529 Antrim Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey with attic mid-terrace late Victorian house dating from 1879. Rectilinear plan form with shallow two-storey return and later single storey flat roofed extension to rear. The building is part of a group of three similar houses (HB26.46.012 G-I) located within a terrace of nine buildings to the E side of Antrim Road between Glandore Gardens and Glandore Avenue.

Pitched natural slate roof with projecting eaves and black-clay angled ridge tiles. Half-round uPVC guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Rectangular section chimney stack with corbelled coping and red-clay chimney pots. Dormer windows built off the face of the wall with moulded timber barge boards on decorative brackets with timber finials. Modern roof lights to front and rear.

Principal Elevation:
Four-bay wide asymmetric principal elevation faces W. Red brick walling laid to Flemish bond with blue brick banding to cill, impost and eaves level. Segmental-arched window openings to GF and FF with pairs of red and blue brick soldier courses forming headers topped by projecting hood moulds comprised of alternating angular blue bricks. Painted projecting cills and 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows. Two wall head dormers having round-arched windows with 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows. Two-storey canted bay to S. Windows to GF have modern roller shutters and surface mounted shutter boxes and guide rails.

Pointed arch door opening to centre on colonnettes with floriated caps supported on stepped plinth. Red and blue brick decorated arch formed in alternating bands of three soldier courses with painted moulded hood on floriated label stops. Square-headed timber panelled door with glazing fitted to upper panels. The numbers '529' are etched in gold within the glazed pointed arch fanlight above. The door opens onto a single stone step.

N and S elevations are adjoined to the neighbouring properties No. 527 and No. 531 (HB26.46.012 F & H).

No access to E elevation. Rear elevation is red brick with a two-storey shallow lean-to return and a more recent flat-roofed single storey extension.

Setting:
Paved yard to front enclosed by tall modern railings. Painted rendered brick walling to rear with a square-headed door opening with three part narrow timber casement. A narrow alley accessed from Glandore Gardens leads to the rear of the property.

Materials:
Roof : Natural slate
RWG; uPVC
Walling: Red brick laid to Flemish bond with blue brick dressings
Windows : Original 1/1 panes to double-hung timber sash windows

Historical information

No's 529-533 Antrim Road, a terrace of three two-and-a-half-storey red-brick dwellings, were constructed in 1879. 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. No's 517-533 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 former 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 three Gothic-style dwellings at no's 529-533 Antrim Road were constructed in 1879, a year after the erection of the five Georgian-style houses at no's 519-527 Antrim Road (No. 517 Antrim Road was constructed in 1883). All nine structures along the row 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 no's 529-533 Antrim Road is not known, although it is likely that the adjoining no's 519-527 was designed by Redfern Kelly (1845-1928), a Belfast-based engineer who predominantly carried out contracts for the Belfast Harbour Commissioners (DIA).

No. 529 Antrim Road is the largest of the three buildings and was initially valued at £50. The first occupant of the building was Edward O’Rourke Dickey, a local solicitor but by 1901 the house had passed to Captain D. Smith, a master mariner (UTD). In 1911 the census building return described No. 529 Antrim Road as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 19 rooms. Smith’s family continued to reside at the address until the 1950s. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the house increased to £52 and recorded that ownership of the building had passed to the McIntyre Bros. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the house was occupied by a Ms. Isabel Grieve and had been decreased in value to £50.

No's 517-533 Antrim Road were listed in 1987. The NIEA HB Records note that No. 529 Antrim Road was utilised as office premises in the 1990s but was converted into a restaurant in 1998. During the Second Survey the restaurant signage was still in place, although the building was vacant. (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. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
11. First Survey Record – HB26/46/012 (1985)
12. NIEA HB Records – HB26/46/012G

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
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

A four bay two-storey with attic mid-terrace late Victorian house dating from 1879 and built in red brick with blue brick dressings; the name of the architect is unknown. Part of a terrace of nine houses (HB26.46.012 A-I) located on the E side of Antrim Road between Glandore Gardens and Glandore Avenue that was constructed in three distinct phases. No.529 Antrim Road is particularly similar to the two adjoining houses immediately to the North (HB26.46.012 H and I), which were developed at the same time and share Ruskinian detailing around the doorcase and windows. The townland of Skegoneil 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-articulated fenestration and skilful brickwork make it a good example from this period. In spite of its conversion to a restaurant with the addition of roller shutter boxes to windows and timber decking to the ground floor, the building has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.