4 Victoria Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-bay two-and-a-half storey mid-terrace house, one of a terrace of four, built c.1870 to designs by Robert Neill and located to the south end of Victoria Road close to Bangor town centre. Square on plan with large three-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof having painted render chimneystack with terracotta pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on timber fascia on projecting eaves. Walling is painted smooth render. Windows are a variety of timber sliding sash with projecting masonry sills. uPVC windows to rear. Canted oriel window to left at first floor with plain entablature, all supported on timber brackets; generally margin-paned lights.

The principal elevation faces north and is two openings wide to ground and first floor, with single opening to gablet; gablet having apex board. Door to right has two elongated bolection-moulded panels with beaded muntin: lesene strips with dentilled entablature on decorative console brackets.

The east elevation is abutted by adjoining building; HB23/05/013C.

The rear elevation is abutted by a large three-storey return with single storey lean-to beyond; single 1/1 uPVC window to second floor of return gable (remainder of rear elevation not viewed – see surveyor’s comments).

The west elevation is abutted by adjoining building; HB23/05/013A.

Rear yard completely enclosed with high masonry wall.

Setting
Situated to the south end of Victoria Road adjacent to Bangor Marina in Bangor town centre. Fully enclosed rear yard; to west is Tower House (HB23/05/012).

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber / uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

This terrace first enters the valuation records in 1870, the houses being initially valued at £18 and replacing three low-value houses. The valuation is raised to £22 in 1871, at which time the houses are all vacant and leased from Robert Neill, who appears to be the developer of the site. By 1872 the occupier of all the houses is listed as Robert Neill and he leases them from Robert E Ward. The valuation is dropped to £21 in 1873, possibly following an appeal. It is unusual for all houses in a terrace to be listed as having the same occupier and this continues to be the case for some years, even when the houses pass to another Neill – Charles – in 1883. A possible explanation is that Robert Neill used the houses as convenient accommodation for his employees, who did not therefore pay rent, and were, perhaps, not in continuous occupation.

Robert Neill of Bangor was a ship-owner and coal merchant, listed in the Mercantile Navy List and Maritime Directory for 1867 as the owner of a ship named ‘Just’, registered in Belfast. According to Patton, Robert Neill’s cargo boats were one of the two chief companies running from Bangor in the 1860’s. His boats ran to and from Neill’s Pier, off Quay Street, where the Coal depot was situated, and a short distance away from the terrace. The pier was purchased by the council in 1931, cleared of coal sheds and renamed ‘South Pier’. Robert Neill’s son Charles, also a coal merchant, died in 1893 and left his property, including the current terrace to his wife Olivia. (Patton, p.153)

In 1886 the valuation was reduced to £18 and from 1899 the terrace is named ‘Tower Buildings’ in the valuation records, with a further reduction in value to £16. The houses are listed as the property of Olivia Neill from 1899 and from 1901 the tenants of each individual house began to be noted, perhaps indicating that the houses were no longer in use as accommodation for the firm Robert Neill and Son.

The current house was occupied by Charlotte Gillespie in 1901 and subsequent tenants were Jane Dawson (1908), James A Hutchinson (1914), Martha Butler (1916) and James Taylor (1922).

The house remains in use as a dwelling.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/3/2/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901
2.PRONI OS/6/3/2/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-26
3.PRONI OS/6/3/2/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
4.PRONI VAL/12/B/23/7A-K – Annual Revisions (1866-99)
5.PRONI VAL/12/B/23/9A-S – Annual Revisions (1900-1930)
6.PRONI VAL/12/E/129/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plans (c.1864-1899)
7.PRONI VAL/12/E/129/2 – Annual Revisions Town Plans (1898-c.1916)
8.PRONI Will of Robert Neill who died 24/10/73
9.PRONI Will of Charles Neill who died 18/10/93
10.Mercantile Navy List and Maritime Directory, 1867

Secondary Sources

1.Patton, M, “Bangor, An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two bay two-and-a-half storey end-terrace house, built c.1870 by Robert Neill, a ship-owner and coal merchant. Architectural detailing is largely intact and the oriel window is a distinctive feature. No 2 has group value as part of a terrace of four and is a well-preserved example of late 19th century housing in Bangor town centre.