9 Trevor Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left hand of a pair of three storey (+ basement and attic) classical revival style houses, symmetrically aligned around a central coach arch on east side of Trevor Hill. The rooms to façade over arch belong to no. 8, and those over arch to rear belong to no. 9. This house is two bays wide to façade.

Pitched and natural slated roof with cast iron skylight to front pitch. Stump of a cement rendered chimney on left gable. Rainwater goods are semi-circular plastic, with down pipe to left of facade.

Walls to façade are painted smooth render with a raised eaves course. Three granite steps rise from street to main entrance at right of facade. Door is six panelled (decorative, raised and fielded) painted timber, with beaded muntin and brass furniture. It is set within a pair of slender timber Doric columns (painted to resemble granite) which support a moulded timber entablature (raised over each column). Over entablature is a semi-elliptical metal fanlight (central glazing bars missing, see no. 8 for original example). All are set within a semi-elliptical headed opening with painted ashlar granite jambs and head, raised imposts and keystone. The right doorjamb is shared with the coach arch. On left jamb is a brass plaque. To left of front door is a 2/1 exposed box sliding sash window with horns. Bottom sash has words; "Robert A. Mullan and Sons Solicitors" painted on the glass. This window, as others on façade has a painted granite cill. There are two windows to basement. Both are two paned casements with security grilles over. At first floor are two equally spaced 2/2 exposed box sliding sash windows. Right window is set slightly to the left of the ground floor door. Each window has a delicate modern wrought iron balconettes with small cast iron rosettes attached. There are two 2/2 exposed box sliding sashes to second floor, these are diminished in height and without the balconettes.

Left gable abuts gable of adjacent property. Right gable forms party wall with no. 8.

The rear elevation is three bays wide. Abutting right bay is a three storey projecting return, and to central bay is a smaller return. Left bay is cement rendered and has a coach arch to ground floor, a 6/6 sliding sash window to first floor and a 6/3 sliding sash to second floor. The return to the central bay (not inspected to ground floor), has a modern to top hung timber window to first floor and a four paned metal window to second floor (both on rear wall), left wall is plain and right wall abuts adjacent return. The right return (not inspected to ground floor) has a 6/6 sliding sash window to first floor and a 6/3 sliding sash window to second floor (both to rear wall), its right wall is plain. All windows to rear elevation have granite cills.

Front steps and basement (partially infilled) are enclosed by plain metal spikes resting on a granite base wall. To left of front door, inset into steps is a wrought iron boot scraper.

Historical information

Shown on the 1835 map and described in 1863 valuation as 3 storeys high. It was in this office that John Mitchell, 19thC Irish patriot, served his legal apprenticeship.

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI-OS 9/15/1/1 (1835 map).
2. PRONI-VAL 2B/3/69G, p.58 (1863 valuation).

Secondary Sources
1. M. Jope (ed) 1966, An archaeological survey of Co. Down, pp 429-30 (Belfast: HMSO).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Left hand of a pair of three storey (+ basement) painted rendered houses. Substantial early 19th classical revival town house, which, with no.8, forms a pleasing architectural composition around the central coach arch. The pair also form part of an important architectural grouping.