Havelock House, 1 Havelock Street, Ormeau, Malone Lower, BELFAST, BT7 1EB, **See General comments**

Havelock House is a multi-bay three-storey rendered commercial building on Havelock Street in Belfast. Originally constructed in two distinct Victorian phases, it later became the headquarters of Ulster Television.

The western section, first recorded in the valuation book in 1871 and shown on the Ordnance Survey town plan of 1873, was built as a linen warehouse for James Thompson & Sons, linen and cambric manufacturers. James Thompson, who died in 1875, lived at a large pre-1839 double-fronted house to the northeast at what was formerly number 83 Ormeau Road, and the warehouse appears to have been constructed as an adjunct to existing warehouses he possessed to the rear of his home. In 1883 the firm leased out the dwelling but retained the warehouses, which from that point were valued as a single property with the Havelock Street building. The larger L-shaped eastern section was added in 1896 at the intersection of Havelock Place and Ormeau Road, with the newly expanded premises now abutting Thompson's former residence to the north. The architects responsible for either section are not recorded.

James Thompson & Sons went into liquidation in 1933, and the property was put up for sale or rent. The valuation described it as brick built with cut-stone dressings, three storeys in height, containing approximately 14,153 square feet of floor space, with a covered gateway and two open yards. From 1935 the building was occupied by Batty Bros., tea importers, until January 1937 when it suffered serious fire damage with an estimated one-third of the structure, mainly on the first and second floors, gutted. The roof and a substantial portion of the upper levels were destroyed. Repairs were carried out by mid-1939 when the building was again advertised for rent. During the Second World War the building was commandeered by the government and used to billet troops. After 1945 it returned to private commercial use, with J.H. Fenner & Co. Ltd., belting manufacturers, and J.M. Ritchie and Co. Ltd., manufacturers of tennis wear, ladies' frocks and overalls, based here in 1951. In 1958 it was sold as a substantial factory building of approximately 13,000 square feet with good natural lighting.

The property was acquired by Ulster Television, which held the Independent Television franchise for the Northern Ireland region. The £50,000 conversion was undertaken by architect Brian Hewitt, a native of Portadown and partner in the Belfast firm of Anthony F. Lucy, with technical design by Howard Steele, an Englishman who had previously worked as a senior engineer on the conversion of Teddington Studios for ABC Television. Hewitt retained the 19th-century framework and façade, though the original brick finish was rendered, whilst internally new spaces were created including a small all-purpose studio, later designated 'Studio 1'. The architect described the revamped structure as retaining 'the Victorian character' but with an 'attractive modern air in keeping with the new and exciting entertainment medium'. Broadcasts began on 31 October 1959, introduced by Sir Laurence Olivier, who was also a director of the company.

In November 1962 UTV completed a £100,000 extension to the north side of the building, again undertaken by Brian Hewitt in conjunction with Howard Steele. This extension included a new 1,600 square foot studio, 'Studio 2', as well as make-up, scenery and office facilities. The new addition, which practically doubled the footprint of the building, was strikingly modern, with the frontage on Ormeau Road containing a stairwell housed in a glass curtain wall. Map evidence indicates further alterations and additions were made to this side before 1984, with formerly separate properties along Ormeau Road to the north and Havelock Place to the west demolished in the process.

The last major phase of works occurred in 1992–93 when a large extension was built to the west and north to house a larger studio, assuming the title 'Studio 1', along with other production facilities and offices. This involved building over what had been Havelock Place, which by that point, like the rest of Havelock Street, had been divested of its remaining largely 19th-century buildings and was being used as car-parking space. Upon completion of this section the original 1959 Studio 1 was taken out of use.

The building features rendered walling and replacement windows, with the interior substantially refurbished. UTV continued to broadcast from Havelock House until June 2018, when the station moved to new premises at City Quays off Clarendon Road.