10 Trevor Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Right hand of a pair of three-storey (+ basement) stone built houses of classical revival style fronting east side of Trevor Hill. This house is three bays wide.

Pitched natural slate roof, with tile verge to right gable, three modern skylights to front pitch, with modern chimney to right gable. Half-round metal rainwater goods, with downpipe at right.

Façade walls are squared granite rubble laid in courses with projecting eaves course. Just left of centre, six granite steps rise to front door, with wrought iron boot scraper to left at top and another at foot. A modern six panelled painted timber door with beaded muntin. Flanked by a pair of fluted Doric columns, supporting a dentiled entablature, above which is a plainly glazed fanlight. All set within a segmental headed opening with dressed granite encasement; left jamb is shared with coach arch. The coach arch, to left bay of house, has an identical opening. It contains a pair of painted t+g timber doors, each with a small timber panel (formerly a window); right leaf contains wicket gate. The tympanum is infilled with t+g panels in a radial pattern. Coach way has a granite cobbles to threshold. To right of front door is a 6/6 sliding sash window with granite cill. All windows are as this unless otherwise stated. A passage runs across the front of the basement. It contains a window (with metal security bars) directly below that on ground floor. Beneath external steps, the right cheek has a t+g sheeted fire door. At first floor are three equally spaced windows, only the left one is in line with ground floor openings. At second floor are three 3/6 sliding sash windows, in line with those below. All the window openings have stepped brick quoins, soldier course heads, painted and rendered reveals, and granite cills.

Right gable abutted by lower building, exposed section of wall is cement rendered, with small two paned-fixed window to right side of gable. Left gable is party wall with adjoining house.

Wall to rear elevation is random rubble with brick dressings, with a raised brick eaves course. Ground floor was not inspected but coach arch is to ground floor right. There is a boarded-up segmental headed opening landing window to centre of rear elevation between ground and first floors. To first floor left is a tripartite window consisting 2/6 sliding sash window flanked by 2/2 sliding sashes. To first floor right is a boarded up window opening. To centre of elevation between first and second floors is a segmental headed sliding sash stained glass landing window (top sash has a segmental head). At second floor left, in line with opening below, is a tripartite window consisting of two three paned casements (fitted into a sash box) flanked by 2/1 sliding sashes. To second floor right, in line with opening below is a 2/2 sliding sash window. All windows have granite cills and their reveals have been cemented.

Original railings enclose basement and steps; these are spiked, plain rails with posts on a chamfered granite base wall. Also a set of railings up left side steps between coach arch and front door.

Historical information

Trevor Hill was laid out in the late 18thC and developed in the first years of the 19thC. This building is shown on with its neighbour on the 1835 OS map and described in 1863 valuation as three and a half storeys high.

It is presumed that the facade would have been rendered originally. The house was, at one time, the home of Dr. Francis C. Crossle, 19thC historian. The photograph in Historic Monuments Record shows the second floor windows to have originally been 6/3 sashes. The entrance door was six-panelled with bolection mouldings, over was a leaded peacock-tail fanlight. The building, vacant until 1999, was on the UAHS buildings at risk register.

Primary Sources:
1. Omap, 1835 edition (PRONI OS 9/15/1/1)
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 2B/3/69G, pp 58-9 (1863 valuation)
3. Photograph in Monuments and Buildings Record 5-33 Hill Street Belfast.

Secondary Sources:
1. M. Jope (ed) 1966, An archaeological survey of Co. Down, p.430 (Belfast: HMSO).
2. Unknown ‘Reflections on Old Newry’ (undated).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Right hand of a pair of three-storey (+ basement) granite houses of classical revival style. It is relatively unaltered and a good example of the type. It is a significant building in its setting and as part of a group of imposing and elegant town houses.