Site of former 19 Hilltown Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site, off a farm lane to the N of the Hilltown Road, just to the W of Byransford village, of former one and a half storey, mildly picturesque Victorian house of perhaps c.1860, demolished c.1985.

There is no first survey description of this property, but the survey photograph shows that the building had a planned, mildly picturesque appearance, with a steeply pitched roof with overhangs and a projecting full height gable to the right on the front façade. The windows appear to have been largely sash and there was a tall central chimney stack with four diamond shaped pots. The façade appears to have been finished in a rough cast with evidence of ‘eyebrow’ moulding above the windows to the bay (but removed at the time the photo was taken). The design of the building (and the projecting front gable in particular) resembles other still extant dwellings in this area, which are said to have been built as houses for the steward’s of the Roden estate.

A new modern style house [?a replacement dwelling] has been built close to the site.

Historical information

Though houses are shown on this general site on the OS maps of 1834 and 1859, none appear to match the exact positioning of the dwelling which stood here until relatively recently. Judging from the style of the property, it may originally have been built as a residence for a steward of the Roden estate and may have dated from c.1860. The house was demolished in c.1985, after lying derelict for some years.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/48/3 OS maps 1st rev.1859, Co Down sheet 48
2 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) valuation records, Kilcoo (1863) [in print]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of former one and a half storey, mildly picturesque Victorian house of perhaps c.1860, possibly built for a steward of the Roden estate. The building was demolished in c.1985.