2 Upper Green, Dunmurry, Belfast, Co Antrim BT17 0EL

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey multi-bay detached dwelling built in an Edwardian style c.1925. Rectangular plan form with projecting bays and adjacent garage. Located at the entrance to Upper Green of Upper Dunmurry Lane approximately four miles south west of Belfast city centre.

Hipped natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; over hanging eaves with timber soffits; cast-iron ogee-moulded gutters with circular down-pipes and semi-octagonal hopper heads. Red-brick chimneys with corbelled cornice detail and clay pots. Rough cast walling painted white with projected plinth. 4/1 timber sliding sash windows with quadripartite upper sash and horns; rectangular masonry cills. Timber front door with three bolection moulded panels; leaded rolled glass with central bulls-eye pane to upper panel; tripartite central panel and matching diminished lower panel. Blank semi-circle panel over and flanked by plain pilasters rising to plain projecting canopy with simple moulding; supported on four console brackets; central round headed arch over door and extending over leaded side lights embraced by channelled rustication.

The principal elevation faces south-east and is asymmetrically arranged. The front entrance is located centrally to the ground floor and served by brick steps; two windows to the right with matching first floor windows over and a single window over the front door. Two-storey canted bay to the left with single windows to the cheeks and bi-partite front windows to both ground and first floor.

The south-west elevation is symmetrically arranged with two single windows to the ground floor and matching first floor windows directly over.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Two-storey canted bay to the right matching the front elevation with bi-partite ground and first floor windows to the left. Recessed portion to the far left forming part of the right cheek of the north-east projecting bay, comprising a single ground floor window and a pair of first floor windows. (See below)

The north-east elevation is asymmetrically arranged; single ground floor window to the left and a double height projecting bay to the right. Projecting bay is one bay deep with diminished ground floor windows to the front and left cheek; rear door to the front. Feature bi-partite leaded windows to the front and left cheek at first floor level.

Setting:
The house is set within its own grounds in a suburban streetscape. A wall and hedge bounds the site with replacement metal entrance gates (originally timber). The house is largely screened from the main road that runs parallel to the south west elevation by mature vegetation. Adjacent to the northeast elevation is a single storey hipped roof garage, attached to the house via a single storey wall with a gated entrance into the rear enclosed yard (original bi-folding timber sheeted door now replaced with modern garage door).

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: Rough cast
Windows: Timber sliding sash
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The current house first appears on the fifth edition OS map of 1920-31, and was one of the earliest to be built in the area, which was a former bleach green. According to the present owner the house was built in 1929.

The current owners state that the house was built by the Anderson family, well-known as the proprietors of the former Anderson & McAuley department store in Donegall Place, Belfast. Following this it was owned by the Herdman family, flax spinners of Sion Mills, and was sold by Mrs Herdman to the present owners 30 years ago. (Owner information)
References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/64/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1
2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1920-31
3. PRONI OS/6/1/64/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1920-39

Secondary Sources

1. Owner Information

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

U. Historic Associations
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity
R. Age

Evaluation

A two-storey multi-bay detached dwelling built in an Edwardian style c.1925. Of particular interest to the exterior is the exuberant doorcase and distinctive black and white colour scheme. This building has undergone minimal alteration, retaining plan form, detailing and almost all of its original historic fabric and is a good example of a dwelling from this period. Whilst the modern house to rear on lands previously owned by the house has had an adverse impact on setting from this viewpoint, the setting generally, including the boundary - part wall part hedge - to the road front and side remains good. The associated garage has also remained unchanged and adds to the overall composition. Originally built by the Anderson family, well-known as the proprietors of the former Anderson & McAuley stores in Belfast and also owned by the Herdmans from Sion Mills, it is of local historic interest.

General comments

This record was completed without access to primary source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.