Mount Pleasant

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey gabled three-bay house. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation symmetrical; roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with overhanging eaves; two chimneys, one on each gable, of polychrome brickwork, red with white brick dressings and diaper patterning; yellow brick cornice; 3 pots to each chimney, original creamware of octagonal section but caps removed from some. PVC gutter with PVC downpipe to each end.
Walls of roughly coursed rock-faced basalt, with rusticated granite quoins to extremities; projecting smooth rendered plinth. Windows are segmental headed timber sliding sash, 2 over 2, with horizontal glazing bars, with horns, set in segmental arched white brick block surrounds, with alternate black and white bricks to the outer arch; projecting stone cills, painted. Ground floor windows are currently boarded up.

Main entrance is a rectangular timber 5-panel door with original Victorian knocker and handle, surmounted by a plain semi-circular fanlight, flanked by two narrow round arched sidelights, all set in white brick arcaded dressings with the doorcase and sidelights slightly recessed; alternate white and black voussoirs to outer arches. Sidelights currently boarded up. Deep sandstone doorstep.

West gable is of similar walling; overhanging verges with shaped timber barge boards, plain soffits, and shaped brackets. Two windows to ground floor, both now boarded up; and one to first floor, sashed as previous to entrance front and in similar brick surround.

Rear elevation has a central two-storey gabled rear return, of lower ridge height than the main block. One window on each floor to each side of rear return; ground floor windows boarded up, with first floor windows sashed as previous, all in similar brickwork surrounds. Roof of rear elevation slated as previous with two flush rooflights which look modern. PVC gutter with PVC downpipe to each end.

Rear return has similar walling, roof detailing, and rainwater goods as main block; also retains a cast iron downpipe and a cast iron soil pipe. West side of rear return has a rectangular glazed flush timber door with modern metal handle, set in a segmental arched white brick surround, with a window to its left, now boarded up. First floor has a rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 6, with horns, set in a flat arched white brick surround, with a small rectangular single pane window, set in a similar surround, to its left.
Gable of rear return ahs a wide rectangular window to the ground floor, now boarded up, set in modern concrete brick dressings. First floor has a pair of coupled rectangular timber windows, vertically hung, sliding sashes, each 6 over 1, with horns, set in white brick surrounds.
East side of rear return has one window on each floor, set in white brick surrounds with flat arches; ground floor one boarded up; first floor one sashed 6 over 6 as previous.

East gable is similar to west gable; has two windows, one on each floor. First floor window sashed 2 over 2 as previous to entrance front with similar surrounds to west gable; ground floor window is currently boarded up.

SETTING: The house stands in its own grounds set back from the road and reached by a driveway laid with blackstone chippings. Rough grass garden to front with another grassed garden beyond separated by a hedge; front boundary formed by a hedge; line of mature trees to each side of grounds, and surrounding long rear garden. Rear garden reached by a short path marked by a small iron gate with ornamented cast iron posts; finials missing. A detached gabled garage with steel trusses and corrugated asbestos walls stands to the rear of the house; now semi-derelict. The grounds of the house now stand surrounded by modern suburban development. Outbuildings formerly standing some distance to the rear of the house have been demolished and almost all cleared away.

Historical information

The precise date of building is not known but the house appeared on the OS map of 1901-2 while the outbuildings appeared on the OS map of 1857. Stylistically the house appeared to date from the 1870s; the first owner recorded in the directories was William Spears with the address 'Mountpleasant' given in 1880; he first appeared in Jordanstown in the 1877 directory but precise address not given.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 52.
2. OS Map 1901-2, Co Antrim 52.
3. Belfast and Ulster Directories, 1877 and 1880.

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Prior to demolition this was a mid-Victorian house which retained most of its original external and internal features with its setting largely unspoilt. The building was of local historic and architectural interest.

General comments

This house was demolished after being surveyed and before listing was completed.