65-67 King Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Unusual single storey ‘Free Style’ house of 1895; the large open porch to the front lending it a seaside cottage appearance. The property is set on the SW side of King Street, on the slope of the Mournes to the S of Newcastle town centre.

The front façade faces roughly E and is asymmetrical. It consists of two gabled bays. The bay to the left (S) is largely recessed with the gable itself supported on timber posts, thus forming a veranda style open porch. To the right hand side within this porch is the main entrance comprising an original glazed and panelled door with fanlight above with abstract pattern stained glass. To the immediate left, an identical door which acts as a large sidelight.

To the left of the doorscreen is a square bay window with mullioned and transomed glazing, with smaller glazed panels above as fanlight. Moulded in/out quoins to this bay.

The bay to the right to the front façade is flush with the gable. It has two narrow casement windows with glazed panels above as fanlight. These windows have simple moulded surrounds. The gable ‘tympanums’ of both front bays are finished in fish-scale like red tile cladding topped with a small red clay finial. To gable ends are small acroteria.

The S elevation consists of the gable of the main front section (to the right) of the house and the S façade of a rear single storey return. The main gable has a hipped roof greenhouse against it. The S façade of the return has two 2 over 2 sash windows with horizontal glazing bars. To the right of these is a lean-to timber conservatory covering the right (S) side of the rear (W) façade of the main front section. The gable of the return appears to be blank.

The N elevation is as the S, only handed. The gable of the main front section (to left) has a modern timber garage against it. Two sash windows to the left of the N façade of the return. To the right of these is a modern small, single storey extension with casement window and timber sheeted door to N face and small single pane window to E gabled face. The short rear (W) face of the main front section has a single 2 over 2 sash window with horizontal glazing.

The façade is finished in rough cast which is painted to front but only to certain sections on other facades. The roof is covered in natural slate with decorative red clay ridge tiles to main front section (plain red clay ridge tiles to return). Three modern rooflights to S side of return roof. Original decorative rendered chimney stacks to side gables of main front section, single plainer stack to return. Original cast iron ‘moulded’ guttering to front with cast iron down spout with square hopper. PVC rw goods to rear. Low rendered wall to front. Steps to porch.

Historical information

As the panel to the bay window states, this house was built in 1895 by Mrs Ross Thompson.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12E/111/1 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1864-1906.
2 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
3 PRONI OS/8/136/1-4 OS plans of Newcastle, 1901.

Secondary sources
1 P.J. Rankin, 'Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in the Mourne Area of South Down', (Belfast UAHS 1975), p.76.
2 Grenfell Morton ‘Victorian and Edwardian Newcastle’ (Belfast 1988). [This house appears in the background of some of the early 20th century photographs within this book.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Unusual single storey ‘Free style’ house of 1895 with seaside cottage character. The front façade is made up of two bays with large tile clad gables. One of the bays is recessed and is fronted by an open porch with large square bay window within.