Thornleigh 106 Bangor Road, Holywood, co Down, BT18 0LR

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay Victorian stucco villa, built c.1865 located to the north of Bangor Road east of Holywood. Rectangular on plan with single-storey canted bays to front and two-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with painted masonry chimneystacks having dentilled corniced cap and two tall terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on timber eaves bracket; half-round to canted bay windows. Walling is painted smooth render with quoins. Windows are 2/2 timber framed sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars and horns (unless otherwise stated). Those to first floor are segmental-headed in simple painted masonry surrounds.

The principal elevation faces north; first floor with paired windows to either side of single opening; ground floor with canted bays to either side of entrance. Door is glass panel in timber frame with decorative cast-iron grille to glass; replacement transom light; Doric pilasters surmounted by plain entablature with dentilled cornice. Canted bays with moulded painted masonry surrounds and corbelled eaves.

The east gable is blank.

The south (rear) elevation has three windows to first floor, and to extreme right there is a small oculus. To left at ground floor are two 1/1 timber-framed sliding sash windows and glazed timber door; to right is a replacement window. Abutted to centre by two-storey return; exposed section to right with two windows to first floor and single timber-framed replacement window to ground floor; timber framed door to right is abutted by a small conservatory opening to south. Exposed section to left having glazed timber door and two replacement windows.

The west gable is blank.

Setting:

Situated in a mature site, the house is set back from the road by a gravelled driveway. Mature garden to front, east and rear with some mature trees. Bound to all sides by mature trees and hedgerow.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: Timber
RWG: cast-iron

Historical information

Although there has been a house on the site since at least the 1830’s, valuation records suggest that the current house was built in 1863.

A house is shown on the site on the first edition map of 1834. In the Townland Valuation (1828-40) this is listed as belonging to Mr Kennedy and is a house and offices valued at £16.2s.

The house is not listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) being, perhaps, in a state of dereliction.

In 1863 there is a new house in progress which seems to be finished by 1864. It is a house and garden valued at £40 and dimensions for the ‘detached villa’ are given of 15?x8x2x1a and a return of 8½x5x2x1a. The valuer comments that there is a ‘well enclosed yard’. The occupier is William D Chermside and he leases the property from John Greenfield. William Dawson Chermside had formerly resided at ‘Spafield’ and appears to have been the son of Thomas Chermside of Belfast who co-founded Drumaness flax spinning mill in 1850, with William Davidson. The mill was in operation until 1965. (Green, p.31)

In 1880 the house was taken over by John Steel and leased from Thomas K Greenfield. Steel remained the occupier until 1917, when it was occupied by Gavin Grainger and, after a period of vacancy, Joseph Keown in 1919.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
4. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
5. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/1 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/318 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
12. PRONI D1046/93 – Deed of settlement of marriage of Hugh McClelland and Martha Chermside, 5 August 1857

Secondary Sources

1. Green, E.R.R. “The Industrial Archaeology of County Down” Belfast: her majesty’s Stationery Office, 1963

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay Victorian stucco villa, built c.1863. Much of the architectural fabric remains intact, the internal layout is largely unchanged and the detailing is of good quality. This is a good and intact example of the type of smaller house built in the district during a time of major expansion. It illustrates a significant part of the development of Holywood during the mid-19th century as an area for homes of the merchant and professional classes.