60-64 Wellington Place / 12-13 College Square East

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Corner-sited multi-bay four-storey rendered former townhouse, built c.1830, extensively renovated c.1983, with shopfront spanning the ground floor. L-shaped on plan facing north onto Wellington Place and west onto College Square East as part of a terrace of former townhouses.

Natural slate roof, hipped to the outer corner with cement ridge tiles, spanning a two-pile plan to the north section and a single-pile plan to the west section. Replacement profiled red brick chimneystacks with clay pots. Roofs set behind blocking course and eaves cornice. Painted ruled-and-lined cement rendered walling with painted rusticated quoins to the outer corner. Square-headed window openings with concrete sills and replacement 6/6 timber sash windows.

Four-storey west elevation is six windows wide with replacement hardwood glazed shopfront to the ground floor spanning both elevations. Square-headed door opening to the central bay having replacement hardwood glazed entrance screen. The shopfront of the adjoining building to the south spans across two bays.

North elevation is four windows wide with shopfront spanning the ground floor.

East side elevation abutted by No.58 (HB26/50/319A)

Rear elevations are cement rendered and largely obscured by accretions and adjoining structures. Largely uPVC windows and a replacement red brick profiled chimneystack rising from the rear elevation.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.14 College Square East (HB26/50/319C).

Setting

Forming part of a terrace of former townhouses lining the east side of College Square East returning onto Wellington Place.

Roof: Natural slate
RWG: UPVC
Walling : render / red brick
Windows :UPVC / timber

Historical information

Nos 60-64 Wellington Place (including nos 11-13 College Square East), the corner building in a terrace of four-storey late-Georgian townhouses which include No. 58 Wellington Place (HB26/50/022A) and nos 14-16 College Square East (HB26/50/022C-E), was constructed in the early-19th century. The row is a rare surviving Georgian terrace of a type once commonly found throughout the centre of Belfast but now quite rare; similar examples include a four-storey terrace on Chichester Street and two three-storey terraces on Joy and Hamilton Street. The terrace on Wellington Place and College Square East was constructed between 1822 and 1832-33 as the row does not appear on a map of Belfast included in George Benn’s ‘The History of the Town of Belfast’ which recorded that the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (HB26/50/023) lay to the western limit of the town and was still not surrounded by many buildings; the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1832-33) depicted both the Wellington Place and College Square East terraces. Contemporary to the first edition map, the Townland Valuation of Belfast recorded that the corner building was recorded as a single building valued at £13 19s. 7d. and occupied by a Miss Finley.

Nos 60-64 Wellington Place and nos 11-13 College Square East appear to have lain vacant in 1843 when no occupant for the building was recorded in the Belfast Street Directory of that year, however by 1852 a Mr. Thomas Grattan, who was employed as a dentist, had taken over occupancy of the site (one of a great number of medical professionals to reside along the row during the 19th century). Grattan continued to reside at the building by Griffith’s Valuation in 1860; the valuer noted that the corner building, like the majority of the terrace was leased by the representatives of the estate of a Mr. James Blair, and that the value of the building had increased to £34 since the 1830s. The street directories again noted Grattan as occupant in 1868; however by 1877 he had been replaced as occupant by the Lindsay Brothers and in 1880 the property was occupied by a Mr. W. E. Mayne who operated a Christian Tract depot. In 1880 upon coming into possession of the property the value of the corner building was increased to £40 (Belfast Street Directories).
In 1892 the Annual Revisions note that the former private dwelling was converted into a hotel known as the Balmoral Temperance Hotel. The Belfast revaluation of 1900 records that the hotel was managed by a Mr. S. McCausland and consisted of 19 rooms, a bathroom and two kitchens. The hotel was accessed from Wellington Place and, under the revaluation, the property was greatly increased in value to £110. By 1900 the ground floor of the building (facing onto College Square North) had been converted into a tobacconist’s shop which was administered by a Mrs. Julia Byrne and was individually valued at £21. The Belfast Revaluation settled the total rent payable for the hotel and tobacconists shop at approximately £120 per annum. The Belfast Revaluation also recorded that by 1900 ownership of the entire terrace had passed to a Ms. Sarah White, who was thereafter noted as lessor.

The Balmoral Temperance Hotel continued to operate from the site until 1903 when the corner building was converted into commercial and office premises; the tobacconist shop (known as the Cooke Cigar and Tobacco Store) continued to operate from the College Square East ground floor until 1906. After the closure of the Balmoral Temperance Hotel, the Wellington Place side of the building was converted into two ground floor retail units and office space above; the upper floors of the building were called the ‘Balmoral Buildings’ and consisted of offices for solicitors firms, linen stores and the offices of a publishing company called Blackie & Son Ltd. The ground floor retail units were occupied by George Prescott’s opticians and the offices of the Ulster Ladies Work Depot. As a result of the conversion, the total value of the corner building was increased to £325 10s. in 1903.

In 1906 the building was purchased by the estate of Vance & Brown which established a Land and Insurance Agency on the ground floor of the College Square East side of the building. The offices were administered by a Mr. F. Scott Martin who was employed as a valuer and secretary of the Belfast Mutual Building Society. By 1918 the upper floors of the Balmoral Buildings continued to be occupied by solicitors firms and other private businesses, but were also used as offices for a number of local architects and engineers such as the architect, Robert S. Hill and the engineering firm of Dobson & Son. George Prescott continued to occupy one of the ground floor units whilst the other unit was occupied by a tailor (Belfast Street Directories).

By the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935), the total value of the corner building had been increased to £427 5s. There was no further revaluation carried out for over two decades due to the outbreak of the Second World War, however by the second revaluation (1956-72) the value of the building was further increased to £600 15s. By the end of the revaluation in 1972, Vance & Brown retained ownership of nos 60-69 Wellington Place and nos 11-13 College Square East; in the 1970s the ground floor retail units were occupied by George Prescott’s opticians, and the Belfast Gold Exchange, whilst the upper floors of Balmoral Buildings continued to be utilised as office space.

Patton states that College Square was laid out in the early-19th century and was originally intended as a desirable residential area, a Georgian square surrounded by handsome townhouses - prior to the construction of the large Municipal Technical Building. Nos 60-64 Wellington Place and nos 11-13 College Square East was constructed in c. 1830 and was originally a redbrick structure, the redbrick has been hidden under a stucco render; Patton states that, although much of the original façade of the terrace is now altered, ‘early pots survive on the chimneys, some [possessing] beaded or dropped bead type, [and some with] dragon’s teeth type’ (Patton, p. 72).

Beckett states that the terrace was constructed in the early-19th century and was originally intended as new housing for Belfast’s professional classes. A photograph of College Square North dated c. 1880 contained in J. C. Beckett’s 'Belfast: The Making of the City' depicts the terrace prior to its conversion into commercial premises; the ground floor of the row without shopfronts possessed ornate doorcases with fanlights above. The commercialisation of the terrace took place in the early 20th century with the construction of Municipal Technical Building when professional classes relocated to South Belfast and the newly formed terraces on University Square beside Queen’s University; Patton; the closure of the Balmoral Temperance Hotel in c. 1906 coincided with the opening of the Technical Building in 1907 which may have been a factor in the closure (Beckett, p. 155; Patton, p. 74).

Nos 60-64 Wellington Place and nos 11-13 College Square East, along with the rest of the terrace, was listed in 1976 and since that time has continued to be utilised as commercial premises. Patton states that the building was sympathetically restored in c. 1983 and retains its original small-pane sashes (Patton). Field Inspection finds that corner building continues to be utilised as commercial premises, the ground floor is currently occupied by two shops that specialise in sporting goods and hiking equipment whilst the upper floors of the building currently lie vacant.

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/1/B/75A+B – Townland Valuation c. 1837
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/7/4B – Griffith’s Valuation 1860
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/D/1-18 – Annual Revisions 1862-1930
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/E/1-24 – Annual Revisions 1862-1930
10. PRONI VAL/7/B/9/49 – Belfast Revaluation 1900
11. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/14 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935
12. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/38 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72
13. George Benn’s The History of the town of Belfast (1823)
14. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
15. Belfast Street Directories (1861-1918)
16. First Survey Record – HB26/50/022 (1971)
17. First Survey Image – HB26/50/022 (1975-78)
18. Ordnance Survey map – 130-13SE (1959)

Secondary Sources
1. Beckett, J. C., ‘Belfast: The making of the city’ Belfast: The Appletree Press, 1983.
2. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.

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
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Terraced four-storey rendered former townhouse, built c.1830, as one of a terrace of houses at the junction of Great Victoria Street and Wellington Place. Although compromised by modern alterations, much historic fabric and detailing survive. The building and its neighbours represent a rare building typology in the heart of the City. The row is a rare surviving Georgian terrace of a type once commonly found throughout the centre of Belfast; similar examples include a four-storey terrace on Chichester Street and two three-storey terraces on Joy and Hamilton Street.

General comments

Renumbered to rationalise group. Previously HB26/50/022B (No. 60 Wellington Place), 022C (No. 62), 022D (No. 64) and 022E (12-13 College Square E).