3 Station Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey, two-bay former station master’s house, built c.1863 and situated at the NW corner of Station Square. Aligned E-W with principal elevation facing south towards the station.

Pitched natural slate roof with eaves boards along exposed rafter tails and scalloped bargeboard to E gable. Rendered chimney to E gable with two octagonal stacks. Ogee-profile steel gutters and circular metal down pipes. Walls cement-rendered and painted, with vee-jointed stepped quoins. Advanced painted base course to exposed elevations.

South elevation is symmetrical, with porch to centre, the roof and walls of which are detailed as main block. Sheeted timber door with band rustication to jambs and fixed leaded lights to cheeks. Each flanking bay has a square-headed opening with 2/2 sliding sash window with stepped and vee-jointed jambs, and painted cill. The station yard abuts the left end of this elevation. Hedge to front.

The west gable is entirely abutted by a one-and-a-half-storey modern addition to the house, of no interest.

The north elevation is abutted by a separate modern house and contiguous tall blank wall.

The east gable has a 2/2 sliding sash window in a plain square-headed opening. A timber trellis has been erected in front of gable.

Setting:

Located off Station Square in Helen's Bay close to the Clandeboye Avenue to the north of the listed railway station (HB23/15/039A) and station platforms (HB23/15/039B) and east of the associated coach yard (HB23/15/039E) and railway bridge (HB23/15/039D). To the north is the related road bridge (HB23/15/039F).

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Metal

Historical information

The railway arrived in Holywood from Belfast in 1848, but it was not until 1862 that the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway Company (BHBR) began construction of the Holywood-Bangor section. Because of land access difficulties and extensive rock blasting, it took three years to complete, opening on 19 May 1865. When it opened, the Belfast & County Down Railway Co (BCDR) sold its Belfast-Holywood section to the BHBR. In 1873, the line was leased to the BCDR and transferred outright in 1884.
This station master's house was built c.1863-65, around the same time as the adjoining station (HB23/15/39A). Unlike the latter, however, it was of relatively plain design and probably the work of the BHBR's consultant architect Charles Lanyon.
The building is shown on some versions of the 1858 OS six-inch map, but it should be noted that such maps were re-engraved some years after their original publication to take account of this new line. The railway was not in existence in 1858 despite what some versions of this map may show.
When the adjoining station building was closed, the station master's house became surplus to requirements and is now privately owned.

References

Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 1 (1858).

Secondary sources:
1. Patterson, E.M. The Belfast and County Down Railway, p.8 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1958).
2. Green, E.R.R. The Industrial Archaeology of County Down, p.80 (Belfast: HMSO, 1963).
3. McCutcheon, A. Railway History in Pictures: Ireland, vol.1, p.34 (Newtown Abbot: David & Charles, 1969).
4. McCutcheon, W.A. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, pp 144, 178 and 218 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).
5. Johnson, S. Johnson’s Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, p.109 (Leicester: Midland Publishing, 1997)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A single-storey, two-bay former station master’s house, built c.1863 to designs by Charles Lanyon for the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway. Although of relatively utilitarian design, this building reflects its railway background and was designed by a prominent architect. It forms part of an interesting group with the adjoining station building and related railway structures in the vicinity (HB23/15/039A-F).

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB23/15/033