1-3 DONEGALL SQUARE EAST AND 1-5 CHICHESTER ST. BELFAST

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Corner-sited asymmetrical multi-bay five-storey (over basement with attic) red sandstone Perpendicular Gothic Revival commercial building, built c.1902, to the designs of Young and Mackenzie. L-shaped on plan, facing west onto Donegall Square with a secondary elevation fronting north onto Chichester Street with a chamfered corner entrance bay surmounted by squat tower.

Steeply pitched natural slate roofs with roll-moulded clay ridge tiles, lead valleys and leaded flat sections (over attic-storey). Roof set behind arcaded parapet with a squat tower to either end of the west elevation having steep pyramidal slate roofs surmounted by copper finials and set behind crenellated parapets, that to the north surmounted by crocketed pinnacles. Randomly placed clustered sandstone ashlar chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Large gable to the centre of the west elevation at attic level and a further pair of gables to the north elevation, all having moulded coping and flanked by decorative finials and statuary. Decorative cast-iron box hoppers and square-profile downpipes with moulded iron guttering supported on a deep moulded eaves cornice below parapet, enriched with grotesques and gargoyles. Red sandstone ashlar walling to both principal elevations, cement rendered to the east gable, red brick laid in Flemish bond to the inner-facing elevations and tiled brick south elevation (Pattersons Place). Square-headed mullioned perpendicular Gothic cusped window openings throughout, vertically aligned and steel casement windows (pointed-headed to the fourth floor only).

Principal west elevation is five windows wide with a central gabled attic-storey and three-tiered oriel rising from first to third floors below the gable. The oriel is topped with a pierced stone balcony and flanked by full-height angled shaft mouldings. Either side of the oriel the windows to the first, second and third floors are framed by three-tiered angled shafts. Most windows grouped in two, three or four lights with continuous sill courses from first to third floors having cusped panels below third floor windows and horizontal cusped panels below second floor windows. The oriel is corbelled out with decorative foliate carvings flanked by grotesques and a pair of blind Gothic canopies. An off-centre pointed-headed door opening is flanked by a pair of retail units having depressed Tudor-arches with leaded cusped overlights on a full-span transom. The entrance and retail units are flanked by panelled piers on raised plinths with foliate capital mouldings enriched with figurative carvings and surmounted by robust finials with crocketed heads and decoratively carved spandrel panels over the arched shopfronts. Replacement timber shopfronts to both units and a replacement glazed entrance screen with original leaded cusped overlight to the entrance. To the left is a further Tudor-arched window opening with fixed-pane display window and a series of attenuated cusped overlights flanked by angled shaft mouldings and surmounted by responding cusped panels.

The chamfered corner entrance bay is articulated as a three-sided canted oriel rising from first to third floors surmounted by a blind balustrade enriched with cartouches, crocketed finials and a blind corner window filled with a shield depicting a lighthouse (Ocean Trademark). The corner is corbelled out over the principal entrance as a miniature rib-vaulted soffit with three carved heads of British monarchs fronting the principal brackets. The balustrade above has cusped blind panels and extends across the entire north elevation (with open cusped balustrade). Tudor-arched door opening with a compound moulded and voussoired arch supported on engaged paired octagonal polished stone colonettes rising from raised octagonal plinths set on three nosed compass steps. Door opening flanked by slender carved panels and further octagonal colonettes surmounted by shield wielding angles and a hood moulding over. Original double-leaf timber doors with linenfold panels and cusped panels to the upper half.

Secondary north elevation is six windows wide with a pair of three-tiered oriels rising from a slightly advanced ground floor, that to the left set below a large triangular gable and that to the centre surmounted by a diminutive attic-gable. All facade and window detailing as per west elevation.

East elevation abutted by adjoining building No.7 Chichester Street (HB26/50/292A). The east gable rises by a further two storeys above the adjoining house with ruled-and-lined rendered walling topped by a course of red sandstone ashlar with moulded coping and vertical incisions, as per chimneystacks.

The rear of the north facing section and the east facing rear elevation are built in machine-made red brick laid in Flemish bond with gauged brick segmental-headed window openings having single-pane timber sash windows and sandstone sills.
The south side elevation is also built in red brick, with later applied ceramic tiling and largely tripartite stone-framed window openings with steel casement windows. The decorative Gothic detailing of the front elevation returns by single bay onto the south side elevation with a single shop display window to the ground floor and a series of sandstone piers with carved capitals.

Setting

Occupying a corner site on the northeast of Donegall Square, the building stands as the tallest structure on this side of the square while bookending the entrance to Chichester Street.

Roof: Natural slate/lead
RWG : Cast-iron
Walling: Red sandstone ashlar/red brick
Windows: Steel casement

Historical information

Constructed for the Ocean Accident Guarantee Corporation Ltd, the building was completed in 1902 to the designs of the Belfast architectural firm Young and MacKenzie and is commonly known as the ‘Ocean Buildings’.

Although the building cannot be distinguished from neighbouring terraces in the third edition OS map (1900-2), it is evident from the Belfast Revaluations (1900-2) that the building was in course of erection at this time. Prior to this, the site was occupied by three terraced houses, which fronted Chichester Street and had stables and yards to the rear. Mainly used for offices and commercial purposes by the late 19th century, No.1-3 was the Prince George Hotel in 1887 (Belfast Street Directories). Three buildings of the larger terrace still remain directly to the east (HB26/50/17 A & B).

The ‘Ocean’ building, which was to contain around 78 shops and offices to let, was constructed between 1899-1902 at an estimated cost of £27,000 (Belfast Revaluations 1900-02). The Annual Revisions (1906-14) show that the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation occupied the ground floor offices, as well as the safe deposit, basement and ‘strong rooms’, achieving a rateable value of £415. The floors above were leased as office space, approximately valuing £930 and the ground floor of the building also contained commercial units, notable for the decorative stone tracery-work around the main windows (HB File).

Street Directories from 1902 to 1995 record that the building continued to be used as offices and shops by a variety of companies and businesses during the 20th century, including solicitor firms, insurance companies, accountants, engineers and architectural practices including as those of T.W Henry, architect of Shankill Road Public Library (HB26/34/002) and James A. Hanna, architect of Antrim Road Baptist Church (HB26/42/003) (DIA).

Patton, writing in 1993, has described the building as “…splendid asymmetrical…building in red Ballochmoyle sandstone” designed by Robert Young in a Scottish-Baronialesque Gothic style. The contractor was Robert Corry and the stained glass windows are the work of Ward & Partners (Brett; DIA). The building is decorated with elaborate tracery, sculpture and carvings by Winter and Thompson, including a number of gargoyles and grotesque creatures, animals bearing fruit, capitals depicting the heads of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria and detailed mermaids carrying lighthouses on shields, representing the Ocean Corporation’s Trademark (Patton, Brett). In 1982 the stone underwent extensive cleaning.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2- First Edition OS Map (1832-33)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3- Second Edition OS Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4- Third Edition OS Map (1901-2)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/6- Fourth Edition OS Map (1931)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/1A- Griffith’s Valuation (1859-60)
6. PRONI VAL/7/B/9/46 – Belfast Revaluations (1900-02)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C34 - Annual Revisions (1906-15)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C34 - Annual Revisions (1916-25)
9. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/13- First General Revaluation (1935)
10. The Ulster Street Directories (1887-1995)
11. HB File (HB26/50/016)

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P “Belfast, An Illustrated Architectural Guide” 1987
2. Brett, C.E.B “ The Buildings of Belfast 1700-1914” 1985 Ed
3. Patton, Marcus “Central Belfast- An Historical Gazetteer” UAHS, Belfast (1993)
4. 1830 “Map of the Centre of Belfast” in. O'Regan, Raymond “Hidden Belfast: Benevolence, Blackguards and Balloon Heads” Mercier Press, Cork (2010)
5. www.dia.ie - Dictionary of Irish Architects online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Corner-sited asymmetrical multi-bay five-storey red sandstone Gothic Revival commercial building, built c.1902, to the designs of Young and Mackenzie. L-shaped on plan, facing west onto Donegall Square with a secondary elevation fronting north onto Chichester Street. Built for the Ocean Accident Guarantee Corporation with carvings by Winter & Thompson, this building dominates the east side of Donegall Square with its height and Gothic Revival detailing. Although the façades have lost some of the original carvings the overall external and internal appearance remains intact and constitutes one of Belfast’s most notable landmarks. It is a fine example of the type, representing both the commercial development of the city and the work of noteworthy architects.