Furnace House, Clarendon Buildings, Clarendon Quay, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT1 3AL

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical single-storey three-bay former furnace house located at Clarendon Dock, dating from the early nineteenth century and forming part of a group of structures associated with the original graving docks (HB26/50/090B-C) and pumping station (HB26/50/090A). Rectangular on plan.

Pitched natural slate roof with leaded ridge and stone verges; red brick chimneystacks with replacement terracotta pots; half round cast iron rainwater goods on stepped ashlar sandstone eaves course; French drain to perimeter. Walling is coursed random rubble blackstone bedded in lime mortar, with tooled ashlar sandstone plinth and feather-edged dressings; some snecking to north gable; replacement sandstone in places. Windows are replacement timber double-glazed sashes with projecting cills.

Symmetrical east elevation having central replacement sheeted timber door in sandstone block surround, and paired windows to outer bays, all in tooled sandstone block surrounds.

South gable with simple pedimented gable and single window (formerly a door opening), infilled beneath cill with timber apron panelling and stone cill insertion.

Symmetrical west elevation has a central double-leaf door opening, with paired windows to outer bays.

Setting

The former furnace house is set directly to west of the original pump house (HB26/50/090A), and the two graving docks (HB26/50/090B and C) on Clarendon Dock, with access to Belfast Lough at east. The Harbour Office (HB26/50/094) is located a short distance to south. The area has been subject to substantial late twentieth century public realm works, and the complex is now set on a paved terrace with contemporary office developments to north, public sculpture (‘Dividers’ by Vivien Burnside) to east, and car parking to west. Vehicular access from Corporation Street; pedestrian access from Donegall Quay.

Roof: Slate
Walling: stone
Windows: timber
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

The furnace house is part of a group of structures associated with the Clarendon graving docks, comprising the two-storey harbour master’s house, arcaded stone workshop, basalt engine (pump) house (HB26/50/090A), the detached stone furnace house (HB26/50/090D), and the two graving (or 'dry') docks (HB26/50/090B+C). As a group, they are the earliest surviving remnants of Belfast’s shipbuilding history, and were erected between 1796 and 1826. The former furnace house, situated between the graving docks and to the west of the Clarendon Dock Building, was constructed 1825-26 at the same time as No. 2 graving dock. The Clarendon Dock Buildings were first depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1832-33); the map recorded the site prior to the construction of the Clarendon ‘wet’ Dock which was completed in 1851.

The Clarendon Dock buildings, including furnace house, were designed 1825-26 by David Logan (died c. 1839), a Scottish architect who was resident engineer at Donaghadee Harbour at the time of his appointment by the Ballast Board in 1823 (Dictionary of Irish Architects). The engine (pump) house when completed housed machinery designed to force water in and out of both dry docks, whilst the furnace house contained the furnace and storage of pitch for the dock’s tar boiler.

The second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1858) was the first map to record the current layout of the Clarendon Docks after completion of the wet dock; there was no alteration to the Clarendon Dock Building, captioned as ‘Engine Ho[use], on this map. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1860) included the buildings in a single joint valuation that included ‘gate lodge, offices, deputy harbour master’s house, workshops, stores, graving dock and yard’ and was valued at a total of £800.

Between 1861 and 1882 the group was divided into two new records; the first consisted of the graving docks, whilst the other included the gate house, offices, deputy harbour master’s house, the basalt engine (pump) house and a variety of workshops, and was valued at £357. There was no alteration to the value of this group until 1902 when it was increased to £437 due to the addition of a workshop from a neighbouring ‘old feltworks’.

The Clarendon graving docks and associated buildings are the last surviving remnants of the Georgian shipbuilding complex that once extended along the Co. Antrim side of the River Lagan. Shipbuilding had been taking place on the west side of the river for decades before William Ritchie established his industry at the current site in 1791. Ritchie (1756-1834) was born in Ayreshire in Scotland; he was invited to Belfast in 1791 and established a pioneering shipbuilding business with his brother Hugh, the first major shipbuilding enterprise in the city. In 1796 the Belfast Ballast Board commissioned Ritchie to construct a graving dock on land granted by the Marquis of Donegall; work on the dock took four years, No. 1 graving dock was completed in 1800. It was not until 1826 that the second graving dock was constructed to the north of the former; No. 2 graving dock was slightly longer, deeper and possessed steeper sides than the first, illustrating the progress in shipbuildng technology in the intervening years between construction of the two docks. (Newman, p. 228; Patton, p. 85).

The furnace house was listed category A in 1975 as part of the group of structures associated with the early dock (see HB26/50/090A-E), however by the time Larmour was writing in 1987 the buildings had fallen out of use and were closed; Larmour stated that ‘[the dock buildings] together with their related dry docks (and the Clarendon wet dock) constitute a very important survival from the early days of the port of Belfast’ (Larmour, p. 5). In 1989 the Laganside Development Corporation were charged with the regeneration of a stretch of the River Lagan from the Albert Bridge to the Abercorn Basin.

McCreary’s broad history of Belfast’s port states that the ‘excellent restoration’ of the Clarendon Dock Building has revitalised the once neglected and disused former-dockland into one of Europe’s most successful waterfront redevelopments. The renovation has restored the Clarendon Dock Building’s exterior to its original Georgian splendour; however the renovation also resulted in the loss of all original interior fabric. The building for a time accommodated the offices of Laganside Corporation, (their headquarters were in the adjacent former pumping station) who were responsible for regenerating the west side of the quays area, but is vacant at the time of writing. A small modern pump house (HB26/50/090E) was constructed to the south-east side of the former basalt engine (pump) house in the late nineteenth century, and continues to serve graving dock no.2, which is still in use. (McCreary; Laganside Website).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1832-33
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931
5. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/2A – Griffith’s Valuation 1860
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/4 – Annual Revisions 1862-1881
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/10 – Annual Revisions 1882-1896
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/14 – Annual Revisions 1897-1905
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/19 – Annual Revisions 1906-1915
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/B/21 – Annual Revisions 1916-1930
12. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
13. Ordnance Survey Map – 130-13SE (1959-60)
14. First Survey Image – HB26/50/090 (Undated)

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
2. McCreary, A., ‘Titanic Port: An illustrated history of Belfast Harbour’ Belfast: Booklink, 2010.
3. Newmann, K., ‘Dictionary of Ulster Biography’ Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994.
4. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993
5. Sweetnam, R; Nimmons, C., ‘The Port of Belfast 1785-1985’ Belfast: Harbour Commissioners, 1985.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie
2. Laganside Website - http://www.laganside.com/

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

V. Authorship
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The former furnace house designed by Scottish architect David Logan. Now refitted as office accommodation, the pitch house contributes to the legibilityof the historic aspect and industrial origin of the site, and is defined by simple detailing and proportions using traditional construction techniques. The group (HB26/50/090A-E), including the Clarendon Building and the scheduled docks, is of great significance as the earliest graving docks complex at the harbour, built by the pioneer of shipbuilding in Belfast, William Ritchie, and survives as a full range of associated structures. These are earliest graving docks in Belfast, representing the origins of the late eighteenth century port which contributed significantly to the success and development of the industrial city. The building has been restored for new use and much historic fabric and detailing survive. The group is representative of importance of pioneering maritime heritage within the context of the developing industrial city, constructed in an era of burgeoning commercial and industrial success.

General comments

This record has been renumbered to reflect group status. It was previously included under HB26/50/090, and is now recorded with the suffix D. (see also HB26/50/090A-C and E)