5 Windsor Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left-hand end dwelling in a terrace of five three-storey/ two-bay houses stepping up Windsor Hill.

Pitched natural slate roof with cement rendered chimney to left gable. Cast iron skylight to rear pitch. Semicircular metal rainwater gutters drain into those of property to right, with short downspout at step.

Wall to façade is painted lined render with painted base course. Single granite steps rise to main entrance at right. Door is modern four panelled painted timber and set within a pair of fluted Ionic painted granite columns which support a moulded entablature with radial fanlight over. At left is a single 1/1 exposed box sliding sash with painted granite cill. There are two similar windows to each upper floor, in line with ground floor openings. The top floor openings diminish in height and have decorative painted render corbelled cills with panelled parapets and attached pinnacles to either side.

Right gable forms party wall with adjacent property with short step down to no 4. Left gable is wet dashed and unpainted. To left is a pair of sheet metal doors leading to rear courtyard.

Rear elevation is abutted to ground floor left by a single storey extension. Remaining wall is wet dashed cement render. To ground floor right is a modern multi-glazed timber casement with concrete cill. To first and second floor right are modern top hung casements with painted granite cills. Between first and second floor, at left, is a similar window. To left of the second floor window is a small modern casement serving a toilet.

Extension has a mono-pitched artificial slate roof and its walls are cement rendered. Its left wall forms yard wall with adjacent property. Its gable has a modern door, and its right cheek a timber casement window.

Rear yard is large and enclosed by a random rubble wall, with large sheet metal door providing access to street. Outhouse in yard is two storey with a pitched natural slate roof and random rubble walls. To yard, it has an infilled door to ground floor left of centre and an infilled window to right of centre. At first floor are two square openings in line with those below. To gable is a t+g sheeted door to each floor (one to ground floor left and one to first floor centre). To right at ground floor is a square modern timber window.

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. The largest house in the terrace, its owner and occupier at that time was 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 2B/3/69G, p.75;
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 12E/125/1/8.
5. Archaeological Survey of Co. Down, p.430 (entry 417.40).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Left-hand end dwelling in a terrace of five three-storey/ two-bay houses. Simple but elegant townhouse with good quality front entrance and retaining most original features. Part of an important and largely unaltered group at a major entry route to the town.