Former Bradford and Bingley Building

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached two storey plus attic late Victorian building, built c.1894 to designs by the Belfast based Architect Samuel Stevenson, located at the corner of Chichester Street/Callender Street with the main entrance on the corner facing south-west.

Pitched and hipped natural slate roof with red brick chimneystacks set back behind dormers and pierced parapet either side of corner turret. Walling is red facing brickwork with beige granite pilasters and columns to ground floor and sandstone dressings to remainder; windows painted timber 1/1 sliding sash except where otherwise indicated.

Principle (south) elevation is two bays wide with corner turret. Ground floor bays have modern square headed plate-glass display windows separated by pilasters with cream painted ionic capitols supporting cream painted stone entablature above. First floor left bay has single, and right bay has tripartite square headed 1/1 casement window with sandstone sills, moulded mullions and architraves and triangular pediments over. Bays are separated by bipartite plasters which extend to moulded corbelled eaves/sill course. Second floor right bay has wall head dormer with tripartite square headed (with corner fillets) window with red brick mullions, moulded sill course, lintels with drip moulding above surmounted by date stone having raised inscription '1894' set in a carved shield; left bay has pierced parapet.

Turret (south-west elevation) has corner entrance at ground floor behind round columns with cream painted stone ionic capitals and entablature over propping 1st floor jetty; corner feature above of bipartite square headed 1/1 curved casement window (curved glass) with sill and moulded mullions and architraves surmounted by clock face set in carved surround with triangular pediment above; top stage of turret has seven square headed (with corner fillets) windows with red brick mullions, moulded sill course and lintels ( roundels between windows) surmounted by a curved moulded entablature and flat roof.

West elevation is four bays wide with corner turret. Ground floor right three bays have modern square headed plate-glass display windows separated by pilasters with cream painted ionic capitols supporting cream painted stone entablature above. Ground floor left bay has six panel painted timber door with overlight set in moulded surround and flanked by two granite pilasters. First floor left and right bays have single square headed 1/1 casement windows with sills, moulded architraves with triangular pediment over. Middle two bays have tripartite square headed 1/1 casement windows with sills, moulded mullions and architraves with triangular pediments over. Bays are separated by bipartite pilasters which extend to moulded corbelled eaves/sill course. Second floor middle two bays have wall head dormers with bipartite square headed (with corner fillets) windows with red brick millions, moulded sill course and lintels surmounted by triangular pediments.

North elevation has windows of varying sizes at various locations.

East elevation abutted by neighbouring building, exposed section has windows of varying sizes at various locations.

Setting:-

The bank is situated at the prominent corner of Chichester Street/Callender Street, to the north-east of the City Hall (HB26/50/001), east of the former Water Office (HB26/50/015) and north of Ocean Buildings (HB26/50/016).

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Brick
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

The property was originally built for Reuben Payne, a merchant tailor, in 1894 to designs by the Belfast based architect Samuel Stevenson. Mr Stevenson was later appointed in 1900 as the architect for the Municipal Technology Institute at College Square East (HB26/50/222).

Marcus Patton in "Central Belfast A Historical Gazetteer" writes that, "in the latter days of the building previously on this site, W Erskine Mayne ran the ULSTER RELIGIOUS TRACT AND BOOK DEPOSITORY, a business founded "by a number of ministers and gentlemen", and also published the Monthly Gleaner, " the primary juvenile magazine in Ulster", as well as stocking magic lanterns for hire, and photographic and sporting apparatus. An old double fronted three-storey house with full height bay windows and a railed garden linking Chichester Street and Callender street stood at the corner to Donegall Square until 1888, and was occupied by the publisher William M'Comb, and later by a rent agent named Conolly Sherrard." (Patton, p65)

A photograph of the current building taken in 1897 (from the Francis Firth Collection 1978) shows the building sporting a conical natural slate roof with ball finial over the turret which was replaced with a flat roof in c. 1950.

References:

Primary Sources

1. Photograph taken in 1897 (from the Francis Firth Collection 1978)
2. First Edition OS Map (1833)
3. Second Edition OS Map (1860)
4. Third Edition OS Map (1938 revision)

Secondary Sources

1. Patton, Marcus. "Central Belfast A Historical Gazetteer." Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.
2. McNally, Frank. "An Irishman's Diary." Irishnews.com, 2009.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached two storey plus attic late Victorian building, built c.1894 to designs by the Belfast based Architect Samuel Stevenson, located at the corner of Chichester Street/Callender Street. This eclectic design is a good representative of the type of small commercial building that is becoming increasingly rare in the city and elsewhere. It is of note as a an example of the minor works of s recognised architect who was involved with many of the significant civic buildings in Belfast.

General comments

HB26LQ211