Smiley Buildings, Victoria Road, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 1RU

Smiley Buildings, Victoria Road, Larne

Originally constructed in 1902–3 as the Smiley Cottage Hospital, this Edwardian building was designed by Nicholas Fitzsimons of Larne (1869–c.1945), a notable Irish architect, with James Ferris of Larne as builder. The foundation stone was laid on 18 September 1902 and the total cost was approximately £5,000. It was built and endowed by H.H. Smiley of Drumalis, Larne. The building was subsequently bought by Larne Council around 1990, refurbished in 1993, and a porte-cochère was erected in 1994. It now serves as offices. Although originally a building of distinct style, proportions, and plan form, it has been significantly degraded by later alterations and additions and has lost many of its original features and most of its original character. The building also lies within the area of a scheduled monument (ANT 40:35).

Architecture and Layout

The building is a symmetrical one- and two-storey structure in the Domestic Revival style, with its main entrance facing south. The entrance front consists of a three-bay, two-storey central block flanked by single-storey wings, each terminating in a gabled projection. Roofs are covered in red Brosley clay tiles with red terracotta ridge tiles, and the eaves are supported on shaped projecting rafter ends all round. Gutters are moulded cast iron and downpipes are circular cast iron.

The walls are dry-dashed using crushed stones and pebbles of varied colours, with red brick base courses rising to ground floor sill level. However, the red brick plinth of the central block has been later smooth cement rendered, which is considered inappropriate. Thin vertical strips of smooth cement render have also been applied to each external corner of the building.

Central Block

The central block has three bays: a slightly recessed entrance bay between two gabled bays. The gables are half-timbered, with shaped corbels painted light grey as timbering and panels between painted white. There are timber bargeboards with moulded edges. The roofs of the gabled bays run back just below the ridge line of the central roof to four extended hips. Two prominent chimneys in red brick with angled brick mouldings are positioned one at each extremity of the entrance bay.

Windows to the gabled bays — one to each floor — are segmental headed with PVC replacements: three-light with top-hung transom lights, considered inappropriate, with concrete sills and smooth cement rendered reveals that are not the original finish. There is a moulded red brick string course at ground floor sill level, and a moulded red brick string course with dentil cornice at first floor level, returning at the extremities and at the inner corners with the entrance bay to meet a red sandstone moulding of identical form running across the top of the doorway. Some damage is present to both upper and lower string courses of the gabled bays. A modern inscription plaque is positioned to the right of the ground floor window of the left-hand gabled bay.

Entrance Bay

At ground level, the entrance bay has a full-width doorcase in red sandstone: segmental arched, with a panelled keystone inscribed with the date 1903, and a blind circular panel to each spandrel. The blue-painted wooden double doors are four-panel raised and fielded, with a modern brass letterbox to the left-hand leaf and a modern brass door knob to the right-hand leaf. The doors are set in a panelled timber frame flanked by side panels with sidelights containing leaded decorative glazing, and a fanlight similarly glazed; the leaded spandrels contain a shamrock motif and scrolling timber bracket. The exterior appearance is badly spoiled by a PVC-clad flat canopy abutting the doorway at door head level, linking it with a large white-painted steel-framed porte-cochère of modern design and recent construction. This canopy prevents all elements of the original doorway — the single most interesting feature of the original building — from being seen altogether from any one viewing point.

Above the ground floor doorcase is a rectangular inscription panel in red sandstone with a cornice over it. Some repair work to the frieze in pink-tinted cement is easily visible, and the inscription reads "Built and endowed by H.H. Smiley of Drumalis." The frieze extends up to the sill level of a single first floor window, acting as its sill. Originally the frieze was inscribed with the raised name "Cottage Hospital" but the letters have since been removed. The window is a segmental-headed PVC single fixed light with a top-hung vent. To the left of the window head is a burglar alarm; to the right is a short diagonally run circular PVC downpipe from a moulded gutter above, disappearing into the return wall of the projecting gabled bay to the right.

Across the front of the central block there is a concrete-brick paved ramp with concrete edging, rising at each side to a broad step at the front entrance, reached by another step from the similarly brick-paved porte-cochère. Similar bricks form low planters tight against the building each side of the doorway, with a loose-pebbled area beyond extending as far as the extremities of the wings, all edged in concrete kerbing.

Wings

The wings to each side of the central block are identical. Each has a hipped roof projecting forward over an end projection containing a half-timbered gable, detailed as described above. One chimney is positioned at the end of the main lateral ridge of each wing, moulded red brick as before. The ridge line is unbroken and lacks the original ventilator turrets, which were removed long ago.

The first bay of each wing, to each side of the central block, has its roof swept down over a shallow veranda that abuts the return wall of the central block at one end and returns as a small hip at the other. Large square-section timber posts and similarly detailed timber pilasters support the veranda roof, with pegged joints at the base plate over a low red brick wall. There are shaped wooden brackets to the beam above and a concrete terrace within the veranda, with a tongued-and-grooved ceiling to the underside of the veranda roof.

Within each veranda is a segmental-headed doorway comprising a rectangular panelled and glazed wooden door, original, with 20 small panes, small-paned sidelights, and all translucent glass incorporating some panes of blown glass. The original oval door knob and circular bell push surround have been retained at each wing.

In the roof above each veranda is a flat-roofed dormer window with a moulded eaves cornice, painted lead cheeks and front, and a PVC replacement two-light window consisting of a rectangular fixed light with a side-hung casement.

Between the verandas and each end gabled projection are three windows, segmental headed, PVC fixed light with top-hung vent, and concrete sills as before. Below each window at ground level are metal ventilator grilles in rectangular moulded brick surrounds. The gabled end projections have two windows similar to those just described, with similar ventilators below.

West Elevation

The west elevation is a blank wall, finished as the front, with the roof of the end bay above, gabled to the front at the right and hipped to the rear at the left. There is a moulded PVC gutter with a centrally positioned circular PVC downpipe. At the left-hand extremity of the red brick base courses is a cast iron angle, originally intended to protect the corner of the building from cart wheels, inscribed "The Millfield Foundry, Belfast." Loose stones are arranged across the front at ground level, contained by a concrete kerb.

North Elevation

From right to left, the rear facade of the western wing is single-storey, with walls and roof materials as before, moulded PVC gutter and PVC downpipes, two original segmental-headed openings with PVC replacements as before, and a rectangular doorway with a modern PVC glazed fire door. The red brick base courses and moulded string course extend from the right-hand extremity to the reveal of the doorway only; the plinth to the left of the doorway is smooth cement rendered.

To the left of the doorway is a large square window divided into nine square panes by PVC framing, which is new. To the left of that is a canted two-storey bay with one window to each floor: a segmental-headed PVC window to the first floor and a rectangular-headed PVC window to the ground floor. There is an original moulded cast iron gutter to the bay, but a PVC hopper and downpipe. The bay has a flat roof, lead covered, and in the main roof of the wing behind there is a modern flush rooflight. To the left of the canted bay is a narrow segmental-headed window to the ground floor with a PVC window as before, and a rectangular doorway to the first floor above containing a modern PVC fire door as before.

To the left, the two-storey rear return of the original building projects out, its side wall three windows wide to the first floor, all segmental-headed PVC as before, with two similar windows below at ground floor level along with a new fire doorway created by lowering the third window. The wall of the rear return is dry-dashed as before, with a smooth rendered plinth and without a lower string course. The roof of the rear return continues the line of the roof of the left-hand gabled bay of the entrance block on the front facade, terminating at the left-hand extremity against a raised end gable with a new cement rendered coping. There is a PVC circular section gutter and PVC downpipe, and one chimney centrally placed across the ridge of the return in red brick with a moulded cornice and string course.

The rear return is extended to the north by a modern two-storey extension in rustic brick, flush with the wall of the original return, with a hipped red tiled roof but otherwise in a modern rectilinear style. A steel-framed veranda and balcony to the first floor extends along the west face of the extension and original return, reached by a large steel stairway in the angle of the original rear return and west wing. The end gable of the rear return, facing north, is dry-dashed as before.

The north elevation of the two-storey extension is of similar character to the west, with a single-storey wing extending to the east, with a hipped red tiled roof and rustic brick walls as before. This wing returns at its left-hand extremity around an internal courtyard to abut the rear of the original east wing of the entrance front.

East Elevation

The east elevation is a blank side wall of the end bay, dry-dashed as before with red brick base courses and a projecting moulded string course. There is a moulded cast iron gutter and a circular cast iron downpipe. Loose stones are contained by a concrete kerb across the face. The wall returns at the right-hand extremity, dry-dashed as before, until abutted by the modern extension.

Original Interior Arrangement

Originally, the central block contained a board room, a matron's room, and a nurses' dining room with kitchen. The wings contained wards with day rooms at the extremities, while an operating room lay at the rear.

Setting and Boundary

The building stands on an elevated site facing the road, set back from the line of neighbouring buildings, which comprise an Edwardian courthouse to the west and a Victorian terrace of houses to the east. The area in front of the entrance facade is covered with tarmac, with a concrete-paved area immediately in front of the entrance.

To the front, the boundary consists of a low wall dry-dashed using blackstone chippings with a concrete coping surmounted by original wrought iron railings painted black. The front boundary piers, from left to right, are: a pair of later rustic brick piers with concrete capstones; low curving walls with concrete copings and ornamentally treated wrought iron railings terminating in an inner pair of new rustic brick piers; and modern electrically operated security gates beyond.

On axis with the main entrance doorway is a new pedestrian gateway with square piers, a new dry-dash finish of small pebbles and crushed stones, and new concrete capstones, linked to retaining walls of similar design and finish. These contain a grass area and flower beds in the front garden and lead up modern concrete brick steps to the front entrance. A free-standing square pier, dry-dashed as the walling, carries a polished granite inscription panel reading "Larne Borough Council. Smiley Buildings. AD 1993," with a modern tubular metal handrail to the steps. To the right-hand extremity of the front boundary is a later corner pier, square, in rustic brick with a concrete capstone.

The boundary to the east is a low dry-dashed wall with small stones, in poor condition, with a ramped concrete coping. The boundary to the north is wooden palisading, and the boundary to the west is similar to the east. The front garden also has a ramp access way up to terrace level.