Trevor House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Semi-detached three-storey over basement rendered Georgian townhouse, built c.1740, as one of a pair. Rectangular on plan facing north with railed basement area, located on the south side of The Square on the corner of Dromore Road.

Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and large rendered chimneystack rising from west gable. Cast-iron guttering supported on iron brackets to moulded sandstone eaves cornice returning to the gable with cast-iron downpipe. Dry-dash rendered walling with smooth render quoins and painted render plinth course above basement . Square-headed window openings with smooth render surrounds, painted masonry sills and timber sash windows.

Front north elevation is four windows wide with door opening to the left bay. Largely original timber sash windows including 3/3 to the second floor and 6/6 to first floor, with no horns and cylinder glass. Replacement 6/6 timber sash windows to ground floor with ogee horns on continuous sill course and later 6/6 replacements to the basement. Round-arched door opening with painted quadrant moulded surround having impost mouldings, keystone and original timber door with six raised and fielded panels above three flush panels, lintel cornice and webbed timber fanlight over. Replacement granite threshold step, opening onto granite paved platform, shared with neighbouring house No.8 (HB19/05/038B), and five granite steps enclosed to basement area by original wrought-iron railing on low rendered plinth wall with stone coping.

West gable is blank, fronting onto Dromore Road.

Four-storey rear elevation, three windows wide to the basement and ground floor, two windows wide to the first and second floors. Irregular window pattern resulting from the windows to the half-landings with round-arched window opening at ground floor level, with sandstone surround (partly blocked up). Largely original timber sash windows including 3/3 to second floor, 6/6 to remainder. Lean-to extension at basement level almost spans entire elevation, built c.1980.

East elevation abutted by neighbouring house No.8.

Setting
One of a pair of houses dominating the south side of The Square overlooking the former Market House and Hillsborough Castle, built on a slender plot between Dromore Road to the west and Park Lane to the east. The pair of houses also dominates the long streetscape of Main Street when looking uphill from the north end. Small stone-paved rear garden enclosed by rubblestone walls accessed via pedestrian brick lined entrance to Dromore Road.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Dry-dash render
Windows Timber sash

Historical information

The current house, known as ‘Trevor House’ was originally part of a terrace, built c.1740 as part of the plans of Lord Hillsborough to develop the town and foster linen-making and, as such, is one of the oldest buildings in this part of Hillsborough.

A map of 1745 shows a terrace of houses running along the south side of the square and this terrace is referred to in Harris’s survey of County Down (1744). “The present Right Honourable Lord [Wills Hill, later first Marquess of Downshire]...has fixed on a Plan for a new Town to be built in the Form of a large Square, with a stately Market House in the centre; to settle in which great Encouragement will be given to Linen Manufacturers. His Lordship has already erected two Ranges of commodious Houses, to each of which are annexed a Garden...” (Harris, p.95)

The remainder of the terrace had been partially demolished by the first edition of 1833, as part of Lord Downshire’s scheme to re-route the Moira Road away from Hillsborough Castle, and was completely cleared by the second edition (1858). An estate map of c.1800 shows the resident of the current house as Mr Hanna and the house is rectangular on plan with outbuildings to the rear.

Many of the houses in the Square were given ‘Downshire’ names by Lord Arthur Hill who was the younger brother of the fifth Marquess and lived at Hillsborough Castle during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. ‘Trevor’ probably refers to Trevor Hill, Viscount Hillsborough, an eighteenth century ancestor of the Downshires. (Barry, p.40)

The current house and its neighbour are listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as a single dwelling occupied by Henry Jefferson and valued at £16.16s.

By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) the house had been divided into two dwellings each listed separately. The current building was occupied by Sarah Lutton who leased the house from the Marquess of Downshire. It is a house and yard valued at £14. The rent of £10 is deemed to be ‘low’. Dimensions are given for a ‘private’ house, basement and office. Many other houses on the Square at this time were either shops or public houses.

The house remained in the Lutton family for some years but in 1876 was taken over by the freemasons for use as a Masonic Hall and yard. By 1891 it was again in private hands with a successions of tenants ensuing: John Alexander Knox (1891), Thomas S Howe (1896), Elizabeth Wilcox (1902), James Armstrong (1907) and Charles D Macown in 1909.

The building was listed in 1976 and has served as offices to various professional practices for over 20 years. (NIEA file)
There is a private flat at basement level accessed from the rear yard.

References:

Primary Sources

PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902-3
PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-20
PRONI VAL/1/A/3/14 – Townland Valuation Field Map (c.1830)
PRONI VAL/1/B/344A-B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
PRONI VAL/1/D/3/5 – Townland Valuation Town Plan (c.1834)
PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14/A-E – Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
PRONI VAL/12/E/102/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan ([c.1864]-1909)
PRONI D671/M/8/2 – Map of Hillsborough, 1771
PRONI T3153/1 – Map of Hillsborough, 1788
PRONI D671/M/8/25 – Map of Hillsborough c.1800
PRONI D671/M/8/57 – Map of Hillsborough 1803
NIEA file – HB19/05/038A
Harris, W. and Smith, C. “The Antient and Present State of the County of Down” Dublin: A. Reilly, 1744 (Reprinted Ballynahinch: Davidson, 1977)

Secondary Sources

Barry, John “Hillsborough, A Parish in the Ulster Plantation” Belfast: William Mullan & Son Ltd, 1982

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
V. Authorship
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Semi-detached three-storey over basement rendered Georgian townhouse, built c.1740. Facing north on the south side of The Square, the house retains its early appearance and includes a variety of original materials both internally and externally. Part of a group of two with no. 8 The Square, (HB19/05/038A) and located beside Hillsborough Castle (HB19/05/076A) and the Court House, the buildings dominate the south side of the square. The houses, originating from plans of Lord Downshire to develop the town during the 18th century, exhibit fine Georgian proportions and contribute greatly to the character of Hillsborough when approaching the town from the north or the south.

General comments

This record has been renumbered it was previously HB19/05/038.