Donegall Chambers

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Four storey, with attic, building sitting on west side of Donegall Place on the north corner of Fountain Lane. Designed in 1932 by Kendrick Edwards it combines Art Deco composition with Classical detailing.

Flat roof to main section; central tower has slightly pitched roof with gable to Donegall Place. Cast iron rainwater pipes. Walls are mainly lined render with pebble dashed render to side elevation; giant pilasters frame the building and the central tower; a moulded cornice runs below parapet of set back attic floor. Recessed full height central arched window has exaggerated keystone; windows to attic floor are flat lintelled; windows to first, second and third floors have flat lintels, moulded architraves and aproned cills. Ground floor shop fronts, extending full width, are modern. Windows are timber casements with many replacement uPVC (S of tower), the central stair tower window is metal, the windows to the side elevation are metal framed and replacement uPVC.

Main, east elevation has an off-centre tower, the attic floor is set back on either side but projects forward on the south corner. A full height window in central tower, to south are 3 windows to each floor (central 6 pane, flanked by 4 pane); to north are 2 windows to each floor, all 4 paned.

Side, south elevation steps down from five to four storeys three windows from east corner. The elevation is 9 windows wide with the west end having a further four windows in two horizontal groupings. Giant pilasters and cornice frame lined render four storeys high, two E windows wide, matching east elevation; the remaining wall is pebble dashed render with raised concrete architraves to windows; ground floor is painted concrete panelling with ribbed sections; the west end ground floor is divided by a concrete canopy above which are concrete fins and vertical glass block windows and grills, below are two doorways. Windows are 5 paned casements and, to the west, 1 and 2 paned top hung.

Rear west elevation is abutted by two storey building, above which the pebble dashed wall is blank, surmounted by a flat roofed tower.

The north elevation is abutted by HB26/50/032.

Setting:
Donegall Chambers forms the end of a terraced block on the west side of the busy Donegall Place, turning the corner south on to the narrow pedestrian Fountain Lane.

Schedule:
Roof: unseen
Walls: render
Windows: timber, metal and uPVC
RWGs: cast iron.

Historical information

Nos 11-17 Donegall Place, a four-storey commercial and office building, was constructed in 1932-33 and replaced two three-storey buildings that had formerly stood on the site. The 1918 Belfast Street Directory notes that nos 11-13 Donegall Place was originally occupied by Kyle & Cheyne Ltd., a ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing store, whilst the upper floors were leased out to a number of firms and businesses. No. 15 was occupied by John Knox, a sporting goods manufacturer, and John McKenna & Sons, tea, wine and spirit merchants who had established their business in 1825 (Belfast Street Directory – 1918).

The Irish Builder records that by 1932 these buildings were occupied by the London Midland & Scottish Railway Co. and Saxone Shoe Co; in that year Kendrick Edwards was contracted by the landlord, J. D. Cheyne, to design the current building. Edwards (1874-1943), a Belfast-based architect and structural engineer, was born in Liverpool but established an independent practise in Belfast in 1907; during the 1930s he was also responsible for the 1935 design of Imperial House on Donegal Square East (see HB26/50/190). The builder contracted to carry out Edwards’ design was a Mr. Thomas McKee (Irish Builder, p. 68-585; Dictionary of Irish Architects).

Donegall Chambers was completed in 1933 and consisted of three ground floor retail units with three storeys of office space above; the building finished in a subtle Art Deco style. When first completed the total rateable value of Donegall Chambers was set at £3,432 15s. under the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland (1935). There was no further valuation carried out for over two decades due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of the Second World War; in 1943 two of the ground floor units continued to be occupied by Saxone Shoe Co. and the LMS Railway Co., however the upper floors of Donegall Chambers were occupied by a number of private businesses and organisations including a dressmaker, a house furnisher, an accountancy firm and a medical practise (Belfast Street Directory – 1943). Under the second revaluation (1956-1972) the total value of Donegall Chambers was increased to £4,956; by the 1950s the LMS Railway Co. had vacated the ground floor retail unit when the travel agents Thomas Cook & Son. Ltd. occupied the premises.

Both Thomas Cook and Saxone Shoes continued to occupy the ground floor of the building until at least the First Survey Image in 1989. Donegall Chambers was listed in 1990; Patton, writing in 1993, described Donegall Chambers as a ‘four-storey rendered building with central arched staircase feature and set-back attic rising to fifth storey [possessing] labels beneath windows’ (Patton, p. 103). The four-storey commercial building continues to be utilised as commercial space; the ground floor is currently occupied by Poundworld and Kentucky Fried Chicken, however the upper floors were not visited during the Second Survey.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938
3. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/14 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935
4. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/38 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-1972
5. Belfast Street Directories (1918-1943)
6. Irish Builder, Vol. 75 (28 Jan, 25 Mar, 17 Jun, 15 Jul 1933)
7. First Survey Image – HB26/50/198 (1989)
8. Ordnance Survey Map – 130-13SE (1959)

Secondary Sources

1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
2. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A four storey with attic rendered building designed in 1932 by Kendrick Edwards. An element of Art Deco composition survives with the central bay and full height window although this does not integrate well with the overall Classical lines and proportions. The building has been compromised by the loss of historic fabric and detailing, also affecting the original floor plan, and is not among the best examples of the type. It does not meet the statutory and policy tests as a building of special architectural or historic interest.