ROSE COTTAGE
7 Walnut Court, Belfast
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1984 |
Now part of a courtyard |
Entrance porch |
Rose Cottage was built about 1862 as a cottage ornée in
what was then very much open country on the southern outskirts
of the town of Belfast. It was built for John Coyle of the Cromac
Grocery and Spirit Store, on the line of one of the avenues or
'passes' through the Earl of Donegall's estates. As Belfast expanded,
the cottage was rapidly surrounded by terraces of red-brick artisan
dwellings, and its address became Coyle's Place. Internally, it
retained its spacious rooms and ornate plasterwork, but to the
casual passer-by it had been thoroughly absorbed into its surroundings.
In the late 1970s, the N I Housing Executive identified the Donegall
Pass environs as a redevelopment area, and many streets were vested
for clearance, including Coyle's Place. Local feeling about the
cottage however was strong, and following representations by the
local Residents' Association and the Ulster Architectural Heritage
Society, Rose Cottage was listed, and Hearth offered to take on
the restoration of the building. The Executive cooperated by redesigning
their courtyard which was replacing Coyle's Place and Walnut Street
to incorporate the cottage, and the restoration was carried out
in six months.
Disentangling the cottage from the buildings erected against it
necessitated extensive reconstruction of the gable walls, while
the back wall had been constructed of very soft brick that had
to be replaced completely, but brick salvaged from nearby demolition
was used for this and the original elevation has been replicated.
An old entrance at the back, possibly built to house a pony and
trap, was converted to a store, but internally the plan was unchanged
and work consisted of restoring the damage caused by time and
neglect. Vandals had stolen many of the slates from the roof and
where possible removable items like balustrading were taken into
store before work started, but much of the plasterwork had to
be restored in the course of the work.
Client: Hearth Housing
Association
Architect: Hearth
Main Contractor: A M Cole, Carrickfergus
Restored: 1985-86
Funded by Housing Association Grant
Accommodation: Four-bedroom house
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