Elmwood, 7 University Terrace, off University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NP

Elmwood, 7 University Terrace, Belfast

Elmwood is a large, three-storey, hipped-roof manse house in the Venetian style, built around 1872 to designs by amateur architect John Corry. It stands at the western end of the University Terrace cul-de-sac, directly opposite the main Queen's University buildings on University Road. To its immediate north is Corry's own Lombardo-Venetian style Elmwood Presbyterian Church, now known as Elmwood Hall, and to its immediate south is a modern shop and office block containing the Queen's University bookshop, an Ulster Bank branch, and the Queen's University Common Room. A large, roughly square garden lies to the rear (west). The listing covers the original building together with a large two-storey gabled extension added around 1925 to the south, and a single-storey outbuilding to the rear.

In plan the building resembles a tuning fork with its prongs pointing southward. The original manse is roughly square in plan and sits to the north. From its south-east corner the circa 1925 extension projects outward, and from its south-west corner a long single-storey outbuilding projects to the south. Stretching across the north face of the original section is a single-storey lean-to addition; the main entrance is set in its short east face. To the right on the east façade of the original section there is a two-storey canted bay.

The original section of the building echoes the styling of the neighbouring Elmwood Hall, also by Corry, though the composition is slightly awkward: the second-floor windows sit uncomfortably close to the eaves, and the entrance is positioned on a projection to the north side rather than on the main façade. The circa 1925 extension is overwhelmingly plain in appearance, with no attempt made to carry through the Venetian detailing of the original building.

East Elevation

The east elevation is the principal public face of the building. The entire elevation is finished in lined render and painted. The east façade of the original section has a chamfered base.

The main entrance is positioned to the far right of the east elevation, set within the short east face of the single-storey lean-to section that runs along the north front of the main building. It consists of a tall semicircular arched opening containing a recessed timber panelled door with a tall semicircular arched fanlight above. The opening is framed by three-quarter column jambs with Corinthian-like capitals and a moulded archivolt carrying decorative motifs that repeat the decoration found on the openings of the neighbouring Elmwood Hall. Three stone steps lead up to the door, fitted with a recent-looking metal handrail. Above the entrance the short east face is topped by a cornice and parapet with a balustrade pierced with quatrefoils, and square end piers with semicircular caps decorated with incised floral ornament. To the north edge of this face there is a thin edge pilaster with a floral capital. This short east face is set slightly back from the main east façade of the original section.

To the left of the entrance on the main east façade is the two-storey canted bay, whose roof is hidden behind a plain parapet (which may once have carried decorative detail matching the parapet above the entrance). At ground-floor level the bay has a semicircular-headed sash window to each side, with moulded archivolts matching those to the doorway. The central window has column piers as jambs, as the doorway does; the outer windows each have a single square outer pilaster with a capital similar to that of the doorway. All three windows rest on a single cill. At first-floor level the bay has three similar semicircular-headed sash windows, but without the decorative motifs to the archivolts.

To the right of the bay at ground-floor level are a pair of windows much like those on the ground floor of the bay, sharing a single cill; below the cill the façade projects slightly. Directly above them at first-floor level is a matching pair, but with decorative motifs to the archivolts, resting on a cill course that continues across from the first floor of the bay. At second-floor level, directly above the bay, is a pair of sash windows similar in character to the pairs below but smaller and with plain surrounds. To the right of this pair is a single sash window of similar character, its cill supported on decorative brackets. The second-floor windows cut somewhat untidily into the eaves course. At the north edge of the original east façade there are narrow edge pilasters: one at ground-floor level, and another stretching across the first and second floors.

At the south edge the original east façade is abutted by the circa 1925 gabled extension, whose east façade projects slightly beyond the line of the original. At ground-floor level this extension has seven unevenly spaced flat-arched windows. The third and sixth windows from the left are noticeably smaller than the rest and have sash frames; the remaining windows have modern-style three-light casement frames. All are currently covered with security grilles. At first-floor level there are four sash windows, the first two of which are smaller than the others.

North Façade

The north façade of the original section is in brick. At ground-floor level the single-storey lean-to section runs across the front, its short east face containing the main entrance as described above. The north face of this lean-to section has a sash window to the far right, with what appear to be circa 1925 geometric stained glass panes. Attached to the right of this lean-to section is a smaller single-storey section whose mono-pitched roof faces east rather than leaning against the main building. Its north face has a small window with a segmental head and sash frame. Both windows to these single-storey sections have security bars over them.

Above these lower sections on the main north façade, to the right, a window with a segmental head and sash frame is set at an intermediate level between ground and first floor. Towards the centre of the façade, a first-floor window and one directly above it at second-floor level both have sash frames with vertical glazing bars, two panes over two. The first-floor window has security bars. The second-floor window sits quite close to the eaves.

South Elevation and Enclosed Yard

To the right of the south elevation is the gable of the circa 1925 extension. At ground-floor level there is a doorway to the left with a roller shutter above it, and at first-floor level two sash windows. The gable is finished in lined render and painted. Extending westward from the right-hand edge of this gable is a high brick wall that merges with the short south face of the single-storey outbuilding further to the west. This wall originally contained a doorway giving access to the enclosed yard — the space bounded by the original house to the north, the gabled extension to the east, and the outbuilding to the south — but this doorway has been blocked up.

The exposed section of the south façade of the original building, which looks into the enclosed yard, is mainly in brick. To the right the gabled extension projects and to the left the outbuilding projects. Centrally, a two-storey bay was added when the extension was built, designed to allow internal communication between the original house and the extension. This bay is finished in painted lined render. Its south face has a doorway to the right at ground-floor level, with a glazed panel containing stained geometric leaded panes, and a small sash window to its left with similar glazing. At first-floor level there is a larger plain-glazed sash window.

Rear (West) Elevation

The rear elevation comprises the west façade of the original building, with the long outbuilding to the right and, to the far left, the short west face of the north single-storey section. The west facade of the circa 1925 extension looks into the enclosed yard.

The west façade of the main building is in brick. Slightly left of centre a stairwell bay projects outward. At ground-floor level this bay has a set of timber double doors with glazed semicircular panels, reached by a broad flight of steps with modern-style railings. At the first half-landing level, directly above the doors, is a pair of tall semicircular-headed windows with sash frames and margin panes. At the second half-landing level is a single larger window of similar character but without margins.

To the left of the stairwell bay are four windows arranged one directly above another, reflecting the fact that the north-west corner of the original building has four levels rather than three. The ground-floor window appears to have a modern frame; the remaining three have sash frames with vertical glazing bars, two panes over two. The ground-floor window is quite small, the next level much larger, with the upper two decreasing in size towards the top.

To the right of the stairwell bay the arrangement reflects three levels. At ground-floor level are a pair of narrow windows; at first-floor level a single larger window; and at second-floor level a smaller one. All have sash frames and all are two panes over two, except the ground-floor pair which have horizontal rather than vertical glazing bars.

The short west face of the north single-storey section has a single narrow segmental-headed window with a sash frame.

The west face of the single-storey outbuilding is also in brick and has four sash windows of slightly varying size, the one to the far right being considerably larger than the rest, with vertical glazing bars (two panes over two). At its south end the outbuilding originally merged with the west face of the yard wall; this section of wall, together with a south-facing section, now forms the exterior walls of a mono-pitched roofed extension to the outbuilding itself. The east face of the outbuilding, which faces into the yard, appears to be rendered and has a doorway with a large sash window (two over two, with vertical glazing bars) to its left.

The west face of the circa 1925 extension is finished in lined render and painted. At ground-floor level are three sash windows with stained glass leaded lights; at first-floor level are seven plain sash windows.

Roofs

The roof of the original section is hipped and covered in Bangor blue slate, with a slight bracketed eaves overhang and a tall, roughly central, rendered chimney stack carrying tall octagonal pots. The roof of the two-storey extension is gabled and also covered in Bangor blue slate; it has two tall rendered chimney stacks to the ridge and a few ventilators. The outbuilding has a gabled roof with a mono-pitched roof to its small southern extension, also covered in Bangor blue slates. All rainwater goods are cast iron.

Historical Background

Elmwood was built around 1872 to designs by John Corry, serving as the manse for the neighbouring Elmwood Presbyterian Church, which Corry had also designed and which was built between 1859 and 1862. Both the church and the manse stand on land which the Corry family — prominent local builders and shipowners — had obtained on a 1,000-year lease from Edward Harris Clarke and John Clarke, a lease they subsequently assigned to the Trustees of the Elmwood Congregation in 1874. Notably, the manse does not appear on an 1875 lease map of the site, although most secondary sources give its construction date as 1872.

Elmwood remained in use as a manse until around 1917, when a new manse was built in Sans Souci Park. The building was then rented to a doctor named R. Maitland-Beath, who appears to have been responsible for adding the two-storey extension around 1925. Maitland-Beath seems to have vacated the property around 1930. After that date the property does not appear in Belfast street directories, suggesting it may have been retained at the disposal of the Elmwood congregation, possibly for use as church offices, rather than being continuously let out. In 1971 Queen's University acquired the lease of both the church and the manse; Elmwood is currently used as offices and storerooms for the Bookshop at Queen's.

The Elmwood Presbyterian congregation was established in November 1858, founded by a group of businessmen friends of linen manufacturer Robert Workman. Services were initially held in a classroom in the Theological College to the rear of Queen's College, and the site for the church was offered by Robert Corry, brother of John Corry, in 1859.