Eastwood

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and three-quarter storey/ three bay mid-19th century picturesque house with two storey return to rear, south west facing on south side of Cranfield Road.

Half-hipped natural slate roof with oversailing eaves. Pairs of plain timber eaves brackets support boarded soffit. Rising from wall head on front elevation is a gabled dormer. Two cement harled chimneys symmetrically placed on ridge either side of central bay; a third on the return will be discussed later. Rainwater goods are semicircular metal. Walls are painted lime dash with stepped ashlar granite quoins and chamfered granite basecourse, all painted. The façade and side elevations are decorated with slightly recessed full height semi-elliptical headed panels.

The three wall panels to façade, which faces SW, each contain an opening; central one is narrower and contains the main entrance. Two granite steps rise to front door, which is painted timber, four panelled (top two glazed) with beaded muntin. Flanking are narrow sidelights, each with interlocking iron tracery. Over is a segmental cobweb fanlight. All windows to main block are sliding sashes (without horns) with painted granite cills. Left and right bays each have a single rectangular window (set into wall panels). Both are large 6/6 exposed box sashes without horns. To central dormer, above front door is a small margined 3/3 spoke-headed window.

Left gable has stepped quoins to both corners and two semi-elliptical wall panels (as façade), each containing a 6/6 sliding sash to ground floor. To first floor are two 3/6 sashes, one per panel. All windows have painted granite cills.

Rear elevation has, at right, a two storey return which has been subsequently extended on its left cheek. Remaining wall to left is harled and whitewashed. It has a blocked up door opening at ground floor left, with smooth render over, and a spoke headed 3/6 sash window (lighting half landing) at first floor right.

Return roof is half hipped and natural slated (as main block) and extension roof catslides from return roof. It has a cement rendered chimney on its ridge and a flat roof dormer on its left pitch (as viewed from rear), above left cheek extension. Walls have stepped quoins to north end of road-facing elevation only.

Its left cheek is abutted by its extension but for a small section to left. This exposed section has, at ground floor, a two paned fixed timber window (no cill) and, at first floor, a fixed 1/1 modern casement window with top opening transom with a painted cill.

Extension has painted smooth rendered walls. Viewed from the yard, its left cheek has a t+g sheeted door serving a small porch formed by a corrugated plastic canopy which stretches across to the rear wall of the main house. The eastern façade of this extension has, at ground floor left, a two paned metal casement window and to its right is a small four paned casement (both with painted granite cills). At first floor left is a 3/6 sash window and to right is a 1/1 sash with horns. Right cheek is flush with the gable of return. The original roofline the return has been retained where the extension abuts.

The north gable of the return and right cheek of its extension are partly abutted by a single storey extension (laundry room), accessed from inside. Remaining exposed wall of return has, at ground floor right, a 3/6 sliding sash, with similar in line above

The aforementioned extension has rendered random rubble walls (canted at left), a half hipped asbestos slate roof (with skylight) and no gutters. There is a small single pane window in its north wall, and both cheeks are blank.

Right cheek of return is set back slightly from the left gable of the main block. It has two 3/6 sliding sashes ground floor (right one is narrower than left). First floor left has a 3/6 sliding sash (narrower than that below) and slightly diminished in height; again, all have painted cills.

Right elevation is detailed as façade and has two semi-elliptical headed wall panels. Quoins to left side only. Left panel has a 6/6 window to ground floor. Right panel is blank but with an off-centre modern 3/6 window breaking its right jamb. To first floor are two 3/6 sash windows, one to each panel. serving first floor.

Rear yard is enclosed to east by a high stone wall, to north by single storey outhouses (of no interest) and accessed from NW through a gateway. Tall piers are square in section, squared rubble with pyramidal concrete caps. They support a pair of inappropriate low modern timber gates.

Setting

Gateway from road consists of pair of low convex sweeping dashed and painted walls. These meet a pair of dashed piers with pyramidal copings. Left wall has a milk-churn platform incorporated, consisting of three rendered steps. Gates are wrought iron and seem original with decorative wrought finials to each vertical. They no longer meet, which suggests that the opening has been altered at some time.

Gardens to west and north are plainly landscaped.

Historical information

First cited on the 1859 OS 6” map (not the 1834 map), indicating a mid 19th century construction date. Captioned as ‘Eastwood’ and shown with landscaped grounds. 1863 valuation describes it as “a very handsome little villa” belonging to James Coatis. It measured 40ft x 27ft by one and two-third storeys, with a 20ft x 20ft return of the same height.

The southern portion of the garden was requisitioned during WW2 to accommodate the construction of the Greencastle Aerodrome, and at this time trees along the road boundary were cleared. A photograph of this building, taken from the road in 1975, is held in the N.I. Architectural Archive.

Primary Sources:
1.Occupant (1998)
2. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 57 (PRONI OS/6/3/57/1)
3. OS 6" map, 2nd edition (1859) Co Down sheet 57 (PRONI OS/6/3/57/2)
4. PRONI- VAL 2B/3/81C, p.12 (1863 valuation).
5. 1975 Photograph; Historic Monuments Record of N. Ireland, 5-33 Hill Street Belfast, BT1 2LA.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attractive and well proportioned mid-Victorian dwelling of formalised style and plan form and retaining much of its original character.