three-storey return to rear. The building is part of a terrace of nine houses (HB26.46.012 A-I inclusive), five of which are very similar, to the E side of Antrim Road, between Glandore Gardens and Glandore Avenue.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled black-clay ridge tiles. Projecting eaves on block modillions. Painted moulded cornice and plain frieze. Half-round metal guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Rectangular section red-brick chimney stack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots. Dormer window has projecting eaves, moulded timber barge boards on corbels and slated cheeks.

Principal elevation:
The two-bay wide principal elevation faces W. Smooth rendered walls to GF and red brick laid to English bond to upper floors. Square-headed window openings with 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows with ogee horns. Painted and moulded architraves to window openings to upper floors. Flat headed moulded hood to FF windows. Painted moulded string course at SF cill level.

Square –headed door opening to N bay to GF with entablature supported on fluted columns with Ionic capitals and an elliptical fanlight above having a panelled timber door opening onto three concrete steps. Three-sided canted bay with raised parapet and moulded cornice has square-headed window openings. uPVC hopper discharging to circular downpipe.

N and S elevations are attached to neighbouring properties No. 523 & No. 519 Antrim Road (HB26.46.012D & HB26.46.012 B).

East elevation:
Rear elevation is red brick with a three-storey gabled return and a single-storey lean-to outhouse. A modern steel spiral stair provides a fire escape from first and second floor openings. Brick walls attached to the building have been painted white at GF level.

Setting:
Banded block pavers to front parking court enclosed by plain painted metal railings to the front, rendered low walling to the S and a hedge along the N boundary. Plain metal gate supported on metal standards. Red brick walling to rear is original and topped by a prjecting brick course and a canted red brick coping, returned both sides to form an enclosed yard. A set of steps at the E (rear) of the yard, contained by a matching red brick wall, lead to a with a square-headed door opening within segmental relieving arch above. This opening has a sheeted timber door that opens on to the alley beyond, accessible from Glandore Gardens. The yard retains its original square terracotta paving flags and an original single-storey lean-to outhouse, which abuts the gabled rear return.

Materials:
Roof : Natural slate
RWG: Metal / uPVC
Walling: Smooth rendered to GF/ red brick laid to English bond above.
Windows: Original 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows

Historical information

Nos 519-527 Antrim Road, a terrace of five three-storey two-bay red-brick buildings possessing projecting bay windows at ground level, were constructed in 1878. The Antrim Road was originally laid out in 1830. The second edition Ordnance Survey map (1858) records that the land to the north of the Belfast Waterworks and the Limestone Road remained predominantly rural in character by the 1850s. With the increase in Belfast’s population and the development of the shipbuilding, rope-making and textiles industries in the town, by the mid-19th century a number of gentlemen’s mansions and wealthy merchant’s houses had been constructed in the townland of Skegoneill which swiftly became one of the most affluent areas in Belfast. Nos 519-527, along with the adjoining No. 517 and nos 529-533 Antrim Road, were constructed on the former grounds of Ashfield House, the dwelling of solicitor Thomas McClelland (UTD). Ashfield House was demolished at the turn of the 20th century but the majority of its grounds were built over during the 1870s and 1880s.

The terrace of nine buildings was originally known as Castleton Terrace and was constructed in three phases. The five Georgian-style houses at nos 519-527 Antrim Road were the first buildings along the row to be erected and all nine structures were depicted on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1901-02) which shows that the entire area had been developed with terraced streets by the turn of the 20th century. The Annual Revisions note that the houses were constructed for John Smith, a local builder and contractor (UTD). The architect of the five buildings is not known with certainty. However, the row is very similar to nos 416-428 on the opposite side of the Antrim Road - a three-storey two-bay terrace also possessing ground floor bay windows and entablatured doorways supported by Ionic columns with a fanlight over. This terrace was built in the year following the erection of nos 519-527 Antrim Road by Redfern Kelly (1845-1928), a Belfast-based engineer who predominantly carried out contracts for the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that Kelly was responsible for the deepening of the Victoria Channel, the reconstruction of the Alexandra Graving Dock (following its collapse in 1905) and the construction of the Thompson Graving Dock (DIA).

No. 521 Antrim Road was constructed in 1878 and was initially valued at £36. The house was originally occupied by B. McClean, a local wine merchant, but by 1911 the property had passed to a Mrs. Mary Davison. In that year the census of Ireland described Davison’s house as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 13 rooms and possessed a coal house as its sole out office. Ownership of the terrace remained with the Smith family until the 1970s. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the house was occupied by Walter Kimmett (a manager in a local firm) and valued at £38. During the Second World War the house lay vacant but during the Second Revaluation (1956-72) No. 521 Antrim Road was inhabited by a Mr. J. A. Gallagher and had been increased in value to £40.

Nos 517-533 Antrim Road were listed in 1987. The NIEA HB Records note that No. 521 Antrim Road was converted from a private dwelling into offices in 1988. The building underwent an extensive renovation in 1994 that included the repointing of its red-brick façade and chimney stack, the reslating of its roof in natural slate, the installation of its current dormer window and the restoration of its window frames. During the Second Survey No. 521 Antrim Road was used as an Orthodontist surgery (NIEA HB Records).

Resources

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1931)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/7-25 – Annual Revisions (1863-1905)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/F/4-7 – Annual Revisions (1905-1930)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/10- First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-56)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/13 - Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1877-1943)
10. PRONI Wills Catalogue (26 May 1884)
11. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
12. First Survey Record – HB26/46/012 (1985)
13. NIEA HB Records – HB26/46/012C

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

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A three-storey with attic mid-terrace house in Georgian Revival style dating from 1878, possibly to designs by architect Redfern Kelly, for local builder, John Smith. The building forms part of a terrace of nine houses (HB26.46.012 A-I) to the E side of Antrim Road and in particular it is similar to five of these houses, formerly known as Castleton Terrace (HB26.46.012 B-F), that were developed simultaneously. It bears a striking resemblance to No. 416-428 Antrim Road (HB 26.46.012 A-G) which is directly opposite, hence Kelly is assumed to be the architect. The townland of Skegoneill swiftly became one of the most affluent areas in Belfast following the development of the shipbuilding, rope-making and textiles industries in the city by the mid-19th century. This terrace comprised merchant’s houses and its well-proportioned facades, with stuccoed detailing to the GF, fine entablatured entrance and original timber sash windows make it a good example from this period. Even though it has been converted into an orthodontic surgery, much of the original historic fabric is retained inside and aside from some modification to the ground floor, the layout is unaltered. The principal elevation, together with the less formal gabled rear return, original brick walls enclosing the yard and the majority of external features survive in good order. It has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.