Marino Villa

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A semi-detached two-storey Tudor-Gothic style house, built c.1830 to designs by John Millar, facing nominal north (north-west) and located on the south side of Marino Park, Holywood. No. 5 comprises the right side of the property, which is U-shaped arranged around a rectangular courtyard fronted to the street by a cloistered arrangement of six four-centred arches with a dividing wall to centre between the two properties.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue-black angled ridge tiles and saddleback fractables to gables. The principal chimneystack is located to centre of main ridge and comprises a group of five tall unrendered flues with moulded caps on a rectangular stack, all lozenge-shaped apart from central flue. Two slender lozenge-shaped stacks also rise from around level flanking stepped gabled projection to east. Rainwater goods are half-round cast-iron. Walling is rendered over a bevelled plinth, painted white. Windows are timber multi-paned double side-hung casements with chamfered reveals and cills; that to first floor north with label moulding.

Entrance elevation faces north and contains a vertically panelled pointed-arched entrance door with sandstone flagged threshold and brass door furniture, recessed within the right of a series of three arched recesses corresponding with the cloister (that to centre is blind, that to left has a plain timber door with cast-iron ring-pull handle). To right, the north gable has timber canted bay to ground floor and a window to first floor.

Courtyard elevations could not be inspected. From external inspection, it is evident that the east courtyard elevation has two blind rectangular recesses and a window set into a gable. There is also a gable at centre of the north elevation, presumably shared between the two houses.

Rear (south) elevation rises to a wide gable at left and a narrower gable at right; fenestration is irregular and includes an enlarged multi-pane kitchen window at left. There is a narrow projecting full-height chimneystack at extreme right, from which abuts a monopitched outbuilding.

The west elevation has a projecting gabled bay to centre fronted by a later castellated full-height canted bay; ground floor windows are plain-glazed with three-light top-hung casements, all with continuous cills. Cheeks are blank. Right side has a window set into a projecting gable. To right of the projecting bay the ground floor is abutted by a lean-to conservatory.

Setting

The
setting comprises a cobbled parking area to front with tree and hedge bounded garden to east. The rear garden is enclosed by an tall boundary wall (forming rear wall of conservatory) to west and a pair of castellated outbuildings with monopitched roofs, arched panelled timber doors and multi-pane windows.

Roof: natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

This house is one of a pair of semi-detached villas together with its neighbour, The Cloisters, (HB23/18/38A) built c1830 by John Millar for Thomas Ward.

The building is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1834) as one of a number of villas within a single plot. These are all listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40), the current building being described as ‘two houses and offices’, the property of Mr Thomas Ward, and valued at £34.9s. Brett comments that “this delightful pair may have been based by Millar on a design in J C Loudon’s Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture.” (Brett, p.179)

In his 1837 publication, Samuel Lewis writes, “There are several good lodging-houses in the village and its environs; and from the increasing number of visiters [sic], several houses in detached situations and chiefly in the Elizabethan style of architecture are now in progress on the Cultra estate, by Thomas Ward Esq, after designs by Millar. These houses are sheltered with thriving plantations and beautifully situated on a gentle eminence commanding a richly diversified and extensive prospect of Carrickfergus bay, the Black mountain, Cave hill, the Carnmoney mountains and the town and castle of Carrickfergus, the view terminating with the basaltic columns of Black Head.” However, it appears these observations were made some time before publication, as the OS Memoirs records the houses as already complete in 1834. The memoirs notes that they “have been built for the bathing season, when they are generally filled from Belfast.” (Lewis, Vol II, p.6; OS Memoirs, p.74)

The second edition OS map (1858) shows the villas captioned ‘Marino’. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) of this period gives the occupier as Captain George Frazer ‘late of the Coast Survey’. Dimensions are given for the two dwellings and they are both valued at £39. In 1887 the house is taken over by Maria Pirrie and in 1900 by Agnes Pirrie. In 1886 the value of both is reduced to £30 and in 1902 the current building is reduced to £27. Accompanying valuer’s notes give a plan of the building showing a glasshouse abutting the rear. The accommodation comprises four bedrooms, two sitting rooms and a bathroom that is ‘not in use’. The valuer comments that the house is much dilapidated and has been vacant for some years. The OS map of 1900-02 shows the villas captioned ‘Marino Villas’.

In 1908 the occupier is noted to be James Connolly, formerly of Marino House (HB23/18/41) and in 1909 the valuation is reduced to £20, the valuer noting that the house is in ‘very bad repair’. By 1917 the occupier is Elizabeth Baird.

In the early 1930s the house is occupied by Elizabeth Ellis and leased from Henry J Harris There are several changes in value from £21 eventually settling at £32. The house comprises two receptions, a kitchen, scullery, was house, three pantries, four bedrooms a bathroom and a WC. It is supplied with gas and has water supplied from a well with pump. There is also a tennis lawn and a plan and dimensions are given. Following an appeal in 1935 the valuer comments, “A very charming old style place in rural surroundings all effects of which are spoilt by shocking bad repair internally...The water supply is joint and soon fails. The offices are quite large for size of house.”

Brett comments that all the houses in this group were bought in the post-war years and narrowly escaped destruction. They have now been sympathetically restored. (Brett, p.179)

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/A/3/19 – Valuer’s Notebook (1901-07)
11.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
12.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)

Secondary Sources

1.Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002
2.Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate, Market, and Post Towns, Parishes, and Villages, With Historical and Statistical Descriptions; Embellished with Engravings of the Arms of the Cities, Bishopricks, Corporate Towns, and Boroughs; Of the Seals of the Several Municipal Corporations.” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A striking semi-detached Tudor-Revival house, built c.1820 to designs by John Millar, comprising part of a development of similarly detailed villa-style buildings, designed as bathing houses, for the developing merchant classes of Belfast. As a group, the houses share several distinguishing characteristics such as lozenge shaped stacks, raised fractables to gables and Gothic detailing, however particular interest is conferred through the variation in design. Together with its neighbour, The Cloisters (HB23/18/038A), Marino Villa froms a notable element within the group, having original aspect preserved with distinctive U-shaped plan form around the courtyard fronted by a cloister of Tudor-arches Most fabric remains intact and its character is well preserved. Of architectural and historic interest, the pair form a significant element in the notable and unusual neo-Tudor character of the enclave.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB23/18/038