4 Manse Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A unified architectural group of brick built late Victorian two storey (+ attic) houses, set in a planned communal landscaped
setting on western side of Manse Road. There are two groups; Nos. 6 and 4 to right and 12,10 and 8 to left; all share common details:

No 4 is three bays wide and the right one of a pair of mirror image properties. Pitched natural slate roof with red clay crested ridges, decorative (flues delineated by raised bricks) red brick chimney to right gable and similar to left at join with No.6. Eaves are three courses of decorative brick supporting half round metal gutters. To front pitch, over left bay, rising from just above eaves level is a dormer window. It has a pitched natural slate roof with decorative fretted timer bargeboard and drop finial. It has a pair of two paned side hung painted timber casements and painted timber cheeks.

Walls are red brick in English garden wall bond with yellow brick detailing and a chamfered granite base course. Two storey canted right bay advanced slightly under a large gable. Between ground and first floor are two courses of decorative yellow brick separated by two courses of red brick, and the right corner has stepped granite quoins. To ground floor left is a one storey canted bay window with moulded granite cill and flat concrete copped roof. Its walls are as façade and the yellow coursing at first floor repeat over the window heads. It has a 2/2 sliding sash on its face and a 1/1 on each cheek. Its right cheek is incorporated into a modern painted timber and glass porch, which abuts the central bay. It has a modern glazed and panelled door and a felt roof. The original walls within are white painted. To first floor left, over canted bay is a 2/2 sash window and over door at first floor is a narrow 1/1 sash window.

The right bay has a two storey canted bay window abutting its advanced gable. The gable has details as façade with timber bargeboard with decorative cartouches and spiked finial. To centre of gable is a recessed roundel inset with a yellow and red brick panel. The canted bay window has walls, cills, windows and roof as left bay, but is two storeys and there is no string course at first floor. Instead there are recessed brick panels dressed with yellow brick, two to front and one on each cheek.

Left gable forms party wall with No.6. The right gable has a painted timber bargeboard detailed as those to façade. Right gable end is red brick with granite base course, quoins and yellow coursing as façade. It has a slightly advanced brick bays to ground floor left and right. Left one continues to eaves level and corbels into the main wall and has a 1/1 sash window to wall on either side. That to right contains a 2/2 sash window at ground floor and corbels into main wall at first floor level. Over, at first floor is a 2/2 window and centred to attic is a pair of smaller 2/2 sashes. To right side of this elevation the return wall abuts, in red brick with a single modern glazed door to right end at ground floor and a 1/1 sash window to left at first floor.

Roof to rear has plastic rainwater goods. Rear elevation is cement rendered and is three bays (central one narrow). The left is abutted by a two-stage return, the first stage is two storey and gabled with a chimney on the ridge gable. Second stage is single storey with a half-hipped natural slate roof. The returns left cheeks are in red brick and described with right elevation of main block. The central bay to rear has a shallower return which rises higher (three storeys) with a flat roof over a service stair projection on its right cheek. The right bay is plain. All windows and doors to ground floor are modern hinged casements, but those above are original. The rear yard is enclosed by a dashed wall with sheeted timber door to alley.

Setting: at front is a common landscaped lawn with driveways dissecting. A boundary wall in granite rubble with embattled coping encloses the whole common site. This has a pair of square gate piers to Manse Road but gates are gone. To right of this house is a small private garden and to rear (beyond carriageway) is a rear garden where a new house, in separate ownership, has been built.

Historical information

One of five houses erected in 1888 by Samuel Shannon (occupant of HB16/03/016E). This house is captioned ‘St Uranus’ on the 1901 OS map.

Primary sources:
1. PRONI - VAL 12B/19/14C, (1888 valuation) p.114.
2. PRONI - OS 10/3/55/16/1 (1901 OS map).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

One of a group of impressive, finely detailed buildings in an attractive setting which retain much of their original character.