Lucerne Parade

BT9

Malone Lower

Year approved: 1925

Lucerne Parade – Key Points

Location: Off Lockview Road, Stranmillis; part of the late‑1920s Laganvale Estate.
Development period: Laid out after a 1927 promotion; houses built 1927–1930 by several builders and architects.
Architects/Builders: T. Dalton Purdy (two villas, 1927) – see https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/4440/PURDY%2C%20T.%20DALTON; David Wright Boyd (ten semi‑detached houses, 1928–1929) – see https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/587/BOYD%2C%20DAVID%20WRIGHT; Robert Barton (six houses, 1928–1930) – see https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/328/BARTON%2C%20ROBERT.
Street character: Semi‑detached villas with gardens and broad carriageways, using red bricks from nearby Laganvale Brick Works – see https://www.ulsterarchitecturalheritage.org.uk/masonry-stone-brick/.
Naming speculation: “Lucerne” mirrors other continental names in the estate (Geneva Gardens, Penge Gardens); likely chosen to evoke Swiss lakeside charm, fitting the developer’s riverside marketing.
Transport & amenities: Estate marketed as 15‑minute tram ride to Belfast city centre with sports grounds and boulevards.
Earlier settlement: Adjacent Laganvale Street existed by 1911 – see https://www.cookstownwardead.co.uk/ (entry for Rifleman Charles Campbell).

"Read letter, dated 15th inst., from the Lagan Vale Estate Brick & Terra Cotta Works, Ltd., renewing their application for the approval of proposed names of new streets on their property situate off Stranmillis Road. The Committee having re-considered the matter, it was Resolved – That the names submitted be approved, viz., Sharman Road, Lucerne Parade, Prince Edward Park, Geneva Gardens, and Penge Gardens". (16th June 1925).

Narrative

Lucerne Parade is a residential avenue in Stranmillis, off Lockview Road. It forms part of the Laganvale Estate, promoted in February 1927 as a “riverside district for health, pleasure and beauty” with broad highways, sports grounds and a 15‑minute tram journey to Belfast city centre. The estate’s European‑sounding street names—Lucerne, Geneva, Penge (a London district with Swiss associations)—appear to be marketing ploys, suggesting continental elegance to potential buyers.

Development began soon after the 1927 advertisement. Architect T. Dalton Purdy obtained approval for two villas that year (see the entry for Purdy at https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/4440/PURDY%2C%20T.%20DALTON). In 1928 David Wright Boyd designed ten semi‑detached houses, with additions in 1929 (see Boyd’s entry at https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/587/BOYD%2C%20DAVID%20WRIGHT). Builder Robert Barton added four houses in 1928 and two more in 1930 (see Barton’s entry at https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/328/BARTON%2C%20ROBERT). The houses share a coherent style: red‑brick semi‑detached villas with tiled roofs and gardens, using bricks stamped “Laganvale” from the local brick works (https://www.ulsterarchitecturalheritage.org.uk/masonry-stone-brick/). Although the estate was new, Laganvale Street itself pre‑dated it; the 1911 census recorded families living there, as shown in the Cookstown War Dead entry for Rifleman Charles Campbell at https://www.cookstownwardead.co.uk/. Thus the estate blended with older Victorian terraces.

Sources

– Belfast Telegraph advertisement for Laganvale Estate (15 Feb 1927).
– Dictionary of Irish Architects entries for T. Dalton Purdy (https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/4440/PURDY%2C%20T.%20DALTON), David Wright Boyd (https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/587/BOYD%2C%20DAVID%20WRIGHT) and Robert Barton (https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/328/BARTON%2C%20ROBERT).
– Ulster Architectural Heritage article on brickmaking (https://www.ulsterarchitecturalheritage.org.uk/masonry-stone-brick/).
– Cookstown War Dead research confirming 1911 residents on Laganvale Street (https://www.cookstownwardead.co.uk/).