531 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 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. Ogee cast iron guttering discharging to rectangular section downpipes. Rectangular section chimney stack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots. Wall head dormer windows with moulded timber barge boards on decorative brackets and topped with timber finial. Modern roof lights to front and rear elevation.

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.

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 glazed pointed arch fanlight above. The door opens onto a single stone step.

N and S elevations are adjoined to the neighbouring properties No. 529 and No. 533 (HB26.46.012 G & I).

No access to E elevation. Rear elevation is red brick with a two-storey shallow lean-to return.

Setting:
Paved parking to front. Smooth rendered walling to rear with a square-headed door opening having a modern metal door. 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

Nos 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. Nos 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 nos 529-533 Antrim Road were constructed in 1879, a year after the erection of the five Georgian-style houses at nos 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 nos 529-533 Antrim Road is not known, although it is likely that the adjoining nos 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. 531 Antrim Road was initially valued at £40 and was first occupied by Joseph Marsh, a local architect who was recorded by the Dictionary of Irish Architects as the architect of the Irish Temperance League Buildings on Lombard Street (which was built in 1877 but demolished in 1991) and the standard design for a number of coffee stands dotted throughout the city which were also commissioned by the temperance organisation (DIA; Patton, pp 219-221). The house lay vacant in 1901 but by the 1911 census No. 531 Antrim Road was occupied by Hugh J. Davison, a linen merchant. In that year the census building return described the house as a 1st class building that consisted of 16 rooms. The Smith family continued to own No. 531 Antrim Road until the 1970s. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) records that the building was increased in value to £71 and was subdivided into two self-contained apartments in 1946 (the ground floor of the building formed a single dwelling whilst the upper floors were occupied by a separate tenant). The building remained divided into two separate residences by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) which maintained the value of the site at £71.
Nos 517-533 Antrim Road were listed in 1987. The NIEA HB Records note that No. 531 Antrim Road underwent a general renovation in c. 1994. During the Second Survey the building was used as office premises (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 – HB26/46/012H

Secondary Sources
1. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: A historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.

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
I. Quality and survival of Interior
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 (HB26.46.012 G and I), which were developed at the same time and share Ruskinian detailing around the doorcase and windows. 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-articulated fenestration and skilful brickwork make it a good example from this period. Although the original layout has been altered to the ground floor GF, it is mostly intact to the upper floors and some original plasterwork and joinery have survived including the staircase. The building has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.