Sennan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Right one of a pair of mirror image mid-late 19th C semi-detached villas, sea facing in mature grounds on N side of Rostrevor Road.

Each villa is two storeys high and two bays wide, and although the principal elevation faces S, their entrances are to the side elevations.

Pitched L-plan natural slate roof (base of the ‘L’ faces E) with moulded advanced eaves and bracketed ogee cast-iron gutters. The gutter to left bay of façade has cast-iron crestings. Chimneys are stucco, with chamfered base, moulded cap and yellow octagonal terracotta pots. Front (S) pitch is gabled to right bay with timber bargeboard and finial. Four pots on shared rendered chimney between the two houses and a two-pot chimney between the two bays.

Walls are smooth rendered and painted with moulded basecourse and moulded platband between the floors. There are also two plainer and thinner platbands on each floor (at quarter and three quarter height up each window). All windows have run-moulded stucco architraves with plain decorative key-blocks. Those to ground floor are 1/1 sashes unless otherwise stated. Those to first floor are 2/2 (vertically divided) sashes with segmental heads.

The S elevation is two bays wide. The right bay advances slightly and has a single storey canted bay window with moulded and fretted parapet over a blocking course concealing its flat roof. It has a window to front and narrower ones to each cheek. There is a single window to first floor with a stucco roundel in the gable above with keyblocks to cardinal points. The left bay has a rectangular single-storey bay with two front windows and narrow blank cheeks. It has a swept leaded roof with decorative cresting to the gutters. There is a single window at first floor.

The right (E) elevation is three bays wide and contains the main entrance. It has a two-pot chimney on the right (N) gable. A single storey gabled porch abuts its central bay. It is detailed as the main house and has a pitched natural slate roof with decorative fretted timber bargeboard on paired timber brackets. The front wall has a single granite step up to a door with two vertical panels and a beaded muntin. Each panel is round headed. Over is a semicircular headed fanlight. Moulded architrave with fluted arris. The left cheek of the porch has a 2/2 sash window and the right cheek is blank.

Each remaining bay on this elevation has a single window opening and also an identical window over porch. All contain 2/2 sashes except for the ground floor left one, which has a low cill and part-glazed apron below the sash.

The N gable of the house is abutted to left by a lower two storey return which is set back slightly from the E elevation of the main block. Remainder of the N elevation has a lean-to abutting ground floor. It has a lean-to artificial slate roof and painted cement rendered walls. Its front wall has a modern window. The remainder of the N elevation of the house has a round-headed landing window at half landing level. It fronts an internal yard. The return has a pitched natural slate roof aligned N-S and a small rendered chimney on the ridge.

The return’s E elevation is four openings wide. Its walls are rendered and have a platband at ground floor cill level, another at three-quarter height of the ground floor windows and one at first floor. All openings have moulded stucco architraves. All are 6/6 sashes with the following exceptions. The second opening from left at ground floor is a modern timber door with transom light. The opening to its right is a wide window with modern Georgian glazed timber window inset. The second opening from left at first floor is a tiny roundel.

The N gable of the return is rendered. Its central and right portions are abutted by the stable block. Its exposed left section is rendered and blank.

Return’s W elevation is rendered and unpainted. It is abutted by a small modern lean-to at right and a two-storey return to left end. Lean-to has a chimney stack, cement rendered walls and shallow artificial slate roof. Return at left end has walls as main block. It has two six paned casements on its W wall at ground floor and its S cheek has a 1/1 sash at first floor. Its N cheek abuts the stable block (see later). Remaining elevation has a two paned modern window at ground floor centre. At ground floor left there is a 6/6 sash window with similar above to first floor and a 1/1 sash at first floor right.

The stable block is two storeys and aligned W-E with a pitched natural slate roof. Walls are cement rendered and painted to N and E only. Its W gable abuts the adjacent extension of St. Leonards (HB16/12/007A). The E gable of the stables is blank to ground floor and has a loading door at first floor. The N elevation has a semi-elliptical headed coachway at left and a door and small window at right. Coachway has been infilled, glazed and has a door. The door at right end is t+g sheeted and its window to left is a cast iron lattice casement. Its S elevation faces into the domestic yard and has a door at ground floor left and a small 1/1 sash window at first floor centre.

To N and E of the stable block is a small rear yard enclosed by a rendered wall and with gate piers (gates gone) on its S side.

Setting

Front garden of house is terraced and lawned.

Historical information

Not shown on the 1859 OS 6” map. First cited (along with its contiguous neighbour HB16/12/007A) in the Second Valuation book of 1861(but unoccupied), indicating an 1860 erection date. The landowner was Leonard Watson; the coincidence of his Christian name with that of the other half of the development is uncertain.

Primary sources
1. OS 6” map, 1859, Co Down sheet 54 (PRONI – OS 6/3/54/3).
2. Second Valuation book, 1861 (PRONI – VAL 2B/3/65A).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Right one of a pair of large two storey semi-detached houses. It is of no special architectural or historic interest and is compromised by the modernisation of its partner HB16/12/007A).