47 University St., Belfast

47 University Street is a mid-terraced former townhouse, two storeys with an attic, two bays wide, built in red brick in 1865. It sits within the Queen's Conservation Area in South Belfast, facing north onto University Street — a road that runs between University Road to the west and Botanic Avenue to the east, laid out in its present form in 1858. The building was most recently used as offices. It is flanked to the west by No. 45 and to the east by No. 49, and forms part of a group of three closely related houses: Nos. 47 and 49 were built in 1865 and No. 51 was completed in 1867, all three sharing the same architectural style. A two-storey rear return, built at half-landing level, abuts the main block at the back.

EXTERIOR

The front (north) elevation is a flat façade of red brick laid in Flemish bond. The entrance sits on the right side of the ground floor; to its left are two window openings at ground floor level, with two more above on the first floor, though the openings on the two levels are not vertically aligned. A plain rendered frieze runs across the top of the wall, beneath a plain painted cornice supported on small paired painted stone brackets that also carries the gutter. The roof is pitched, covered in artificial slate with black clay ridge tiles. A brick chimney stack with corbel detailing — rebuilt at some point and shared with the neighbouring properties — rises to the left, carrying six clay pots. A dormer window sits centrally, with artificial-tiled cheeks, a painted timber frame and apex.

The most distinctive feature of the front elevation is the Egyptian-style doorcase: a painted rendered advanced surround with chamfered uprights, crowned by a moulded painted plaster cornice incorporating simplified curved elements at the centre and edges. This type of doorcase is not found anywhere else in the immediate area, though Nos. 39–41 University Street, built in 1869, have identical examples and are presumed to be the work of the same — as yet unidentified — architect or architect-builder. The front door itself is a replacement timber panelled door with a plain overlight containing the number "47". A plain painted advanced rendered plinth runs below the doorcase, with decorative cast iron ventilation grilles that have been painted over.

All windows to the front are replacements: top-hung timber, single-glazed, set in painted rendered reveals with splayed brick heads and painted stone cills. The original front garden has been paved over with concrete pavers. A replacement low brick wall to the street is fitted with modern metal railings, with matching treatment to the boundary with No. 49. Both side elevations are fully abutted by neighbouring properties and therefore not visible.

The rear (south) elevation is two storeys high. The section that is exposed — the left side being abutted by the rear return — has a single window opening on both the ground and first floors, again not vertically aligned. Both are replacement top-hung timber, single-glazed windows on thin painted concrete cills. A metal grille covers the ground floor window. At attic half-landing level, above the roof of the rear return, is a small window opening with a timber fixed-pane window. The wall is finished in painted pebble dash up to the head height of the ground floor window, and painted render above.

The rear return has a pitched roof in natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles. Its walls are painted pebble dash to first floor level and painted render above. All rainwater goods to the rear are plastic, with guttering on rise-and-fall brackets. On the east side wall of the rear return, the ground floor has two window openings and a door opening, and the first floor has two window openings. All windows are replacement top-hung timber, single-glazed, on painted concrete cills; the first floor windows have Georgian wired glazing, and metal grilles protect the ground floor windows. The back door is a replacement timber door with two glazed panels to the top half and a metal grille. The south gable of the return is blank with a clipped verge. The west elevation of the rear return (overlooking the rear yard of No. 45) has a single window on the left side of the first floor — a timber fixed-pane with Georgian wired glazing — though this elevation was not accessible at the time of survey.

The rear yard is laid in concrete flagstones. Five steps lead up to the level of University Square Mews to the south. The rear boundary is defined by metal palisade fencing, with a tarmac area for car parking.

INTERIOR

A survey carried out in 1994 noted that all original internal plasterwork had been removed and replaced with modern skirtings. The original staircase, however, remained at that time.

MATERIALS SUMMARY

The front and rear roof slopes of the main block are covered in artificial slate; the rear return retains natural Welsh slate. The main walls are red brick in Flemish bond; the rear return walls are finished in painted pebble dash and painted render. Front rainwater goods are cast iron; rear rainwater goods are plastic (PVC).

HISTORY

University Street was laid out in 1858, and is recorded in the Belfast Mercury of 16 October that year as one of three new streets created in the town during the previous twelve months. Earlier development in the vicinity had already taken place: Nos. 1–3 were built in 1848, Nos. 2–8 (Belvoir Terrace, now demolished) on the north side between 1854 and 1858, and No. 19 between 1856 and 1858. An 1858 directory refers to the street as "formerly Lincluden Street", though contemporary newspaper reports and the 1858 Ordnance Survey town plan all use the current name.

No. 47 was built in 1865 by John Stevenson, who also built No. 49 the same year and completed the identical No. 51 the following year. The identity of the architect or architect-builder is not known.

The earliest recorded resident was Mrs. Anne McAdam, who was still living there in 1877. Robert Harvey, a bookkeeper, had moved in by 1880 and remained until 1910. The 1901 census records him as a 58-year-old Methodist bookkeeper in the linen business, living with his wife Anna, their three grown-up children, and a domestic servant, in a first-class dwelling with nine rooms. The Harveys were followed by Joseph Douglas, described as an "artist designer", and his wife Norah. By 1918, Dr. Peter MacArthur is listed as the householder, followed by Mrs. M. Corry at some point between 1924 and 1932. Mrs. Corry was still recorded there in 1951, and by 1960 a Miss Norah Corry — probably a relation — is listed as occupant.

The building remained a private residence until around 1978, when it was converted to office use. Planning permission for the change of use from dwelling to offices was formally granted in January 1989. It was occupied by the estate agents P & R Properties in 1979, and by the firm of solicitors J. M. Hughes & Co. in the mid-1990s. The building was listed in June 1986.

ALTERATIONS AND CONDITION CONCERNS

A survey carried out in September 1994 identified a number of inappropriate alterations, including: artificial slates to the front and rear slopes of the main roof and to the dormer cheeks; PVC guttering to the main rear elevation; PVC rainwater goods to the rear return; replacement top-hung timber windows throughout; a front door of incorrect proportions; the removal of all original internal plasterwork; and the installation of modern skirtings. Correspondence between the then Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) and the Planning Service between 1994 and 2005 sought enforcement action regarding these unauthorised alterations to a listed building, but no enforcement investigation was ultimately pursued, given that the works had taken place approximately seventeen years earlier.

In September 2016, a full planning application was submitted for a three-storey rear extension, change of use from offices to six apartments, enlargement of the front dormer window, and the addition of a new rear dormer window. Following amendments, the Historic Environment Division (HED) indicated it was satisfied with the proposals subject to amendment and condition.