21 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 with small kitchen extension to north-west.

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 architraves; painted masonry sills, unless otherwise stated.

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

South elevation abutted by HB22/06/024A.

West elevation consists of shared gable at right containing timber framed 1/1 sliding sash window at each floor and further metal framed window at first floor left; left bay abutted by extension at left; exposed wall contains single timber casement window.

North 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 right, single timber framed 1/1 sliding sash window at each floor. At right, cat-slide roof continues to cover extension; abutted at right by roughcast walling containing square-headed vertically sheeted timber door to enclosed yard.

Set within private gardens to north and east; enclosed yard to west containing single-storey rendered outbuilding. Modern garage to north. Bounded to north and south by hedging; rendered walling to east and west, access through smooth rendered square pillars supporting modern timber gates.

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
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.1900, located to the west side of Balmoral Avenue. The group 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 (HB22/06/024A) 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.