39 Belfast Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached two-storey two-bay early Victorian end-terrace house with attic, set back from Belfast Road, Holywood. No 39 comprises the right-hand unit of a terrace of three; it is rectangular on plan with full-height rear return, further extended by an outbuilding to rear; there is a lower two storey wing to right, now converted into an additional unit (No.41).

Pitched natural slate roof with angled clay ridge tiles; three cement rendered chimneystacks with moulded cap and five terracotta pots, one to gable, one shared with adjoining building (HB23/17/002B), and one to return. Gutters are ogee cast iron on moulded eaves to front, half-round replacement to rear, replacement downpipes. Modern rooflights to rear pitch. Walling is unpainted ruled-and-lined cement rendered over a slightly projecting plinth, with crenellated geometric frieze; there is a moulded string course to window head level at ground floor, and at first floor rising over window heads. Windows are timber 6/6 sliding sashes without horns, unless otherwise stated; those to ground floor have stop-end chamfered reveals with fluted keyblock detailing, moulding detail to jambs and painted masonry cills. Door is original timber four-panelled with bolection moulding and beaded muntin; plain glazed transom over (original glazing); stone threshold accessed by a stone step. Surround consists of panelled pilasters on plinth blocks topped by scrolled foliated console brackets supporting a masonry canopy.

Principal elevation faces NW and has three evenly spaced openings to each floor, with door set to left side.

Left NE gable is abutted by adjoining house, HB23/17/002B.

Rear SE elevation opens onto a rear yard enclosed to rear by a tall crennellated rendered yard wall and to west by a lower wall topped with timber lattice fencing. Render is painted white to ground floor; return is located to right side. Exposed section has a uPVC window to first floor and French doors to ground floor. Return also has French doors and a variety of uPVC and timber sash windows, diminished to attic storey. It is blank to rear and abutted by the outbuilding (which has modern openings).

Right SW gable is abutted by the former wing (now separately owned), which is lower and has enlarged and replacement openings thoughout. That to north is set into an elliptical headed recess with keyblock detail.

SETTING:
The house is set back from and facing away from the Belfast Road, largely concealed from view by two two-storey nineteenth century houses (of no interest. A gravel forecourt leads to extensive former garden on a lower level to north, now completely overgrown and inaccessible.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Cement rendered
Windows: Timber sash, some uPVC casement to rear.
RWG: Replacement metal.

Historical information

This group first appears on the second edition OS map of 1858 captioned ‘Bellevue Terrace’ and comprises three dwellings overlooking the sea, the plot including a long strip of ground stretching down to the railway line. Behind the terrace are two further houses which appear to be contemporary with the terrace but are not part of the current listing. Merrick dates these houses to the mid-1840’s and states that this was the earliest terrace to appear on the Belfast Road. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists the terrace as three houses all leased from Robert Shaw and notes that the accompanying ‘pasture’ is leased by Shaw from John Harrison. In 1911 it is noted that the gardens are only partly fenced off, part being still in grass. (Merrick, p.72)

At the time of Griffith’s Valuation the current house is occupied by Paul Munster and valued at £30. Dimensions are given for a house, return, passage and three offices. An accompanying plan sketch of the group shows that there has been little significant alteration or addition since this time, but a porch is shown to the front façade which has now gone.

The next tenants are Alfred Munster (n.d.) and William Hunter (1880) and the valuation is reduced to £20.10s in 1886. Alfred Munster was the Danish Consul for Ireland and his wife Mary C.F. Monck was a well-known poet, who published a collection of poetry while living at this house. The couple later moved to ‘Crofton’. (HB23/20/066A)

The house was then occupied by Arthur J Flannery (1887), Samuel Young (1904), David Jardine (1903), William Black (1908), James F Tate (1910) and Jean Tait (1925). Following a complaint in 1911 valuer’s notes give a plan and dimensions for the house showing that it still has a porch and that there is now an extension of dimensions 15x27x17 to the west of the house (now No.41). However the valuer comments that this outbuilding is ‘of little value, used for lumber’. This house has five bedrooms, 2 attics, 2 reception rooms and a bath with hot and cold water using the Holywood water supply. The valuer comments that the lessor is to carry out repairs and improvements but ‘does very little’ and that the house was not done up for the new occupier.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
4. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/21 – Valuer’s Notes (1911-17)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)

Secondary Sources

1. Merrick, Tony “Buildings of Holywood” Holywood: Holywood Advertiser, 1986
2. Munster, Mary C.F. “Waifs and Strays: verse” London and Belfast: Marcus Ward & Co, 1879

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The right-hand unit of a terrace of three early-Victorian two-storey houses with attics, located to the west side of Holywood. The house is one of a group of three identical dwellings, set with their backs to and some distance from the Belfast Road. The group is characterised by good proportions, restrained ornamentation and retains a substantial proportion of original fabric. It is of historical interest, having been among the first dwellings to be built in this part of Holywood, and representing the early spread of the town.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered from HB23/17/002