34 Downs Road,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey terrace house of c.1900, now a restaurant, set on the W side of Downs Road.

The front (E) façade is symmetrical. In the centre is a projecting porch, underneath a first floor balcony. The porch has a timber panelled entrance door with sidelights and three pane fanlight. Both sidelights and fanlight have Art Noveau-like stained glass. The outer faces of the porch each have a tall narrow sash window with segmental arch head. The first floor balcony forms the porch roof.

The balcony spans between two, full height canted bays with hipped roofs. To each face of each bay at both ground and first floor level there is a sash window with segmental arch head. Moulded spring courses to both floors of bays with a more prominent moulded course between floor levels. The windows do not have cills as such, their bases are merely splayed.

Between the bays at first floor level is a segmental arch headed opening with glazed double doors, leading onto the balcony. The balcony has modern wrought iron balustrading with timber handrail.

The front façade has rusticated render to its very outer edges, with the rest in lined render. It is topped with a dentilled eaves cornice.

To the rear is a large two storey gabled return with two sash windows to the first floor and another to the ground floor. A single storey lean to to the gable is a sash window to its S face and a sheeted doorway to its W face. To the N façade of the return is a large two storey lean to belonging to No.38. The exposed right hand section of the rear façade of the main house has a sash window to the ground and to the first floor, both 2 over 2 design. The rear façade and the return are all finished in plain render.

The main roof is gabled and has natural slate and coxcomb red clay ridge tiles. Two small cast iron skylights to rear. Two rendered chimney stacks to main roof. That to the south has its original corbelling, but that to the N does not and may have been rebuilt. Octagonal chimney pots. The return roof has natural slate and a chimney stack to the gable. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

The terrace to which this house belongs dates from c.1890-1900. In recent years it has been converted to a restaurant and integrated with No.38, which contains a public house.

References- 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.77.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey ‘seafront’ terrace house of c.1900 with canted bays and balcony between. The entrance porch sets awkwardly directly beneath the balcony. This property has now been converted to a restaurant and is integrated with No.38 to the north.