108 Strand Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and two-storey house in ‘International Modern’ style with a ‘butterfly’ roof. It consists of a long L-shaped original block, later extended to the rear to form a T-shape. Main entrance faces south-east.

South-east elevation comprises a long original single-storey block to the left, containing the main entrance , rising to an original two-storey portion to the right which includes a first floor balcony projecting forward over the garage.

Single-storey block: roof of double canted ‘butterfly’ form, with asphalt covering turned down over a later fascia of ribbed pvc, where originally there was a timber fascia. Walling is smooth cement rendered and painted on a slightly recessed plinth of similar finish, containing large windows of plate glass, double glazed, in metal frames. Slightly recessed main entrance doorway and side screen glazing are of similar type; plain concrete doorstep; timber panelled soffits to door head, surmounted by a modern replacement ribbed pvc fascia extending full width of block. Spandrel between door head fascia and eaves fascia is clad with tongued and grooved timber sheeting, varnished, a replacement for original split-log cladding.

To the left of the main entrance is a rectangular wall panel in mosaic, incorporating fragments of cut ceramic tiles and small stones arranged in an abstract pattern.

To the right of the long entrance block is an original two-storey block projecting forward comprising a ground floor garage, with a balcony above, and first floor accommodation set behind the balcony.

Ground floor walling is cement rendered and painted, smooth finished except for incised joints of random pattern simulating rusticated stonework. Slightly recessed garage door in front, of ‘up and over’ type, in panelled preformed metal set behind a timber frame, a later replacement for the original glazed timber door.

Left-hand wall of garage is rendered as front.

Front wall of first floor accommodation is smooth cement rendered, painted, containing a rectangular doorway with glazed aluminium door leading onto the balcony; pitched roof with raking timber fascia and asphalt roof covering turned down over it. Left-hand wall of first floor accommodation is comprised entirely of a large window of metal framing; fascia above is of ribbed pvc over original timber fascia.

Projecting forward from the fascia of the first floor accommodation, as extensions to the fascias, are timber boards carried on vertical timber board supports at the front of the garage, the support to the left being carried directly off the projecting balcony slab, the support to the right being continued past the balcony slab to ground level, and returning across the front as a flying raking fascia which has an intermediate support in the form of a rolled steel joist, and is also connected to the main fascia of the building by angled rolled steel joist braces, all forming an openwork framework and all painted white. Projecting balcony slab is smooth rendered and painted, and carries railings comprising horizontal rails of timber and pvc attached to flange-shaped vertical timber supports.

Extending to the right of the garage is a screen wall of similar walling to the garage, on the outside, originally extending to the edge of the site to incorporate a pedestrian opening, but now truncated. Rear face of screen wall is of smooth cement render unpainted.

South-west elevation: end wall of the original long block, comprising a large rectangular window set in a smooth rendered surround with later ribbed pvc cladding to the original timber fascia, and a slightly recessed smooth rendered plinth; window is a replacement in metal framing not to the original pattern.

Rear or north-west elevation consists of the original long block with butterfly roof, single storey to the right-hand end but rising to two storeys at the left-hand end, with a later two-storey rear return wing projecting forward at the left-hand end.
Original long block roofing, fascias, spandrel boarding, walling, and glazing are of similar materials to the entrance front, with the addition of a pvc rainwater hopper and later pvc downpipes. A rectangular timber glazed patio door with side-light leads onto two concrete steps which have had the original railings removed. To the left of doorway is a projecting rectangular bay, flat-roofed, covered in asphalt; walling is of smooth cement render with random pattern of incised jointing, similar to entrance front garage, with a battered front face; tall narrow slit window to each side.

Return wing is two-storey and consists of a first floor block carried over an open ground floor on square piers and a screen wall to the north-west side.

North-west elevation of rear return wing: monopitch roof in same plane as the roof of the original two-storey block: asphalt covering over a later ribbed pvc cladding to the original timber fascia. One chimney, a later addition, of rustic brickwork with concrete coping and one black pot. Wall to left is full height smooth cement render, painted; to the right is an open ground floor with a corner pier to the right-hand extremity, carrying a storey-height fascia of later ribbed pvc.
Above, in the first floor is a large window, of modern double-glazing in a metal frame, surmounted by a small spandrel panel of tongued and grooved boarding.

South-west elevation of rear return wing comprises a first floor storey carried over an open ground floor on three piers: piers surmounted by later ribbed pvc cladding over original timber fascia; first floor walling is later tongued and grooved sheeting with double-glazed windows.

North-east elevation of rear return wing comprises a first floor storey carried over an open ground floor on two piers and a screen wall; first floor walling is of smooth cement render, painted, flush with piers; two windows double glazed metal framing in rectangular openings with projecting concrete cills; later replacement ribbed pvc cladding to original timber fascia which extends from original two-storey block.

Ground floor area of rear return wing is an open covered area: smooth rendered piers carry smooth cement rendered beams now partly spalled to reveal rusting I-beams; ground surfaced with concrete paving slabs; ceiling is timber panelled. Inner face of screen wall to north-west is smooth cement rendered, with two decorative panels of seashells embedded in it.

North-east elevation of original two-storey block: walling is of smooth cement render, painted; later replacement ribbed pvc cladding to original timber fascia. Ground floor doorway contains an original rectangular timber sheeted door. Two ground floor windows, rectangular timber, the one to the left of doorway comprised of fixed lights with top-hung vents; the one to the right of doorway is a fixed light. First floor contains a broad rectangular window with projecting concrete cill; double-glazed window. To the left is a doorway containing a glazed aluminium door approached by a flight of exterior steps. Exterior steps are of concrete on a smooth cement rendered framework; tubular metal hand rails with tubular metal posts and timber board intermediate rails.

SETTING: The building stands on an open grassy site on the edge of the town, overlooking the coast. It is set back from the main road with a lawn in front, reached by a concrete driveway. The boundary is formed by a fence of timber posts in trellis pattern, to all sides except to one side of the driveway at the front of the house which has a low rendered wall. In the angle between the garage and the main long block is an area of crazy paving now partly overgrown. The south-west end of the long block is also bordered by crazy paving, with rectangular concrete paving to the rear. To the north-east of the original two-storey block is an area of concrete paving with a curving concrete path bordered by a small grassed area with shrubs, separated from the main lawn to the rear by a later rendered and perforated concrete block wall.
Immediately to the north-west of the site is a modern stone-faced single storey house recessed into the sloping ground, built since the initial listing.

Historical information

Built in 1959 to the design of Noel Campbell and extended in 1968 by the same architect. The original building of 1959 comprised the long block with ‘butterfly’ roof running from the south-west to the north-east, with a short front return to the south-east; the extension of 1968 comprised a two-storey rear return to the north-west.
Originally the layout comprised the following: ground floor from south-west to north-east – lounge with TV room off it, cloaks, bedroom, bedroom with shower and store off it, open covered yard (under first floor kitchen); garage with maid’s bedroom off it; first floor – porch, kitchen, dining room, bathroom (which is now an internal bathroom due to the 1968 extension), WC (which is now removed to permit corridor leading to the 1968 extension), nursery (now a bedroom) with storage area off it under the roof.
The first owner was Ron Smyth who still occupied it at the time of listing in 1994.
Decorative mosaic mural designed and executed by Colin Middleton as part of the original building.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1966, Plan 12-3 ( shows the block of the original house before the 1968 extension).
2. Irish Builder, 9 July 1960, p 513 (illustration of the house before it was extended).

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Homes with a view’, Belfast Telegraph, 27 July 1961.
2. P. Larmour, Style Master (Noel Campbell), Perspective (The Journal of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects), Vol 5, No 6, July/August 1997, pp 18-31 (includes an illustration of the house before it was extended).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
G. Innovatory Qualities
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

This is a mid-20th century house designed in the International Modern style by a leading local architect, Noel Campbell, which is of special interest as a ‘period piece’ of progressive ‘ contemporary’ modern styling in domestic design. Despite some alterations it remains a building of great strength and presence, reflective of the architectural discourse of the period. It is complemented by its prominent situation above Portstewart Strand.