Abercorn Works sheds (Harland & Wolff), Queens Road, Belfast, BT3 9DV, Co Down

Abercorn Works Sheds

This large, high-ceilinged assembly works complex was attached to the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding yard in Belfast. It largely dates from the late 19th and early 20th century, with substantial additions and renovations in subsequent years. The building was located at the south-west corner of the yard, bounded by Sydenham Road to the south, Old Channel Road to the south-west, and Queen's Road to the north-west. By 2007, the building had been demolished. The following description records its condition as of May 2000, when it was disused.

The complex was roughly triangular in plan with the south-west corner cut off. The main grouping occupied this triangular footprint with the long southern base facing Sydenham Road, the short cut-off corner facing Old Channel Road, the north-west elevation facing Queen's Road, and the long north-east elevation facing other works buildings. Entrances existed to the north-west and north-east.

As with large industrial buildings that expanded over many years, the structure displayed contrasting building styles and materials. The older parts were generally in red brick with simple styling, while later, more utilitarian sections used galvanised steel and asbestos cladding. In places, older sections had been rebuilt in steel or received steel and asbestos-clad extensions. The roof comprised a series of northlights running generally from south-east to north-west, with a long narrow central section running south-west to north-east behind the large brick façade to the north-west.

The main entrance to the north-west displayed a large metal-clad sliding door (possibly not original) positioned left of centre on a tall, flat-topped brick façade. This façade, probably dating from around 1910-20, featured three tall semicircular arch-headed windows with brick arch courses and keystones above, and brick pilasters between them. The large doorway cut across the lower half of the central, larger window. The windows were boarded up. Above window level, "Harland & Wolff" was emblazoned in large raised metal letters.

Immediately to the left of this was a much lower two-storey gabled office or small workshop appendage, also in brick. This section, which kinked halfway along its length so its north-west and south-east façades were not straight, projected from the main north-west elevation in a snake-like fashion and was virtually a stand-alone building. It featured a series of large segmental-headed mullioned and transomed windows and a doorway at ground floor level, with smaller similar windows to the upper floor and its exposed north-east gable. The right-hand edge of its north-west façade was bevelled.

Behind this office building, the main north-west elevation consisted of two tall, utilitarian metal-clad gables. To the right was a smaller brick gable with windows and brick courses similar to its larger neighbour. Further right, the elevation was set back and consisted of a large metal-clad gable with a row of tall glazed panels. This metal gable was then cut across by a lower, two-storey mildly Italianate office building, which appeared to be the oldest section of the whole complex, dating from 1879-80. This building was flat-roofed at its south-west end and gabled to the north-east, with a bevelled south-west corner. The south-west portion was originally three storeys. Its façade was rendered with light-coloured sandstone dressings and courses, the ground floor rusticated. The main door, originally on the north-west face, was blocked up, though its bracketed cornice hood survived. A modern door with aluminium frame and glazing was inserted in the south-west face.

At the south-west end, both the north-west and south-west faces featured a series of large semicircular arch-headed windows with moulded surrounds and a bracketed cill course on the upper floor, with pilasters set between them. The ground floor windows were much plainer flat-arch examples set on an equally plain cill course. Similar windows existed on the upper floor left of the north-west face. The south-west flat-roofed end had a dentilled eaves course with cornice above and a further cornice-like course between ground and first floor levels. Square cast-iron downspouts drained the façade. Natural slate covered the gabled portion of the roof.

To the right of this building, a large portion of the elevation displayed more utilitarian appearance with a row of large, generally metal and brick-clad gables. At the very right-hand edge of the north-west elevation were two small, single-storey brick buildings dating from around 1910. The left building was smaller and relatively plain with a gabled roof, while the right building had a hipped roof with a symmetrical front north-west face, end gables, and large arch-headed window openings.

The very long north elevation had a simpler appearance than the north-west side, with the façade divided into just two large sections. The left, eastern half displayed stark angularity lending it a certain heroic quality. It was in brick with a series of tall semicircular arch-headed windows with multi-pane glazing, many upper panes now boarded up. The right half was largely metal-clad and more utilitarian, with two unbroken rows of glazing. Three large sliding doors served this side of the complex.

The long south elevation was more untidy in appearance, consisting largely of metal and asbestos-clad gable ends of the various sections set mainly in crow-step formation at 45 degrees to Sydenham Road. Most of the elevation continued the utilitarian feel previously described, but at the far right were two large brick gables set on the squint, in line with the road, with tall semicircular arch-headed windows and the same heroic quality as the eastern half of the north elevation. Immediately to the right of these gables was a decorative cast-iron gate with equally decorative cast-iron piers with oversailing caps and ball finials.

At the far left of the south elevation was a grouping of relatively small, stand-alone, circa-1950s two and single-storey flat-roofed office blocks in brick with large picture windows and timber frames. Continuing left, the complex was fringed with a brick wall and another gate screen with plainer wrought-iron gates, positioned roughly where Sydenham Road curves into Old Channel Road. Several small office blocks sat behind this wall facing Old Channel Road, also probably dating from circa 1950, but with hipped asbestos-covered roofs. The south elevation possessed two additional gate screens, similar in design to the previously mentioned examples with plainer gates. One set of gates had metal cladding attached.

Generally, the whole complex was in poor condition by 2000.

Immediately north of the complex stood another large, roughly L-shaped works complex, largely demolished by 2000. A mainly brick-built early 20th-century boiler house section survived in truncated form. Its north-east façade featured a series of semicircular arched windows similar to those on the north-east façade of the neighbouring complex. The boiler house roof was broken by the large stump of a chimney stack, which was once presumably much taller.