13 Mount Charles, Belfast

13 Mount Charles is a three-storey with attic, mid-terraced brick townhouse with a pitched roof, designed by Alexander MacAlister (c.1821–97), a Carlow-born architect who spent his entire career in Belfast working almost exclusively in counties Antrim and Down. It was built in 1859 as one of a terrace of nine (Nos 3–19 Mount Charles), and forms part of a group with its neighbours on both sides. The listing covers the house and its rear yard wall.

The terrace was developed by Bernard ('Barney') Hughes (1805–78), an Armagh-born baker who became Belfast's master baker and the owner of Ireland's largest milling concern, and who was also a noted philanthropist. Hughes had initially offered part of his Mount Charles holding to the Redemptorist Order to serve the Catholic community of the Malone area, but when this was declined he chose instead to develop the site for dwelling houses, in keeping with the character of the surrounding terraces. The properties were previewed in The Dublin Builder of 1 May 1859, whose correspondent described them as "not large" and their plots "too confined," but acknowledged that the proprietor was "sparing no expense to render them durable and elegant dwellings." The writer noted the fashion for bay windows, remarking that "all Mr. Hughes' houses have their parlours enlarged and their exteriors decorated with this appendage," and drew particular attention to the double frontage: the rear returns extend to University Street, with the yard wall built up to the full height of the windows and cornice, creating the appearance of a three-storey façade onto that street — an arrangement the journalist praised for making the return bedroom "one of the most cheerful and desirable in the house, which is far from usual." The houses were also fitted with arrangements for hot and cold baths and sunk, covered ashpits in the yards.

The broader area in which the terrace sits developed rapidly from the mid-1820s onwards, when the Donegall estate began granting perpetual leases and eventually outright sales of attractive plots along the Malone Ridge to developers. The establishment of Queen's College in 1845 intensified this growth, and by the end of the 1850s the neighbourhood was characterised by large, graceful terraces, largely early Victorian in date but late-Georgian in style. Mount Charles itself occupies a trapezoidal plot between what was formerly the Old Malone Road (now University Road) and Albion Lane (the forerunner of Botanic Avenue). A pre-1830s house on the site, probably dating from around 1770 and recorded in the 1837 valuation as a two-storey residence, was demolished around 1850. The street began with Nos 2–6, built in 1842 and accessed by a short private lane off the main road. In 1854 that lane was adapted to serve No 1, and in 1859 it was extended further eastwards with the construction of Nos 3–19 and 8–16, with Nos 18–24 following in 1869 and Nos 26–50 in 1892–94. Despite eventually being linked through to Botanic Avenue, the street maintained its private, gated character throughout.

No 13 is the sixth house from the right when viewed from Mount Charles. It is rectangular on plan with a projecting return to the rear. The terrace faces north, lining the south side of Mount Charles, a tree-lined street running between Botanic Avenue to the east and University Road to the west, within the Queen's Conservation Area.

MATERIALS

The roof is natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles. The walls are red brick in Flemish bond with painted render. Pointing is in lime mortar. Rainwater goods are cast aluminium, with a small section of PVC at the canted bay. Windows are replacement timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed, together with modern rooflights.

FRONT ELEVATION (NORTH)

The three-storey front façade is built in Flemish bond red brick. At ground floor level to the right is a single-storey canted bay in painted render with moulded plaster detailing; the lower section beneath the cill is formed by a deep painted rendered plinth that runs continuously across the façade. The canted bay has a flat roof with a modern roof membrane over a projecting cornice. Windows to the canted bay are horizontally split 2/2 timber sliding sash with horns; the lower sash of these bay windows has a translucent film applied to the inner face. To the left of the bay at ground floor is the main doorway, which has an elliptical arched head with brick voussoirs and a moulded plaster reveal. The doorway is deeply recessed, with Ionic columns to each side set on raised moulded plaster panelled bases; these support a moulded plaster entablature with a plain fanlight over. The cornice, columns and bases sit on two replacement concrete steps with a dwarf wall on each side. The timber four-panelled door appears to be original, though the two upper panels have been replaced with glazing and the ironmongery has been replaced. On the first and second floors there are two windows on each level, all replacement single-glazed timber sliding sash with horns. First-floor windows are horizontally split 2/2; second-floor windows are 8/8. Window heads at first and second floor are straight with splayed brick soldiers. A continuous painted stone cill course runs across both first and second floor levels. A painted rendered plinth runs along the base and a similar painted rendered frieze sits beneath the eaves. At attic level there are two modern rooflights. The roof is pitched natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles. Brick chimney stacks, shared with Nos 11 and 15, are centred on the ridge with corbelled detailing and seven circular clay pots; these have been rebuilt. Rainwater goods to the front comprise a cast aluminium downpipe to the left of the front door and a cast aluminium ogee gutter, with a cast metal downpipe and hopper from the canted bay and a small section of PVC pipe from the bay feeding into a cast metal hopper.

SIDE ELEVATIONS

The east elevation is fully abutted by No 15. The west elevation is fully abutted by No 11.

REAR ELEVATION (SOUTH)

The three-storey rear façade is finished in painted render throughout. It is abutted on the right by an original three-storey return built at half-landing height. The rear yard is enclosed by the rear wall of the main house, the return to the right, the return of No 11 to the left, and a three-storey yard wall fronting University Street.

The main rear block has a 2/2 window (horizontally split) on the left side at each level, with painted stone cills. A smaller 6/6 window is located at attic half-landing level on the right side, above the roof of the return. The roof of the main block is pitched natural Welsh slate, with one modern rooflight to the left side. The return has a hipped natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. On the elevation of the return facing into the yard, there is a replacement timber back door on the extreme left, a 6/6 window above at first floor level, and a smaller 6/6 window above that at second floor level. To the right of the back door at ground floor level is a 6/6 window which may be original. All rear windows are replacement single-glazed timber sliding sash with horns, with the possible exception of this ground-floor window on the rear yard wall. Rainwater goods within the yard are cast metal.

THE YARD WALL ONTO UNIVERSITY STREET

The internal face of the yard wall gives onto University Street and has a replacement timber sheeted door with a plain fanlight over at ground floor level, and two multi-pane timber window frames above — one at first floor level and one at second floor — both with slim painted stone cills but no glass. There is a plain flat concrete coping stone to the top of the rear wall. The external three-storey façade facing University Street is constructed of dark brown brick in Flemish bond with a rendered plinth and eaves band. The replacement yard door on the left is painted timber panelling with a plain fanlight beneath a semi-circular head with brick voussoirs. To the right is a 6/6 window, possibly original, with wrought iron bars attached to the reveals and painted stone cills. There is also a diminutive square single-pane window with frosted glass to the right-hand side, which was smashed and boarded up from the inside at the time of survey. At first floor level there is a false multi-pane window frame (no glass) to the left and a 6/6 window to the right, with shallow arched heads. The second floor repeats this arrangement except that the heads are straight. A cast iron gutter sits above a painted rendered eaves band. The front of each house in the terrace is accessed directly from the tree-lined pavement of Mount Charles, while the rear is accessed directly from the pavement of University Street via the yard door.

INTERIOR

The building was originally constructed as a townhouse and is now used as university student accommodation, having been refurbished for this purpose with some subdivision of the original plan form. The staircase, however, survives in its original position.

OCCUPANCY HISTORY

No 13 appears to have been first occupied by a Mrs B.A. Gamble, who remained until around 1888, when Joseph Conland (of John Conland & Sons, linen merchants and packers, 7 Alfred Street) took up residence; his wife or widow was still recorded there until 1899. R.F. Bullick, a worsted manufacturer, took the lease in 1901, and the census of that year records his wife Mary and a domestic servant living there, describing the building as a "first class" dwelling with 11 rooms in use. The Farens retained the house until the later 1930s. By 1943 the property was recorded as in government hands, and by at least 1951 it had been divided into four flats, reducing to two flats by the mid-1960s. It remained divided until at least 1986. By 1991 Queen's University had acquired it and converted it to student accommodation.

ALTERATIONS

The conversion to student accommodation around 1991 involved the following works: rebuilding of the chimney stacks and replacement of the pots; re-slating of the roofs in new Bangor Blues; introduction of cast aluminium rainwater goods in place of the original cast iron versions; re-plastering externally and internally (no plaster detailing remained internally at that stage); re-pointing of the brickwork; renewal of all window frames; replacement of the front entrance steps in reconstituted stone; renewal of rooflights to front and rear; and replacement of all internal joinery with the exception of the staircases. A further refurbishment scheme carried out more recently by the university involved replacement of all kitchens and bathrooms and further changes to the joinery.

SETTING AND GROUP VALUE

The exterior retains much of its original character, proportions and detailing, including the single-storey canted bay and deeply recessed doorway with Ionic columns — features repeated throughout the terrace. The terrace as a whole (Nos 3–19 Mount Charles) has strong group value. The dual aspect onto both Mount Charles and University Street, a design feature executed with considerable success, adds significant character to the building's setting within the Queen's Conservation Area.