7 Trevor Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left hand unit of a pair of three storey (+basement) classical revival style townhouses, on east side of Trevor Hill. This property is four windows/ three bays wide. The pair forms a symmetrical composition about the central coach arch.

Pitched natural slate roof with three modern skylights to front pitch. Modern cement render chimney to left gable with projecting copping. Gutter in cornice of facade feeds metal down pipe to left of facade.

Wall to main facade are painted lined render with plain double cill course to F/F, single cill course to S/F and plain double cornice course to eaves. Left gable (rising over no.8) is plain unpainted cement render; right gable is party wall with no.7. Coach arch is at G/F right; main entrance is to immediate left and is accessed by five granite steps from street. Opening is segmental headed with granite jambs and voussoirs (and raised keyblock). Door is timber with six raised and fielded bolection moulded panels, (top smallest), with black metal door furniture. Door is encased by pair of granite Doric demi-columns supporting a moulded granite entablature, all painted. Over the entablature is a segmental fanlight with modern Plastic covering and cast iron grill. Coach arch is semi-elliptical headed with projecting keyblock and shares its piers with front doors of both properties. It is infilled with a fixed T&G tympanum and a pair of timber doors below (right door has a wicket door inset). Basement has two recessed but blocked up openings. There are two windows to G/F (in line with basement windows). These are 1/1 sliding sashes with horns, but top sashes have three small stained glass transoms. There are four windows to each upper floor; centred over openings all are 1/1 sliding sashes with horns windows to second floor diminished in height. G/F windows have bracketed cills with moulded render architraves, with modern security grills over. F/F windows rest on continuous cill course and have similar architraves, with an additional frieze and projecting cornice over. Third floor windows rest on a continuous cill course and have moulded architraves as those on G/F. Three modern plaques on wall to left of front door, with a security alarm box over.

Left gable above no 8 is cement rendered and has a 2/2 sliding sash window to left and right at attic level.

Wall to rear elevation is cement rendered. Canted stairwell return abuts to left of centre, and ground floor right is a single storey return. Coachway is to left of rear elevation with party yard wall to no 6 carried on steel beam over large opening from coachway. At first floor left is a 3/6 sliding sash window and there is similar to right. To second floor left is a modern casement window set over a three paned bottom sash. To right is a 6/3 sliding sash. All windows have granite cills. Stairwell return has a hipped natural slate roof with lead dressings and downpipe to right; between ground and first floor it has a 6/6 sliding sash window with semicircular fanlight attached to top sash (with bars over), with similar to landing above (with grills over).

Single storey return has a mono-pitched link block linking to a pyramidal artificial slate roof over main section with central rooflight. Walls are cement rendered. There is one modern 1/1 window and two semicircular headed sliding sash windows to right elevation. Rear elevation has one semicircular headed sliding sash window and a small return to right of rear elevation with small window and metal escape door.
Left hand unit of a pair of three storey (+basement) classical revival style townhouses, on east side of Trevor Hill. This property is four windows/ three bays wide. The pair forms a symmetrical composition about the central coach arch.

Pitched natural slate roof with three modern skylights to front pitch. Modern cement render chimney to left gable with projecting copping. Gutter in cornice of facade feeds metal down pipe to left of facade.

Wall to main facade are painted lined render with plain double cill course to F/F, single cill course to S/F and plain double cornice course to eaves. Left gable (rising over no.8) is plain unpainted cement render; right gable is party wall with no.7. Coach arch is at G/F right; main entrance is to immediate left and is accessed by five granite steps from street. Opening is segmental headed with granite jambs and voussoirs (and raised keyblock). Door is timber with six raised and fielded bolection moulded panels, (top smallest), with black metal door furniture. Door is encased by pair of granite Doric demi-columns supporting a moulded granite entablature, all painted. Over the entablature is a segmental fanlight with modern Plastic covering and cast iron grill. Coach arch is semi-elliptical headed with projecting keyblock and shares its piers with front doors of both properties. It is infilled with a fixed T&G tympanum and a pair of timber doors below (right door has a wicket door inset). Basement has two recessed but blocked up openings. There are two windows to G/F (in line with basement windows). These are 1/1 sliding sashes with horns, but top sashes have three small stained glass transoms. There are four windows to each upper floor; centred over openings all are 1/1 sliding sashes with horns windows to second floor diminished in height. G/F windows have bracketed cills with moulded render architraves, with modern security grills over. F/F windows rest on continuous cill course and have similar architraves, with an additional frieze and projecting cornice over. Third floor windows rest on a continuous cill course and have moulded architraves as those on G/F. Three modern plaques on wall to left of front door, with a security alarm box over. Basement and front steps are enclosed by original plain spiked railings, with urn topped moulded cast posts to the bottom of the steps and to centre and end of frontage, centre of railing supported off façade by sweeping supporting rail which is square in section. There is no street access to basement. Left gable above no 8 is cement rendered and has a 2/2 sliding sash window to left and right at attic level.

Wall to rear elevation is cement rendered. Canted stairwell return abuts to left of centre, and ground floor right is a single storey return. Coachway is to left of rear elevation with party yard wall to no 6 carried on steel beam over large opening from coachway. At first floor left is a 3/6 sliding sash window and there is similar to right. To second floor left is a modern casement window set over a three paned bottom sash. To right is a 6/3 sliding sash. All windows have granite cills. Stairwell return has a hipped natural slate roof with lead dressings and downpipe to right; between ground and first floor it has a 6/6 sliding sash window with semicircular fanlight attached to top sash (with bars over), with similar to landing above (with grills over).

Single storey return has a mono-pitched link block linking to a pyramidal artificial slate roof over main section with central rooflight. Walls are cement rendered. There is one modern 1/1 window and two semicircular headed sliding sash windows to right elevation. Rear elevation has one semicircular headed sliding sash window and a small return to right of rear elevation with small window and metal escape door.

Basement and front steps are enclosed by original plain spiked railings, with urn topped moulded cast posts to the bottom of the steps and to centre and end of frontage, centre of railing supported off façade by sweeping supporting rail which is square in section. There is no street access to basement.

Historical information

Shown on the 1835 OS map and described as a dwelling house in the 1838 valuation. Shown as “Belfast Bank” on the 1861 OS map. Taken over by Trustees of the Quinn Charity when Belfast Banking Company moved to new premises in Marcus Square (HB16/28/038) in 1890s. This charitable organisation, set up under a £100,000 bequest from Mr Quinn in 1890, still occupies the ground floor of this building.

Primary sources:
1. OS map, 1835 edition, PRONI - OS 9/15/1/1
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 1B/389, p.51 (1838 valuation).
3. OS map, 1835 edition, PRONI - OS 9/15/2/12 (1861 map).
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 2B/3/69G, p.57 (1863 valuation).
5. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 12B/22/16A, p77 (valuation revision).

Secondary Sources:
1. Irish Builder, vol.32, p.178 (1 Aug 1890).

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

Elegant classical townhouse with most original external and internal features. Important not just for composition with no.6, but with the overall Trevor Hill group.