4 Windsor Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Second from left in a terrace of five three-storey/ two-bay houses stepping up Windsor Hill.

Pitched artificial slate roof with cement rendered chimney to left gable and cast iron skylight to rear pitch. Semicircular metal rainwater goods with downpipe to right of façade.

Wall to façade is painted lined render with painted base course. Two granite steps rise to main entrance at right. Door is modern four panelled painted timber with plain transom over. To left bay is a single 6/6 exposed box sliding sash (modern timber with timber glazing beads and double glazed) with painted granite cill. There are two similar windows to each upper floor, in line with ground floor openings.

Left and right gables form party walls with adjacent properties.

Rear elevation is abutted at left by a single storey lean-to extension. Remaining wall to first and second floors is plain cement render. To left between ground and first floor is a modern 6 paned top-hung timber casement (may originally have been a 6/6 sliding sash as extension abuts at cill level). To first floor right is a single 6/6 exposed box sliding sash window with horns and a painted granite cill. Between first and second floor, at left, is a 3/6 exposed box sliding sash window with painted granite cill. To second floor right is a similar window.

Extension has a flat felted roof with modern skylights. Its rear wall is painted cement render with three modern top-hung timber windows and a modern timber and glass door.

Rear yard is enclosed by painted rubble walls to either side and by an outhouse to rear. Outhouse is two storey with a pitched natural slate roof and random rubble walls. To yard it has a central door with modern window to left and infilled window to right. At first floor, in line with ground floor windows, are modern timber casements. Rear wall to alley is unpainted rubble with a painted t+g sheet door to ground floor left.

Historical information

The present house first appears on the 1858 OS map, along with the other four in this terrace (it is not on the 1834 map). It is described in its present form in the 1863 Valuation, and its owner is Thomas King, who was probably responsible for construction of the entire terrace.

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS 6/3/46/1 OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 46
2. PRONI OS 6/3/46/2 OS 6" map, 2nd edition (1858) Co Down sheet 46
3. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 1B. 389, p.54;
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 1D/3/8A;
5. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 2B/3/69G, p.75;
6. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 12E/125/1/8.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Second from left in a terrace of five three-storey/ two-bay houses .Simple but attractive mid-19th century townhouse retaining most original features. Part of an important and largely unaltered group at a major entry route to the town.