34 Station Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey house in Edwardian ‘Free Style’ with a gabled and hipped attic storey. Main entrance faces north-west.

North-west elevation: comprises a central entrance bay flanked by gabled side bays; roofs of red Rosemary tiles with decorative ridge tiles and terracotta finials; moulded timber barge boards with oversailing eaves on shaped timber brackets; two chimneys in red brick with brick cornices, and five original pots each; dormer window has hipped tiled roof with finial, containing 3-light rectangular timber window with original Queen Anne Revival glazing bar pattern. Cast iron gutters and downpipe. Walling is of red brick to ground floor, with moulded brick plinth, and moulded brick string course; white painted roughcast render to first floor, rising to red tile hanging in the apex of the left-hand gable, and to half-timbering with smooth panels in the right-hand gable; with similar half-timbering also in the first floor of central entrance bay. Central entrance bay: ground floor has an elliptically arched doorway with stop-chamfered reveals and moulded drip, containing an original arched timber panelled and glazed door with elliptical window and shaped apron. To the right is a small window, rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1 with horns, set in a segmental-arched opening, with an extract fan in the top pane; projecting chamfered cill. Above in first floor is a 3-light window set in half-timbered panelling: elliptically arched timber windows containing decorative leaded lights in Art Nouveau style. Side of entrance bay is of half-timbered panelling. Left-hand gabled bay: ground floor has segmental arched rectangular timber coupled 3-light windows, sliding sash, vertically hung, each 1 over 1 with horns; plain projecting stone cill; first floor window similar to ground floor; attic contains a rectangular timber 3-light casement window, rectangular oriel, with shaped timber brackets. Right-hand gable has a projecting angled bay to the ground floor: front face contains a segmental arched 3-light timber sashed window as previous; angled corner contains a similarly sashed one-light. Above in first floor is a similarly sashed one-light.
Extending to the left, and set back, is a single storey wing in red brick with hipped red tiled roof: cast iron gutter with pvc downpipe; two segmental-arched openings, one to left containing a rectangular timber window, sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with projecting stone cill; one to right a former doorway now containing a rectangular timber fixed light window with segmental fanlight, and smooth cement rendered panel beneath.
End wall of single storey wing is of similar roof and walling and gutter: contains a rectangular timber sliding sash window, 1 over 2, with horns.

North-east elevation: roofing and walling as previous; one original dormer window, 3-light as previous, with flat roof; oversailing eaves supported on four wrought iron brackets, with horse-shoe shaped terminals; pvc gutter with pvc and cast iron downpipes; to first floor windows, rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1, with horns. Projecting from ground floor is a single storey outbuilding with lean-to red tiled roof, extending to a screen wall in red brick, enclosing a small side yard; wall steps up to right-hand side with later modern brick lean-to additional projection to north; addition has synthetic slates to roof and pvc gutter. Yard doorway to rear elevation is segmental arched containing a timber boarded door. Doorway in later extension is square headed containing a modern flush timber door with tongued and grooved sheeting to side. North side of later addition contains a rectangular timber 2-pane fixed window.

Rear elevation: roofing and walling as previous to north-east elevation; pvc gutter and cast iron gutters and similar downpipes; dormer, four wrought iron eaves brackets, 3-light as previous, with flat roof; one larger later dormer, flat roofed, of smooth rendered walls, containing a rectangular glazed pvc door and sidelight, leading onto a modern steel fire escape stairway to ground level. First floor also contains a modern rectangular glazed timber door leading onto the fire escape. First floor has one window, segmental arched opening, with rectangular timber sliding sash 1 over 1 with horns; one similar to ground floor and two larger 3-light coupled sashes.

South-west elevation: of similar elements to previous, including original flat roofed dormer, four wrought iron eaves brackets; two windows to each floor, segmental arched openings with 3-light coupled sashes as previous.

SETTING: The building stands in what was its own enclosed grounds but which are now opened up into a larger hospital site. It faces the main road but is set back from it with a grassed area and car park in front; an access road runs alongside it. Car parking area to rear. Mature trees bound the site to the north, and to the west.

Historical information

Built for Lord Massereene (the 12th Viscount) at the time of his marriage in 1905 to Jean Barbara Ainsworth. By 1991 it was being used as offices by the Northern Health and Social Services Board. Original architect’s name not recorded but in 1991 it was attributed on stylistic grounds to Vincent Craig by Dr P. Larmour. This house was originally called ‘Ferrard’ but that name has now been appropriated for the modern hospital building standing immediately to the south.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1962, Co Antrim 50 (building named as ‘Ferrard’).

Secondary Sources
1. A. Smyth, The Story of Antrim (Antrim, 1984), pp 76-78.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

This is an good example of an Edwardian villa, attributable to a leading Irish architect of the period, which still retains its most characteristic features which include tile-hanging and half-timbering to gables, wrought iron eaves brackets, Art Nouveau leaded lights to the stairway and Queen Anne Revival glazing bars to the porch and the dormers.

General comments

This record was originally recorded in the wrong ward as HB20/09/009.