French Connection

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three storey, with attic, commercial building on Cornmarket at the junction with Ann Street. Built in c.1882 in Italianate Neolassical style.

Mansard hipped roof of natural slate, lead ridges set behind parapet topped by metal rails; corner dormer with lead cladding to sides, stucco front with moulded pediment on brackets flush with face of building; pedimented dormer to east sits behind parapet. Rainwater goods concealed. Walls are painted stucco; deep moulded cornice with dentilled frieze; divided into bays by giant order pilasters on faceted plinths, decorated above the capitals with guilloche moulding divide each bay. Decorated apron panel at second floor level and moulded strings. The windows to the second floor are arched with moulded archivolts, fluted bracket keystones, fretted floral aprons; the first floor windows are square headed with fluted bracket keystones. The attic window is 2 paned, the remaining windows are original 3 paned timber casements with overlights, the corner ones of curved glass. The ground floor has a modern fascia with plate glass windows between rendered piers.

The main south elevation is 3 windows wide with the curved corner window to the west. The parapet has an upstanding pier to the second pilaster.

The secondary west elevation is 2 windows wide.

The north elevation is abutted by a building.

The east elevation is abutted by a tall building.

Setting

The corner building sits hard on the east side of pedestrianised Cornmarket turning into Ann Street, N of Arthur Square. On the opposite side of Ann Street is a Masonic Hall (HB26/50/039B), on the opposite side of Arthur Square is Mayfair (HB26/50/096).

Schedule:
Roof: Natural slate
Walls: Render
Windows: Timber
RWGs: Unseen.

Historical information

The current building dates from c1882 and is first shown on the large-scale map of Belfast dating from 1883-4. The building was constructed as a shop and offices by the solicitors’ firm H & W Seeds and first enters valuation records in 1882. The offices on the upper floors were occupied by H & W Seeds and valued at £140, while the shop on the ground floor was sublet to George McAfee, military boot maker, and valued at £80.

In 1886 the building was purchased for £980 by George McIldowie and Sons solicitors, a firm that remained in the building until the 1970s. George McIldowie’s residence was in the Belmont Road and his sons George and William lived in Craigavad and Bangor, respectively (Street Directory). The 1901 census records a caretaker resident on the premises, David York, and his English wife, Rose, who was the housekeeper (1901 census). The caretaker’s rooms were on the third floor of the building.

George McAfee, who occupied the ground floor shop, was a prominent bootmaker in the town and regularly advertised his wares, which included ‘ladies’ boots and shoes, evening shoes and slippers, tennis and seaside shoes’ in the pages of the Belfast Newsletter (28th June 1890). McAfee ran the business at Corn Market until the 1920s and it was then taken over by Stephens and Bourke who remained military bootmakers and court shoemakers on the premises until the 1960s. Since c1970 the shop has occupied by various clothing retailers and the upper floors appear to have become absorbed into the retail premises.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/8/30/4-4A – Large-scale plan of Belfast 1883-4
2. PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1901-2
3. PRONI OS/6/1/61/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1931
4. PRONI OS/6/1/61/7 – Seventh Edition OS map of 1938
5. PRONI VAL/7/B/9/35 – Belfast Revaluation 1900
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/1-22 – Annual Revisions (1862-1930)
7. 1901 census online
8. Street Directories (1882-1995)
9. Belfast Newsletter 28th June 1890

Secondary Sources

1. Patton, M “Central Belfast: An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A commercial building, three storey with attic, on Cornmarket at the junction with Ann Street. Built in c.1885 in Italianate Neoclassical style its historic character survives in the simple, strong stucco detailing. However, it is not among the best examples of the type and has been compromised by extensive alterations.