127 King Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three room single storey vernacular dwelling of probable pre 1834 origin. Derelict at the time of recording. The property is set on the SW side of the S end of King Street, on the slope of the Mournes to the S of Newcastle town centre.

Little can be seen of this dwelling due to rampant tree and shrub growth surrounding it. All that is visible is part of the front (NE) façade. This has a right of centre timber sheeted door with one sash window to the left and two to the right. All of these windows have 6 over 3 Georgian panes. The front façade is finished in rough-cast. The gabled roof appears to be mainly covered in corrugated iron. There is at least one rendered chimney stack (to right of centre). Low rubble retaining wall to front with stone steps leading to path to doorway. The other façades appear, from the inside at least, to have no openings whatsoever.

Historical information

A house is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1834 and 1859. The building appears to have been under rateable value at the time of the first valuation survey of 1834, not unusual for a dwelling of this size. Local residents state that the property was abandoned c.1996.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1503 Annesley Papers.
2 PRONI VAL/1B/362 p.23 First valuation, Kilcoo, c.1834.
3 PRONI OS/1/3/49 OS map, first ed., Co Down 49.
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/10 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1838.
5 PRONI OS/6/3/49/2 OS map, first rev., Co. Down 49.
6 PRONI Second (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Kilcoo, 1863.
7 PRONI VAL/12E/111/1 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1864-1906.
8 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
9 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.161-165.
10 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).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three room single storey vernacular dwelling of probable pre 1834 origin. Largely original in elevation and plan, with corrugated iron roof covering. Derelict at time of recording.