19 Balmoral Avenue

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached two-bay one-and-a-half storey Arts and Crafts style house, built c.1900, located to the west side of Balmoral Avenue. Rectangular-on-plan.

Roof is pitched and Rosemary clay tiled with clay ridge tiles; red brick corbelled chimneys with original clay pots; timber bargeboards. Walls are roughcast over smooth rendered plinth to sill height; platbands to window sill height and mid-levels. Windows are square-headed timber framed casements (divided 1/2) in smooth rendered surrounds; painted masonry sills, unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces east; left bay consists of entrance containing square-headed five-panelled timber door with glazed sidelights and transom light; accessed by four concrete steps; flanked at left by two windows. Bay abutted by timber-framed veranda with glazed roof supported on turned timber columns over painted masonry balustrade, now enclosed; gabled bay at right is shared with HB22/06/024B; at ground floor, two segmental-headed windows surmounted by hood-moulding, canted corner at left beneath jettying contains single window; at first floor, walling has applied decorative half-timbering; single window at right.

South gable consists of projecting double chimney-breast at centre with round-arched-headed recess containing timber framed 1/1 sliding sash window at each floor; at left, single timber framed 1/1 sliding sash window at each floor. Abutted at left by roughcast walling containing square-headed vertically sheeted timber door to enclosed yard.

West elevation consists of shared gable at left containing timber framed 1/1 sliding sash window at each floor and further metal framed window at first floor right; at right, replacement timber framed glazed door is flanked at left by timber framed 2/2 sliding sash window and at right by metal framed casement window.

North elevation abutted by HB22/06/024B.

Set within private gardens to south and east; enclosed yard to west containing small rendered outbuilding. Bounded to all sides by hedging, access through smooth rendered square pillars supporting modern steel gate.

Roof: Rosemary clay tiles
Walling: Roughcast; applied decorative half-timbering at first floor
Windows: Square-headed timber-framed casements divided ½ in smooth rendered surrounds; painted masonry sills
RWG: Cast-iron ogee gutters with round downpipes

Historical information

The building is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1902. A Valuation Revision Map of 1907-1913 numbers the property as 25 and 21.

An entry in the books from the 1920s records No. 25 as a ‘house and yard’, occupied by George. E. McKittrick in 1928 (revised a year later to Elizabeth Shaw) and leased from Andrew Ferguson. The building is valued at £17.

No. 21 is a ‘house, yard and garden’, occupied by W. [C]lements (revised to Edith Hunter in 1925), and leased from W. E Hunter. The building is valued at £21.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/47/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1857)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/47/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1902)
3. PRONI VAL/12/E/52/1 -Valuation Revision Map (1907-1913)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/19 A -Valuation Revisions (1926)
5. PRONI VAL/12/F/1/16/1/1 -25” Map of Whitehead(1931-5)

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

Evaluation

An attached two-bay one-and-a-half storey Arts and Crafts style house, built c.1905, located to the west side of Balmoral Avenue. It is one of a pair and it retains original plan layout and many architectural features both externally and internally. Arts and Crafts influence is articulated by half-timber panelling on the façade, and ornate timberwork to the veranda structure. The house, along with the adjoining property (HB22/06/024B) contributes positively to the conservation area of Whitehead. These houses are two of the best examples of semi-detached houses from the Edwardian era when Whitehead developed rapidly under encouragement from the railway company.

General comments

This record is a new listing.