Merville Garden Village
Encyclopedia
Merville Garden Village is a housing estate located at Shore Road, Whitehouse, Newtownabbey
, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
created by structural and landscape architect Edward Prentice Mawson
. It was completed in 1949.
one of the most prosperous manufacturing centres in the world during the 19th century. However, between 1947-49 the Garden Village, the first such housing development in Ireland, was constructed. It was the idea of Lurgan-born builder Thomas McGrath
who had established his company, Ulster Garden Villages Limited, in January 1946. Merville was designed with a French architectural twist, which initially influenced McGrath when serving in France as a Royal Engineers
' soldier in the First World War.
English architect Edward Prentice Mawson
, eldest son of the garden designer Thomas Hayton Mawson
, became McGrath's choice of architect for the project after being introduced to him by his site manager Jesse Williams who previously worked with Mawson in England. Mawson was the consultant architect of all of McGrath's ambitious Garden Village schemes in Northern Ireland. Apart from Merville these were at Abbots Cross, Fernagh, Prince's Park, King's Park, Muckamore and Whitehead
, all in County Antrim. The Merville development was of 256 apartments, 28 cottage flats, 146 detached and semi-detached houses and a row of 14 shops. The building work was completed in 1949.
on 23 June 1995 because of its unique architecture and landscape and is the only neighbourhood in the borough of Newtownabbey to have this protection.
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sometimes considered to be a suburb of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
created by structural and landscape architect Edward Prentice Mawson
Edward Prentice Mawson
Edward Prentice Mawson was the eldest of the nine children of Thomas Hayton Mawson, and, like his father a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner..-Education:...
. It was completed in 1949.
Historical background
Merville was originally a private estate built around Merville House that was built in 1795. From 1795 to 1947 the original Merville estate has been owned by some of the fêted people in Belfast. Between 1849-1887 it was the residence of Sir Edward Coey, the first and only Liberal Party Mayor of Belfast in 1861 and a prominent businessman, who helped make BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
one of the most prosperous manufacturing centres in the world during the 19th century. However, between 1947-49 the Garden Village, the first such housing development in Ireland, was constructed. It was the idea of Lurgan-born builder Thomas McGrath
Thomas McGrath (builder)
Thomas Arlow McGrath was a Northern Irish builder born in Lurgan, County Armagh, who founded Ulster Garden Villages in 1946 with the purpose of planning and building affordable, high quality post-war housing....
who had established his company, Ulster Garden Villages Limited, in January 1946. Merville was designed with a French architectural twist, which initially influenced McGrath when serving in France as a Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
' soldier in the First World War.
English architect Edward Prentice Mawson
Edward Prentice Mawson
Edward Prentice Mawson was the eldest of the nine children of Thomas Hayton Mawson, and, like his father a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner..-Education:...
, eldest son of the garden designer Thomas Hayton Mawson
Thomas Hayton Mawson
Thomas Hayton Mawson , better known as T. H. Mawson, was a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner....
, became McGrath's choice of architect for the project after being introduced to him by his site manager Jesse Williams who previously worked with Mawson in England. Mawson was the consultant architect of all of McGrath's ambitious Garden Village schemes in Northern Ireland. Apart from Merville these were at Abbots Cross, Fernagh, Prince's Park, King's Park, Muckamore and Whitehead
Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...
, all in County Antrim. The Merville development was of 256 apartments, 28 cottage flats, 146 detached and semi-detached houses and a row of 14 shops. The building work was completed in 1949.
Conservation Area designation
Merville Garden Village was designated a conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
on 23 June 1995 because of its unique architecture and landscape and is the only neighbourhood in the borough of Newtownabbey to have this protection.
Merville House restoration
In April 2000 Patricia Pepper, Jackie Thompson and Brian McNally began the restoration of Merville House when they met Belfast Regeneration Office officials, amongst others. The meeting with potential funders was initiated by local North Belfast MLA Fred Cobain after a chance meeting with MRA committee member Barbara McPhee. However, Stephen Hamilton, another Merville resident, joined the committee and formally set up Merville House Limited in February 2002 to help garner funding for the project. Other key players in the Merville House team included the late Jackie Thompson, and Carol and Colin Simms who assisted with grant applications. The scheme was ultimately funded by Ulster Garden Villages Limited, International Fund for Ireland, Newtownabbey Borough Council, Newtownabbey Local Strategy Partnership and Belfast Local Strategy Partnership and a private donor. The house was officially re-opened on 27 April 2006 by Baroness Blood, a well-known community activist in west Belfast. Today Merville House is used by the whole community.60th anniversary celebration
On 25 September 2009 a celebration was organised by Merville Residents' Association to mark the 60th anniversary of the completion of the village with guest of honour Thomas Prentice Mawson, the son of Edward Prentice Mawson. Thomas was a member of the original Merville design team led by his father. Other dignatories at the event included Alderman John Scott, Mayor of Newtownabbey, and Tony Hopkins CBE, the head of Ulster Garden Villages Limited. Merville Residents' Association will provide a definitive account of Merville's history in its upcoming new website.Notable residents
- Sir Stanley SpencerStanley SpencerSir Stanley Spencer was an English painter. Much of his work depicts Biblical scenes, from miracles to Crucifixion, happening not in the Holy Land but in the small Thames-side village where he was born and spent most of his life...
KBE CBE RA DLitt 20th century British artist and the UK's official war artist (1939–45) - Sir T. Desmond Lorimer KBE FCA DSc Former head of Northern BankNorthern BankNorthern Bank , is a commercial bank in Northern Ireland. It is one of the oldest banks in Ireland having been formed in 1809. Northern Bank is considered one of the leading retail banks in Northern Ireland with 82 branches and four finance centres...
, Northern Ireland ElectricityNorthern Ireland ElectricityNorthern Ireland Electricity Limited is the electricity asset owner of the transmission and distribution infrastructure in Northern Ireland. NIE does not own generate or supply electricity. NIE is a subsidiary of ESB Group....
, Northern Ireland Housing ExecutiveNorthern Ireland Housing ExecutiveThe Northern Ireland Housing Executive is the public housing authority for Northern Ireland. It is the enforcing authority for those parts of housing orders that involve houses with multiple occupants, houses that are unfit, and housing conditions.- Origins :...
, Lamont Holdings Plc and Ulster Garden Villages Limited - Lieutenant-Colonel John F. Hunter MC OBE ARCA (Lond) RUA Decorated soldier, landscape painter and wood engraver, past-president of the Royal Ulster AcademyRoyal Ulster AcademyThe Royal Ulster Academy has existed in one form or another since 1879. It started life then, as The Belfast Ramblers' Sketching Club...
of Art (RUA) (1943–47) and first Inspector of Art Education in Northern Ireland (1923) - Reverend A P Black MA Cleric of Castledawson Presbyterian Church, Co. Londonderry (1910)
- Major Hugh Alexander Veteran of the Far East campaign during WW2 and recipient of the Burma StarBurma StarThe Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945...
medal - Captain Clifford Macdonald Ashe BA (QUB) H.Dip.Ed (Oxon.) Army Captain 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (1939-45), and later Schoolmaster of CCPS
- Rosemary Faith Actress
- Brian Durkin One of the original six 'in vision' presenters at the historic launch of Ulster Television on 31 October 1959
- J. Ralph Brew Jazz musician
- Reverend Dr Douglas Frazer-Hurst Cleric and author
- Dr J P Alexander Senior Consultant Anaesthetist, Department Clinical Anaesthesia, Belfast City Hospital
- Dr Alastair N J Graham Senior Cardiothoracic Consultant, Cardiac Surgical Unit, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
- Professor Bill Ellis Director of Veterinary Sciences Division, Department of Northern Ireland Agriculture and Rural Development
- Gordon R. Irwin OBE Chief Executive of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners (1986–2003) and formerly board member of the Laganside Corporation and United Kingdom Major Ports Group Ltd
- Tim Loane Actor, Director, Playwright and currenty Lecturer in Creative Writing at Queen’s University, Belfast. Co-founder of the independent Tinderbox Theatre Company in Northern Ireland. Director of the Oscar-nominated Short Film Dance Lexie DanceDance Lexie DanceDance Lexie Dance is a short film made in Northern Ireland, and released in 1996. The two principal characters are a widower, Lexie, and his daughter, Laura, who live in Derry. Laura becomes keen on Irish stepdance and on joining Riverdance when she grows up. Traditional Irish dancing is practiced...
- Dr Mervyn Gifford Senior healthcare professional specialising and lecturing in Public Health Medicine at the University of Skövde in Sweden. He has undertaken research into diet and inflammatory processes in coronary heart disease.
- Peter Martin Businessman with interests in the UK & Republic of Ireland and a former radio presenter
- Denis Robb London-based qualitative consumer market research expert. Joint founder of The Research Practice, London
- Mark Pepper Artist
- Belinda Larmour Violinist, current lecturer at the QUB School of Music, ex-BBC Northern Ireland television director and portrait painter
- Damien Coyle Artist and Vice Chairperson of the Arts Council of Northern IrelandArts Council of Northern IrelandThe Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....
- Gerry Simpson QC Barrister
- Denis McBride Irish Rugby Union player
- Jeremy McWilliams Motorbike road racer
- Jim Neilly BBC SportBBC SportBBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
Broadcaster and commentator - Jeanie Johnston Ex-Ulster Television (UTVUTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
) broadcast journalist and features editor. She is currently Head of Communications for South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust - Reverend David J. Kerr MBE President of the Methodist Church in IrelandMethodist Church in IrelandThe Methodist Church in Ireland is a Wesleyan Methodist church that operates across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on an all Ireland basis, It is the 4th largest Christian denomination in both jurisdictions and on the island as a whole...
(1998–99) - David Olver Formerly BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
presenter and BBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
continuity announcer - Professor William J. Hatton Department of Pharmacology of the University of NevadaUniversity of Nevada, RenoThe University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, School of Medicine
See also
- List of villages in Northern Ireland