150-152 North Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical three-bay three-storey red brick commercial building with attic and ground floor shops, built c.1900, located at the corner of North Street and Smithfield, in central Belfast. Rectangular plan with C20 extension to ground floor rear.

Pitched slate roof with raised verge and raised party wall between left bay and two right bays, crowned by red brick chimneystack with pots removed. Timber-framed dormer to left side. Mix of plastic and metal rainwater goods. Walling is English garden wall bonded red brick; a gablet spans the central and right bay; pilasters rise from first floor level to either side and between the central and left bay (reflecting internal arrangement). Panelled red brick parapet spanning façade over a gauged brick cornice. Windows are 1/1 timber sashes, with some timber casement replacements; those to first floor set in projecting reveals with entablature and drip mould over, resting on continuous cill; those to second floor having gauged brick reveals with sandstone keyblock and arabesque terracotta panelling over and projecting stone cills. Rear elevation windows are plainly detailed, with iron grilles.

Principal elevation faces North. Ground floor shopped with (possibly original) fascia boxed in, divided by polished pink granite pilasters on polished black granite plinths; panelled timber capitals to pilasters, and cornice over. Late C20 windows and doors concealed by roller shutters. Upper floors have a single window to left bay, paired windows to right.

East gable formerly abutted. Now exposed brick over cement render to first floor level. No openings; former fireplaces visible in exposed chimneybreasts, now infilled.

Rear (S) elevation is plainly detailed, and abutted to ground floor by the extension; metal fie door to first floor; openings irregularly arranged.

West gable fully abutted by 154-164 North Street (HB 26/50/317).

Setting:
Street fronted at the W end of North Street at the junction with Smithfield, one of a block of three late Victorian commercial buildings. Private car parking lot to rear, bounded by steel security fencing.

Roof: Slate
Walling: Brick
Windows: Timber
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

Built c.1900, to designs by Graeme, Watt & Tulloch, no.150-2 North Street was occupied by Walter Beck of Myrtle Hall, Balmoral, who ran a medical hall in no.150 from 1901 until 1927. No. 152 was run as a public house from 1902 to 1928, with an A.H.Manderson serving as publican from 1902 until 1907 when the license was taken over by a J.M.McCafferty, transferring to a J.Donnelly in 1909. P.McMahon served as publican from 1912 before being taken over by T.J.Corr from 1923 until 1927.

No.150 became a butcher’s shop in 1934 operating as such until 1986, while no. 152 was occupied by the Trueform Boot Company from 1930 until 1978. The last recorded occupant of the building was Curtess shoes which opened in 1987 but closed by 1992. The building appears to have remained vacant since this time.

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/18 General Valuation of Ireland, General Revisions 1897-1905
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/33 General Valuation of Ireland, General Revisions 1906-1914
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/37 General Valuation of Ireland, General Revisions 1913-1925
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/41 General Valuation of Ireland, General Revisions 1924-1930
5. Patton, Marcus ‘Central Belfast: An Historical Gazetteer,’ UAHS, 2015

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Nos 150-152 North Street is a three-storey three-bay commercial building with attic, built c.1900, and containing two purpose-built residential units on the upper floors over two ground floor shops. The division of the property into two separate units from first floor is expressed by pilasters rising from first floor level, and by the party wall between the two, which breaks through the roof. The façade is distinguished by detailing in brick and terracotta typical of the period. The property retains almost no internal features. While of local interest, by well known architects Graeme, Watt & Tulloch, it is not among the best examples of the type and has been compromised by various alterations and removal of original fabric; insufficient remains for the building to be considered of special architectural and historic interest.