The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is delighted to announce that it has awarded new Project Viability Grants through its Harnessing Heritage in Northern Ireland programme, which is made possible with funding from the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
The new grants - which were among 15 awards made to projects across the UK in the March grants meeting, totalling £132,007 - will support Belfast Buildings Trust and the Carnegie Oldpark Library Trust to explore and develop plans for the reuse of two historic buildings in Belfast, both of which are situated in areas of high deprivation and will be brought back to life in ways that address community need.
You can find more information about the projects below.
Carlisle Memorial Link Building
Belfast Buildings Trust
Image: The exterior of the Carlisle Memorial Link Building, Belfast.
No.88 Clifton Street (also referred to as the Link Building) is a Grade B1 listed building that once connected the former Carlisle Memorial Church and the adjoining former church halls. Designed by James John Phillips, it was constructed along with the halls in around 1888. The upper-floor church parlour was used for quarterly board, choir practice and other important meetings.
The former church halls were sold in the 1970s, becoming the Indian Community Centre, and the church closed as a place of worship in 1980. The Link Building was subsequently purchased by and used as the offices for a housing association and other tenants.
Today, it has been largely disused for approximately 10 years. Despite this, much of the historic fabric and detailing of the building survive and it remains an essential part of the Carlisle Memorial Church Complex.
Belfast Buildings Trust delivers physical, social, and economic regeneration through the reuse of historic and landmark buildings in the city. It has owned Carlisle Memorial Church since 2011 and is now looking at acquiring the Link Building, with an aim of connecting the regeneration of both buildings to address community needs. More specifically, the Trust wishes to explore bringing the Link Building back into use as creative office space as part of its 'Creative Belfast' work. This is a collaborative programme between the Trust and a range of strategic partners from across the cultural, community, and skills sectors, which is both rooted in finding a future use for Carlisle Memorial Church and helping local young people to find creative career pathways. Additionally, the Link Building is situated in an area that is heavily impacted by multiple deprivation and this project will help to further catalyse creative skills development for young people in the community.
The AHF grant will provide Belfast Buildings Trust with professional consultant support to produce an options appraisal and outline business plan for the Link Building.
Carnegie Oldpark Library
Carnegie Oldpark Library Trust
Images: The doorway (left) and the interior (right) of Carnegie Oldpark Library, Belfast.
The Grade B1 listed Carnegie Oldpark Library dates back to 1906. Designed by local architecture practice, Watt and Tulloch, it was the first of three libraries to be built by Belfast Corporation following a donation from Andrew Carnegie. It served as a library for over 100 years, accommodating a lending room; a newsroom; a newspaper filing room; an attendant’s room, juveniles’ library and WC on the ground floor; and a magazine and ladies’ room on the first floor.
Oldpark Library closed in 2010. It was subsequently purchased by PR strategist, Quintin Oliver, on behalf of the community. Once emergency repairs were completed in 2017, the owner was able to actively promote meanwhile uses, including book launches, film clubs, poetry events, gardening skills classes, and ‘Branagh in Belfast’ celebrations. A collective of weavers has also recently been using the building on a sporadic basis.
Discussions with stakeholders through Great Place North Belfast – a programme that explores how unique built heritage can shape the future of North Belfast – have recently sparked a renewed interest in progressing the library project. This follows a long ‘Back to Life’ campaign, led by the owner.
With guidance from the Great Place advisors, a new Trust is now emerging to develop future plans for the building. Carnegie Oldpark Library Trust wishes to find a sustainable use that will be relevant to the various communities encircling the building and respond to a wider range of needs and opportunities, therefore providing maximum benefits for the local area.
To add to this, Carnegie Oldpark Library is situated in a deprived area that struggles with a number of problems, including low rates of unemployment, economic inactivity, and ill physical and mental health. Through the animation of this grand building on its elevated corner site, there is an opportunity to create jobs and provide key services that address local need, offering a beacon of hope for the community.
The AHF grant will support the establishment of the Carnegie Oldpark Library Trust and enable it to undertake consultation work with a working group, new trustees, the wider community and stakeholders, as well as develop a new outline business case. It will also allow an architect to examine a design vision for the building and its setting, sketch plans and 3D drawings, produce a visual slideshow and report, and devise a maintenance plan to enable meanwhile uses in the short and medium term.
