31-39 Royal Avenue

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A four-storey six-bay red brick Italianate building with stucco detailing and attic dormers, built c.1882, to the designs of Young and Mackenzie. Narrow rectangular on plan with a wider gabled section to the north and a curved bay to the far-south, which embraces the junction with Rosemary Street. The ground floor comprises modernized commercial units, with office/storage space above.

Pitched slate roof to two northern bays; narrower pitched slate roof to south; brick parapet to west elevation; two plain rendered chimneys to west side of ridgeline. Parapet punctuated by six wall-head stuccoed-dormers, centred above each bay; having pitched slate roofs, a pair of diminutive round-arched windows with ‘wavy’ pediments and topped with ball finials over. Replacement metal ogee rainwater goods mounted on heavily moulded and projecting cornice to eaves. Building is of frame construction; walling is red-brick laid to Flemish bond with sandstone/stuccoed dressings and classical ornamentation. Windows appear to be metal frame replacements, with pairs vertically arranged within each bay (unless otherwise stated). Advancing brick piers separate each bay, rising from first floor cill course, through three storeys to carry eaves cornice.

Principal façade faces west and is five openings wide, largely symmetrical across the upper levels. Third floor windows are round-arched, having enlarged keystones to moulded heads and separated by brick pilasters. First and second floor windows are square-headed and framed by panelled pilasters, having embellished capitals, supporting the deep cill course of the window above, which contain an array of swags, shields or foliated motifs. The ground floor contains a number of shop units all having modern aluminum and glazed frontages; Far right unit is clad in porcelain panels (modern addition) but some original polished granite pilasters remain visible.

North elevation abutted by adjoining terrace (HB26/50/227).

View of east (rear) elevation is largely obstructed by neighbouring buildings. Centre and left-side is blank and abutted by two storey commercial building fronting Rosemary Street. North proportion projects and is two bays wide; south gable is blank; main elevation contains a single dormer to attic (converted into a doorway with modern fire-escape stairs attached) with a number of vertically aligned window openings to upper floors. View of remaining elevation is obstructed by neighbouring buildings.

South elevation comprises a single curved bay, which is detailed as bays on west elevation except windows are blocked and central shield over first floor window contains ‘1882’.

Setting

Located on the eastern side of Royal Avenue, the principal elevation directly lines one of the main thoroughfares in the commercial centre of the city. The curved south bay embraces the pedestrianised Rosemary Street but the height of the building is a stark contrast to the two and three storey buildings which line this secondary street. Subsequently the building visually dominates the junction, while the tall and narrow form provides an unusual focal point when viewed from the south on Royal Avenue. Other nearby historic structures include the adjoining terrace to the north, Nos. 41-51 Royal Avenue (HB26/50/227) and Rosemary Street First Presbyterian Church (HB26/50/054) a short distance to the east.

Roof : Slate
RWG: metal and uPVC
Walling: Red brick and stucco
Windows : metal

Historical information

Nos 31-39 Royal Avenue, a four-storey redbrick building (also known as Royal Chambers) was constructed in 1882 to designs by Young & Mackenzie. The architectural firm was formed between Robert Young and John Mackenzie in 1868 and in 1882 the pair had also designed the nearby nos 65-73 Royal Avenue (see HB26/50/191); the Dictionary of Irish Architects records that ‘by the beginning of the twentieth century Young & Mackenzie had developed the most successful architectural practice in Belfast … and had also received some of the most important commercial commissions in the city (Dictionary of Irish Architects).

Royal Chambers was erected as part of the Royal Avenue redevelopment of 1880-81 and was owned by Sir. Robert J. McConnell (1853-1927), a local estate agent and politician who also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1900 and 1901. Royal Chambers originally consisted of between four and five ground floor retail units whilst the upper floors were utilised as office space; the Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of nos 31-39 Royal Avenue at £444. Amongst the earliest occupants of the site was the offices and auction market of Sir. Robert McConnell which was situated in one of the ground floor units.

At the turn of the 20th century Royal Chambers accommodated the offices of two major railway companies, the Great Northern Railway Company and the Great Central Railway Company of England (both of which occupied ground floor retail units in 1897). The Belfast Street Directories note that the remaining ground floor units were occupied by Noblett’s Confectioner shop, a Miss Grant’s newsagents and the auction market of Sir. R. J. McConnell. The upper floors of Royal Chambers were occupied by a variety of accountancy and insurance firms but also the private offices of Harry Douglas (a portrait painter), a Mr. D. Craig (engraver) and the workshop of William Moyes (a designer) (Belfast Street Directory – 1901).

Over the following three decades the occupants of Royal Chambers changed a number of times; by 1910 the two railway companies had vacated the ground floor retail units which were occupied by two jewellery dealers. By 1918 the upper floors continued to be occupied by a variety of solicitors firms and insurance agents but also by the offices of local architect, W. J. Moore, and also the linen manufacturing company, G. C. Mitchell Ltd. (Belfast Street Directories 1910-18).

By the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935) the total value of Royal Chambers had been increased to £1,495; of all the original occupants listed in the Street Directories, only Noblett’s confectioners shop and Sir. R. J. McConnell’s estate offices continued to operate from nos 31-39 Royal Avenue by the 1930s. There was no further revaluation undertaken for over two decades due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of the Second World War, however under the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the total value of the building was further increased to £3,018. By the end of the revaluation in 1972 the ground floor retail units were occupied by Concord Travel Co. And the Woolwich Equitable Building Society (the offices of Sir. R. J. McConnell ceased operating in 1960).

Nos 31-39 Royal Avenue is one of many commercial properties erected on the newly created boulevard of Royal Avenue, laid out in 1880-81 by the surveyor J. C. Bretland (who in the process relocated approximately 4,000 people). Prior to the redevelopment of the area Donegall Place and Hercules Street (the precursor to Royal Avenue) were divided by an additional line of buildings located on the eastern side of the current street. The demolition and clearing of Hercules Place and Hercules Street created the long open boulevard which now extends from Donegall Square to York Street; however it required the destruction of almost all the buildings on the street pre-dating the 1880s. The only building to survive the clearing of the area is the former Provisional Bank of Ireland (HB26/50/106) which continues to occupy the original line of Hercules Place (a narrow square that linked Donegall Place to Hercules Street) and as a result is set further back in the street than the adjoining buildings (Brett, p. 40; Patton, p. 282; p. 286).

Nos 31-39 Royal Avenue was listed in 1996; Patton, writing in 1993, states that Royal Chambers was one of the first premises to open on the newly completed Royal Avenue and described Royal Chambers as a ‘four-storey five-bay building in red brick and stucco with curved bay ending rather abruptly at Rosemary Street. Windows mostly duple, framed by panelled pilasters and shields or swags below cills, between brick pilasters; roundheaded windows at third floor; parapet broken by wavy-topped dormers with ball finials’ (Patton, p. 283).

References

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/E/1-13 – Annual Revisions 1862-1896
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/17-44 – Annual Revisions 1897-1930
7. PRONI VAL/7/B/9/22 – Belfast Revaluation 1900
8. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/13 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/41 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72
10. Belfast Street Directories (1901-1918)
11. First Survey Image – HB26/50/191 (1977)
12. Ordnance Survey map 130-13NE (1959-60)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast: 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1985.
2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
3. 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

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A four-storey, red-brick Italianate-style building, erected c.1882 to designs by Young and Mackenzie. Embellished with classical motifs, the building is characterised by the tall narrow form, which is curved at the junction with Rosemary Street and presents a distinctive focal point from the south and east. The building constitutes one of the early examples of the initial phase of development along Royal Avenue. In conjunction with the adjoining terrace to the north (Nos. 41-51 HB26/50/227), the corresponding heights, dormers and cornice lines represent cohesive yet varied historic character and are indicative of the development controls enforced during the early development of the street. This is a good example of the type and of the work of an architectural practice of note.