523 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. Half-round metal guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Painted moulded cornice and plain frieze. Rectangular section red-brick chimney stack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots. Modern rooflight to front elevation.

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 double-hung timber sash windows with ogee horns. Painted and moulded architraves to window openings to upper floors. Flat 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 columns with fluted Ionic capitals and an elliptical fanlight above having a panelled timber door opening onto three concrete steps. Gold numbers '523' etched on to fanlight. 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 adjoined to neighbouring properties No. 525 & No. 521 Antrim Road (HB26.46.012E & HB26.46.012 C).

East elevation:
The rear elevation is red brick laid to English garden wall bond and consists of the rear of the main house and the projecting return. Square-headed window openings with flat arch above and projecting cills. The return has a square-headed door opening with a modern metal door with square glazed panels leading to the rear yard.

Setting:
The front of the building has a tarmaced parking area shared by No. 523, 525 & 527 enclosed by a modern dwarf brick wall and painted metal railings. Plain metal gate supported on metal upright posts. The rear yard is paved and enclosed by red brick walling. A square-headed door opening has a sheeted timber door that opens on to the alley beyond, accessible from Glandore Gardens.

Materials:
Roof: Natural slate
RWG: Metal/ uPVC
Walling: Smooth rendered to GF/ red brick laid to English bond and English garden 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. 523 Antrim Road was constructed in 1878 and was initially valued at £36. The house was originally occupied by a Mr. William J. Clarke, but by 1901 the house had passed to Joseph Carr, a local solicitor (UTD). The Census of Ireland notes that No. 523 Antrim Road had passed to a Ms. Martha Holden by 1911. In that year the census building return described the house as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 13 rooms and possessed a coal house as its sole out office. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the house was increased to £38. Ownership of the house remained with the Smith family until 1947 when it was purchased by a Mr. Henry Solomon who converted the building into a number of self-contained apartments. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the value of No. 523 Antrim Road was further raised to £83. Nos 517-533 Antrim Road were listed in 1987. The former apartments at No. 523 Antrim Road have been converted into office premises and during the Second Survey the building was occupied by a solicitor’s firm (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)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
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 ground floor, fine entablatured entrance and original timber sash windows make it a good example from this period. Even though it has been converted into offices and original internal doors have been replaced, some of the original historic detailing is retained inside. The principal elevation, together with the less formal gabled rear return, original brick walls enclosing the yard and many external features survive in good order. It has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.