9 Dhu Varren Park

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-bay, two-storey with attic dormer, end-terrace rendered townhouse built c.1908 and located to the south side of Dhu Varren Park in Portrush. Square on plan with projecting ground floor to front and full-height L-shaped gabled return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta angled ridge tiles and yellow-brick chimneystack to west gable; timber bargeboards and terracotta finials to gables. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves; uPVC to rear. Walling is painted smooth render; scotia moulded string-course supporting rainwater goods between first floor and attic; roughcast render to west gable and rear return. Windows are original 1/1 timber sash with margin panes, multi-paned top-lights and horns, in stop-end chamfered reveals with projecting painted sills; bullnose continuous sills to grouped windows; uPVC to rear and west gable.

The principal elevation faces north; two wall-head dormer windows to attic over three windows at first floor (paired at right). Monopitched red tiled roof to ground floor; group of three windows at right (outer windows narrower); bolection-moulded four panel timber door with modern cast-iron door furniture at left in a stop-end chamfered reveal and accessed via a single concrete step; original timber transom light over with margin panes and multi-paned top-lights.

The east elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB03/10/063D).

The south (rear) elevation is abutted at right by the large L-shaped gabled return, lit by a variety of uPVC windows to west and south gable. To left of return is a modern wall-head dormer containing a large uPVC window; uPVC window also to first and ground floor.

The west gable has a uPVC window insertion to left at attic and a uPVC window to ground floor centre.

Setting:

Situated on a rectangular plot in a residential area of Portrush, directly opposite the Coleraine-Portrush train-line and Dhu Varren halt. Yard to rear enclosed by a painted smooth rendered wall with concrete coping. Lawned garden to front with concrete pathway to entrance door, enclosed by painted render walls. Modern timber latchgate to entrance from Dhu Varren Park at north.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Painted smooth render
Windows: 1/1 timber sash with horns, margin panes and multi-paned top-lights
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The current building is one of a terrace of six dwelling houses built c1908 and first shown on the fourth edition OS map of 1922-31. The end terrace, number four, is of a different design but was constructed contemporaneously with the remainder of the row. The terrace was originally named ‘Grangemount’ and enters valuation records in 1908 as a newly-built vacant row, number 3 valued at £31 and the remainder at £27. Number 3 was built by James Lyon, manager of Ballyrashane Creamery (1918 Street Directory) and the remainder of the terrace by James Kennedy who was in residence at number 5 by 1910, letting the remaining houses to a series of tenants. After the First World War all the houses were sold off and were separately owned and let, occasionally for use as boarding houses serving the burgeoning nearby resort of Portrush.

The first occupier to be noted at number 9 was Godfrey Wefers (1910) but by 1912 the house had been taken over by Carrie K McMurray and then in 1915 by Frederick J Powell, who remained resident at the house for some years. Valuer’s notes of the 1930s record that the house was purchased for £800 in 1927 and it was then thought to be somewhat old-fashioned in its sanitary fittings and kitchen range. The building continues in use as a domestic house.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/6/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/1/6/2 Second Edition OS map 1855
3. PRONI OS/6/1/6/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/1/6/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1922-31
5. PRONI OS/6/1/6/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1946-50
6. PRONI OS/8/42/1-2 – Town Plans of Portrush (1895-6)
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/5/5 – Valuer’s Note book (1908-9)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A-F – Annual Revisions (1862-1929)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22A-D Annual Revisions (1895-1930)
10. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/30 First General Revaluation 1933-57
11. PRONI VAL/3/D/1/15/A/1 First General Revaluation 1933-57
12. 1911 census online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-bay, two-and-a-half-storey, end-terrace rendered townhouse built c.1908 and located to the south side of Dhu Varren Park in Portrush. The building forms part of a coherent group of Edwardian townhouses, (HB03/10/063 A-E) typical of the type built as part of the rapid expansion of suburban areas in the early twentieth-century. This terrace was built relatively late and although the houses have some interesting features, it is not of special architectural or historic interest.