53 Shore Road,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Semi-detached three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1845, facing south with a lean-to conservatory (shared with adjoining house), a two-bay two-storey return (shared with adjoining house), a lean-to single-bay two-storey return, and a further lean-to conservatory to the west gable.

Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and a large rendered chimneystack to either end (that to north shared with adjoining house), and painted octagonal clay pots. Overhanging eaves with timber fascia and replacement ogee-moulded metal guttering and cast-iron downpipes.

Painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling.

Square-headed window openings with bevelled reveals to front and rear elevations, stop-chamfered to ground floor (left). Painted stone sills and timber sash windows. Two-over-two to front elevation, with convex horns, except to window opening within conservatory, and to rear elevation (and return), having earlier six-over-six timber sash windows with cylinder glass and no horns. A further window opening to the rear elevation at ground floor level contains a nine-over-six timber sash window, while the return contains a three-over-six timber sash, single-pane timber sashes and a fixed-pane iron-framed window (taken from the front conservatory and replacing a former rear entrance).

Front elevation (south) is symmetrical with the conservatory spanning the eastern two bays including the elliptical-headed front entrance. The conservatory has had its iron frame replaced with timber and its glazed roof constructed in aluminium, while resting on a low rendered wall. A square-headed door opening to the front of the conservatory contains a timber glazed door.

East elevation is abutted against adjoining house HB22/01/004A.

Rear north elevation contains a shared two-storey return to the east end and a further two-storey return to the west. Most original multi-pane timber sash windows remain to the rear elevation with a square-headed door opening having a vertically-sheeted timber door.

West gabled side elevation has a substantial lean-to iron-framed conservatory on a low yellow brick wall, with two door openings to the gable wall.

A multi-bay two-storey rendered building, built c.1990, is located close to the rear returns and is in separate ownership. A crenellated rendered screen wall spans the space between the rear elevation and the later building, enclosing a small rear yard, containing two window openings to the west return. The front area of the house is finished in gravel above a large lawn overlooking Belfast Lough. A curved gravel drive rises through a wooded area to Shore Road, opening onto the road via a pair of rubble stone piers and walls with steel gates (all shared with adjoining house).

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Ruled-and-lined rendered
Windows: Timber sash
Rainwater goods: Metal and cast-iron

Historical information

The building is first shown on the second edition OS map of 1857, captioned ‘Copeland View’, and is ‘H’ shaped in plan. According to Brett, the name was changed between 1870 and 1877.

An entry in Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 describes the house as ‘2 bathing lodges as one house, let monthly, furnished, very superior and situated on shore of Belfast Lough’. Each house is valued at £27.5s and they are leased from Thomas Johnston. They are let separately to Captain W Malcolm and Robert McGowan.

Valuation Revisions of 1864-69, name the property ‘Loughside’. It is now occupied by Jonathon Dinsore, and the lessor is the Reps. of John Cumming. The building is valued at £51.

In the Valuation Revisions of 1875 the property is described as ‘now one house’. It is occupied by James Cumming, and the lessor listed as L. John Campbell. The building valuation is revised to £55.

According to Brett, the occupier, Professor James Cuming, was Professor of Medicine at Queen’s University “the first alumnus to be appointed to a chair and the only Roman Catholic on the academic staff...educated in Dublin, Paris and Vienna...he was an admirer of Horace and inventor of the celebrated Cuming’s dyspepsia powders. It was apparently he who tacked onto the west-facing gable a splendid Victorian cast-iron conservatory, with ratchets for ventilation, fat heating pipes, and fruiting vine, all still in working order; and at the other end of the house a fine music-room – still so used...After Cuming’s death the house was occupied by Tom Sterling, JP [and] confectioner, ‘with branches all over the city’ [and a] ‘collection of antiques, furniture and silver, etc...unequalled in the north of Ireland’”. (p. 195)

References:

Primary sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/52/1-First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/52/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/52 -Griffith’s Valuation Map (1857)
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/22A-Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/5A-F -Valuation Revisions (1861-1894)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C.E.B. Buildings of County Antrim, UAHS, 1996.

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
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

One of a pair of identical houses that may have originally been a single unit, this house retains a wealth of original features including timber sash windows, an impressive iron-framed conservatory and some quality timber joinery and plasterwork to the interior. Overlooking Belfast Lough on a mature site, this house is a good example of the mid-nineteenth century coastal developments built to take advantage of the sea views and adds to the variety of architectural heritage of the Shore Road.