Millburn Terrace

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-bay three-storey end-terrace mid-Victorian townhouse; built c.1875 and located to the east side of Millburn Road in Coleraine town centre. Square on plan with two-storey canted bay to front and full-height gabled return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and polychrome brick chimneystacks having sandstone caps and tall clay pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting dentilled eaves. Walling is dry dash over a painted smooth rendered plinth with rendered quoin strips and platband between floors; original exposed brickwork to southwest; painted roughcast render to rear. Windows are 1/1 timber sash with horns in smooth rendered painted reveals with projecting painted sills (corbels under sills at first floor); two-storey canted bay window to front has continuous sills.

The principal elevation faces northwest with two-storey canted bay at right and entrance door at left. Three windows at second floor, paired to right side. Entrance comprises pedimented doorcase with scrolled console brackets and panelled pilasters; bolection-moulded four-panel timber door with brass door furniture, accessed by a single sandstone step. Door is flanked by original stained and leaded glass sidelights on timber panelled recesses and surmounted by transom light with decorative central panel reading “No. 37”.

The northeast elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB03/18/034B).

The southeast (rear) elevation is abutted at left by the full-height return; two 1/1 windows with margin panes at second floor and three leaded-and-stained glass windows with margin panes at first floor lighting half-landing (outer windows are narrower), all with continuous painted sills. To ground floor are two small 1/1 windows and a replacement timber-sheeted door, glazed to upper section. Return has a narrow uPVC window to each floor at right cheek and to gable at ground floor right; gable is abutted by a small lean-to abutment with corrugated tin roof; southwest elevation has a window at each floor.

The southwest elevation has a window to left and right at upper floors and to ground floor right.

Setting:
Forming part of a mid-nineteenth century terrace (HB03/18/034A-I) on the east side of the River Bann in Coleraine town centre, overlooking The Rose Gardens and Anderson Park. Slightly elevated on a lawned and shrubbed site with central pathway leading to a set of sandstone steps to front of house. Bounded to road and narrow alley to southwest by rubblestone wall; wall to front is topped by red brick plinth and piers topped by pointed caps and supporting metal railings. Paved rear yard is enclosed by original rubblestone walls topped with timber batten gate leading to communal rear alley.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Dry dash, roughcast render and exposed red brick
Windows: 1/1 timber sash with horns
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Millburn Terrace, originally named Clifton Terrace, was built c1866 (HB03/18/034A was added c1875) on land owned by Richard Olphert of Millburn House (Mullin) and is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1904.

The closing decades of the nineteenth century saw a building boom of terraces and villas in Coleraine of which local people were extremely proud. After the Coleraine Building Society was established in 1864 a search was undertaken for suitable sites for workmen’s cottages but the sites advertised by the Olphert estate on the Millburn Road caught the Society’s attention and their first major development was the current terrace of eight dwellings (a ninth was added c1875). The contractor was Joseph Esdale and the terrace was named ‘Clifton’, the family name of Lady Bruce, whose husband Sir Henry Hervey Bruce was the president of the building society (Mullin). The terrace, originally eight houses, all with returns, was built with canted bays and railings to the front and a row of outbuildings to the rear. Well-known Coleraine merchants such as Hugh Cheyne and James Brookes were the first occupiers and by the turn into the twentieth century residents were a mix of retired farmers, professional people and merchants some of whom were able to employ a servant.

The current house, the end terrace in the row, was built somewhat later than the others, being added to valuation records as an unfinished dwelling in 1875. The house was complete by 1876 and was valued at £30, being larger than the other houses in the terrace. The first occupier to be noted was John Gribbon followed by Daniel McLaughlin (1892) John Reid McCurdy (1900) and Robert H Chambers (1910). In 1913 the house was purchased for £395 but the property in the street was stated in valuation notes to be ‘going down in value’. Chambers was followed by Maria Haughey in 1924 and Lowry C L Tottenham in 1929. John Reid McCurdy was a retired farmer who lived with his brother, also a retired farmer and his two sisters, one of whom worked as a seamstress. The eleven room house was designated first class (1901 census). Robert H Chambers was a ‘whisky traveller’ who lived with his wife and three children (1911 census).

The terrace was listed in 1997 and the current dwelling remains in domestic use.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/1 First Edition OS Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-50
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1949
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9A-N Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. 1901/1911 census
8. HB file – 03/18/034A-I

Secondary Sources

1. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine and Portstewart” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1971-2
2. Mullin, Rev T H “Coleraine in Modern Times” Belfast: Century Services Ltd, 1979
3. Snoddy, T “Dictionary of Irish Artists, 20th Century” Dublin: Merlin Publishing, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

A two-bay three-storey end-terraced mid-Victorian townhouse; built c.1875 and located to the east side of Millburn Road in Coleraine town centre. A well-preserved and good example of a tall mid-Victorian terrace, number 37 forms part of an important group, prominently sited close to Coleraine town centre. It makes a considerable contribution to the architectural quality and character of the town.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; and S - Authenticity also apply.