46-48 Fair Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Pair of 1 ½ storey semidetached houses, aligned NW-SE on coast at end of Fair Road. No. 46 is two bays wide and longer than No 48 which is three bays wide, the third bay on right being a single storey extension . Both have south west beach-facing facades.

No 46 (left of pair)

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge and tiled verges. To each bay on front pitch are single gabled natural slated wall-head dormers with plain timber bargeboards and decorative finials. There are two coped smooth render chimneys (no pots), one on the left gable and one on the party wall between the first and second bays.

Walls are whitewashed uneven lime render over random rubble. Each bay has a single window to ground floor. At first floor each has a similar window set into a gabled dormer. These are diminished in height and width, and with a glazed triangular transom over each. Both are roughly in line with the ground floor windows. Windows are single paned fixed lights with painted concrete cills. Semicircular metal rainwater goods.

A porch abuts extreme right end of façade. Pitched natural slate roof, plain bargeboard to gabled front, and walls as facade. Left and right cheeks are blank, modern t+g replacement timber half door to front. The apex of each gable dormer is also glazed.

Left gable is blank and right forms party wall with adjacent property.

Rear wall is as façade and is abutted at left by a single storey modern extension.

At first floor of the main block are two small 2/2 sliding sash windows, one to each bay just below the eaves. The extension has an almost flat corrugated asbestos roof, painted render walls and three windows on rear wall, right one is 2/2 sliding sash and others are modern top-hung timber. Its left cheek is abutted by a modern glazed timber porch and its right is blank.

No 48 (right of pair)

Main roof is pitched and natural slated with two smooth rendered chimneys (no pots) one to left (on party wall with No.46) and other to right gable. Two gabled wall-head dormers to façade, each with each with decorative bargeboard and timber finial. Semicircular plastic rainwater goods. Walls are whitewashed uneven lime rendered over random rubble.

Main block is two bays with porch abutting at left side of right bay. It has a pitched rendered roof with replacement decorative bargeboard to its front gable. Both cheeks are blank. Modern glazed painted plywood door has painted granite blocks to base of its frame. All windows are 1/1 exposed box sliding sashes with horns and painted concrete cills. One window to each bay at ground floor, and two in dormers to first floor, in line with ground floor windows but diminished in height and width.

Left gable forms party wall with No 46. Right is abutted by single storey annex with blank wall over.

Annex has a pitched, artificial slate roof with plastic rainwater goods. Its walls are as façade, with t+g sheeted door to left and a 1/1 sliding sash (with narrow painted concrete cill) to right. Front wall continues to right enclosing yard and has a sheeted door.

Right cheek of extension is blank and is enclosed by the yard which has a corrugated plastic roof. Its rear wall has a single fixed window with top opening transom.

Rear elevation of main block has no rainwater goods. There are no ground floor openings and two 2/2 sliding sashes to first floor, one to each bay.

Setting

Both share a common drive with small gardens (falling to beach head) which are enclosed by painted rubble walls. The front garden of No. 48 has a cast iron water pump with ‘flag’ logo, and no handle or cap. No 48 also has a white washed outbuilding to its front drive. To rear each house has a large garden, No..46 having a range of single storey outhouses fronting the shared rear lane.

Historical information

Buildings shown at this location on the 1834 OS 6” map. Occupied by Mr James Clarke in 1835.

Primary Sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 57 (PRONI OS/6/3/57/1)
2. PRONI - VAL 1B390 A (1835 valuation).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A modest pair of beach-front dwellings, now extensively altered and retaining little of special architectural or historic interest.