Silverstream Lodge,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1850, facing east set within its own grounds to the south of Shore Road overlooking Belfast Lough. Central single-storey flat-roof entrance porches to both the front east elevation and to the rear west elevation with a two-storey three-sided canted bay to the south garden elevation.

Platform lead roof on a natural slate hipped roof with raised lead ridges, three tall rendered chimneystacks with octagonal clay pots, ogee cast-iron gutter on paired corbels and half-round cast-iron downpipes. Flat lead roofs to the three-sided bay and to both front and rear entrance porches, all having ogee cast-iron guttering.

Painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling with a plat-band to first floor level and projecting render plinth course.

Square-headed window openings with painted concrete sills and replacement six-over-six timber sash windows.

Square-plan front (east) and rear (west) entrance porches with a slender round-headed window opening to both cheeks having round-headed two-over-two timber sash windows, no horns. Both porches have square-headed door openings with an early flat-panelled timber door to the front porch having a central fillet and a rectangular glazed overlight. The door opens onto a large sandstone step and concrete paved area. The rear porch has a replacement double-leaf timber glazed door with overlight. The full-height bay to the south garden elevation has a pair of square-headed door openings with replacement glazed timber doors and a rectangular overlight to each. These doors open onto a raised patio area spanning the entire garden elevation (south) and paved in sandstone flags.

Front elevation (east) is three bays wide with a central front entrance porch flanked by a pair of window openings and a single window opening above the porch. The garden elevation (south) is three-bays wide with a full-height canted bay to the west end. The rear elevation (west) mirrors the front (east) elevation. The north elevation is four bays wide with a large flat-roof extension to the ground floor projecting into the enclosed yard.

Pair of tall basalt ashlar piers abutt the northeast corner with moulded sandstone capstones and replacement timber gates. A short rendered wall connects the south pier to the house with a steel railing.

Semi-circular plan flat-roof extension to the north elevation, built c. 2000, fronting into the enclosed yard with timber-framed vertical glazing. A lean-to glazed sunroom spans the entire east of the enclosed yard, built c. 1950, with tripartite timber-framed fixed-pane windows and red brick walls.

Rear yard to the north elevation enclosed by tall rendered walls with a single-storey redbrick building to the north, running along the road, having an M-profile roof, built c.1990, and containing a garage.

Roof Covering: Natural Slate and lead
Walling: Painted ruled and lined render
Windows: Replacement timber sash & replacement timber casement
Rainwater goods: Cast-iron

Historical information

The building appears on the second edition OS map of 1857, captioned ‘Silverstream Lodge’. It is shown as having two entrances (the current owner believes the building was originally two dwellings). A large property known as ‘Silverstream House’ is shown across the road.

In Griffith’s Valuation, the lodge is included under the reference for the main house and is valued at £27, the occupier being Henry Manley, and the lessor Jane Wilson.

The Valuation Revision book of 1884-1894 records the occupier of the lodge as William [Kingen]. This is revised to William Robb in 1891. The lessor of the property is Charles Johnson, and the building is valued at £33.10s and this remains the case in the Valuation Revisions of the 1930s. In 1911 the occupier is recorded as Mary Robb. This continues to be the case in the 1930s.

The owner believes the house was built in 1848.

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 OS/6/1/57/6 –Sixth Edition OS Map (1938)
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/52 -Griffith’s Valuation Map (1857)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/22A-Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/5A-F -Valuation Revisions (1861-1894)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/6A- D -Valuation Revisions (1894-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/F/1/12/2 -Valuation Revisions (1931-35)

Secondary Sources

1. Information from current owner, January 2009.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An elegant and well-proportioned mid 19th century villa, located on the Shore Road. It has been modernised and altered during the twentieth century and whilst these changes are largely sympathethic to the building's character there is insufficient original material to warrant listing.