Former nurses' homes

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Group of three identical two storey former apartment blocks of 1956 by Stanley Devon with pantile hipped roofs, rustic brick facades and projecting veranda-like walkways, originally built as nurse's homes, the apartments (10 to each block) are now occupied by private tenants. The blocks are set on a slight rise on the SW side of Castle Street, to the SW of Bangor town centre.

The front (NE) elevation of the block to the SE [nos.142-160] is asymmetrical. To each floor are five apartments, with those to the ground floor set within a veranda-like structure with plain concrete columns supporting the walkway access to the upper floor apartments. The structure has thick end piers in brick with that to the NE end somewhat thicker and incorporating a tall brick chimneystack to the NW side and a door to the SE to the (it is probably a boiler house). The wall of the walkway is also in brick but is pierced with a row of evenly spaced small square openings fringed and lined in smooth render with concrete coping to the top of the wall and smooth render to the base. To the mid-point of the base is a small panel with the name of the block (‘McMillan House’- the others are called ‘Hadow House’ and ‘Tughan House’).

To the far left on the ground floor is a plain sheeted timber door with small round glazed (porthole-like) panel. To right of this is a square window with metal frame and concrete sill, both these openings belong to one apartment (all no.150). To right of this is a similar window, then another door (as before then a much narrower window (all no.148). To right of this is the stairwell with concrete (return) stair and ‘geometric’ metal railings. To right again is another square window, a door then a narrower window, all as before (and all belonging to no.146). To right again is a plain sheeted timber door with small louvered areas at top and bottom. This door appears to lead to a small services room. To right again is another door flanked by windows (all no.144), as previous but with narrow window to left rather than the right. To far right are another square window and a door (no.142).

To the first floor there is an identical arrangement of openings, all with concrete lintels (as opposed to brick on the ground floor).

To the SE elevation there is a small metal framed window to the right on the ground floor with another to the right on the first floor; the NW elevation repeats this arrangement in mirrored fashion.

To the far left on the ground floor of the rear elevation there is a large window opening linked (to right) to a glazed (metal framed) door. The window is undoubtedly metal framed but it is currently boarded up. To the right of this is a similar (but mirrored) window and door arrangement, with four more similar window / doors to right of this arranged in mirrored fashion. Each of these window / door combinations belongs to a separate apartment, apart from the two to the centre which belong to a single apartment. To the first floor there is an identical arrangement (but with concrete lintels). Untidy render under each of the first floor doors suggests that each pair of neighbouring doors originally shared a small balcony. Satellite dish roughly to centre of the ground floor.

The façade is in red-brown rustic brick. The hipped roof is covered in pantiles and has a pronounced overhang with boxed in eaves. Single central brick chimneystack to roof. Metal rw goods.

The two blocks to the NE are virtually identical to this, but with different windows / doorways boarded up and two satellite dishes to the rear of each. The block to the NW end has a very small lean-to ‘cupboard’ to its NW elevation.

To immediate front of each block is a tarmac-covered area with a path to S leading to the main public footpath and a driveway to the N end. In front of the tarmac-covered areas are large lawns with a low brick wall to the public footpath. To the rear a continuous concrete threshold / path runs the length of the blocks with a long continuous lawn beyond this.

Historical information

Originally nurses homes for the hospital opposite, these three blocks were built in 1956 to designs by Stanley Devon and named after local benefactors, Hadow House, McMillan House and Tughan House. The apartments are now rented out as private dwellings.

References- Primary sources
1 Linen Hall Library ‘Irish Builder’ 30th June 1956

Secondary sources
1 Marcus Patton, ‘Bangor, An historical gazetteer’ (Belfast, 1999), p.42

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Interesting group of three identical two storey former apartment blocks of 1956 by Stanley Devon with pantile hipped roofs, rustic brick facades and projecting veranda-like walkways, originally built as nurses’ homes the apartments (10 to each block) are now occupied by private tenants. They show typical post Festival of Britain detailing and are worthy of being recorded.