The Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached asymmetrical two-storey three-bay Domestic Revival Edwardian house, built c. 1905 to designs by Henry Seaver, located in extensive grounds at the south side of Bangor Road, to the east side of Holywood. The house is square-on-plan with two storey annexe extension joined by single storey link block, and garage to south.

Roof is hipped and tiled with tall redbrick chimneystacks having geometric detailing to shaft and flat caps with multiple pots. Rainwater goods are profiled cast-iron on projecting timber eaves over paired corbel brackets to principal elevations, exposed rafter tails to remainder. Walling is stretcher bond red brick to ground floor of principal elevations (finished with a header row), roughcast to remainder with structural half-timbering to first floor of gabled bays, slightly oversailing sandstone corbel brackets. Windows are painted timber side-hung casements, those to half-timbered bays having multi-pane toplights, all with sandstone sills.

Principal (entrance) elevation faces west and has an opening to each floor at each bay. It is dominated by a large porte cochere to centre, consisting of a leaded canopy with roof lantern carried on ashlar sandstone piers with filleted corners, and enclosed to upper portion by multi-pane glazed timber-framed screens over panelled squinches supported on corbel blocks. The entrance is slightly recessed and comprises an ornate painted metal-framed door with decorative screens over glazed panels, matching sidelights, all in a polished oak frame and accessed by three stone steps. Projecting gabled right bay with windows glazed to all sides at each floor. Left bay has a canted bay window to ground floor. The annexe extension is described later.

The north (garden) elevation is symmetrical and is arranged about a recessed entrance porch at the top of stone steps and fronted by a timber entrance screen having plain entablature with arched central section carried on timber piers and enclosed to either side by square section railings with heart detail. Within the porch is a round-headed panelled and glazed entrance door set within a deep chamfered reveal to right, and detailed with ashlar sandstone voussoirs and carved plinth blocks. There is a window with cambered head to its left. First floor centre has a large plain glazed horizontal window with casement openings to sides. Gabled side bays are identical and have bowed bays to ground floor.

The east (rear) elevation has a brick string between floors, irregular fenestration and is abutted by a small flat-roofed kitchen extension and a lean-to glazed rear porch. There are French doors with multi-pane toplight and a camber-headed window to ground floor right side.

The south elevation is abutted to ground floor by the link block to the annexe, and has two windows to first floor.

The annexe extension is detailed as house with dormer, and is fronted by a timber canopy, glazed as porte cochere, and supported on two sandstone columns without capitals. Threshold is tiled. The single principal window is camber-headed and the ground floor has glazed timber entrance doors and large picture window. It is in turn abutted at south by a square-plan single storey garage with pyramid roof, small chimney as house, camber-headed casements and three painted sheeted-timber sliding garage doors to south and east, each with ventilation slits to top. There is a petrol pump to east side.

Setting

The house is set back from the road on an elevated site, within extensive mature grounds comprising lawns, terraces and woodland. To south is a detached single storey garage and kennel block with hipped tiled roof overhanging on a series of plain buttresses. The house is accessed from the road by a sweeping tarmacadam drive, to a forecourt; the gateway is a pair of sandlime brick piers with ornate modern cast iron gates bearing the initials ‘BE’. To the north-east corner of the garden, accessing the road, is a pair of original Arts and Crafts style timber gates each inset with timber lettering: ‘The Hill’.

Roof: Tiled
Walling: Red Brick & roughcast
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast Iron

Historical information

The house is shown on the fourth edition OS map of (1919-31) and first enters the records in 1909 as the residence of F L Heyn, head of the shipping firm, G Heyn and Sons, the leaseholder being J Horner Haslett. The Irish Builder dates the commencement of building to 1907 and Brett states that it was completed in 1908. The architect was Henry Seaver and the contractors H. & J. Martin. It was initially valued at £156 but this was lowered on appeal to £146. The valuer’s notes from this time give an actual cost of construction of £3,250 and a plan and dimensions. The valuer notes the layout of the house as follows: Ground floor: Closet and cloak room, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, three pantries, invalid’s room, kitchen, scullery, servants’ room, larder, dairy. First floor: seven bedrooms, two bathrooms, one dressing room, hot air press, two WCs, housemaid’s closet, small sitting room, two servants’ bedrooms. Attic: two servants’ bedrooms. A motor house and conservatory are also shown on the ground plan. (Brett, p.130)

The Head Line was Belfast’s best-known shipping firm. It was founded in 1877 by James and Frederick Heyn, sons of Gustavus Heyn, the former Prussian consul in Belfast. The Head Line Ulster Steamship Company Ltd ran services to the east coast of Canada, the Far East, Europe and Baltic ports. In 1896 they began to serve New Orleans and in 1917 they took over the Lord Line which had run sailings from Belfast and Dublin to Cardiff; Baltimore, Rotterdam to Galveston and Cardiff to Montreal and Quebec. When the Great Lakes were opened to foreign deep sea vessels, they established a new service to this area. Ulster Steamship Company took over Donaldson Line in 1967 and the company traded under the name of Head-Donaldson Line. In 1979, their last ship was sold and the Head-Donaldson services were absorbed by Canadian Pacific. (Jenkins, p.57;www.theshipslist.com)

After 1933 the house is occupied by Helen B Heyn, in fee (undated change). The valuation is dropped slightly to £143, possibly following an appeal. At this time the accommodation comprises, downstairs:- a hall, four receptions, kitchen, scullery, servants’ hall, two pantries and a cloakroom. Upstairs are six bedrooms, a dressing room, two bathrooms, four maids’ bedrooms and a maids’ bathroom. The house is supplied with electricity from their own generator and fires and cooking are fuelled with gas. Water comes from reservoirs and a well. The house is also supplied with a chauffeur’s room and washhouse, a revolving summerhouse and a flag staff. There is a rose garden and a tennis lawn in the grounds but also a byre for two cows with a loft over, made of corrugated iron, and three corrugated iron henhouses. Some of the land around the house is grazed and some is in plantation. A plan and dimensions are given showing the house with attached motor house and engine house to the rear and a conservatory.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
2.PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
3.PRONI VAL/12/A/3/20 – Valuers Note Book (1907-11)
4.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
5.PRONI VAL/12/E/93/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1919-c1935)
6.PRONI VAL/3/D/4/4/A/7 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)
7.Irish Builder, Vol 49, 19 October1907, p.729; 2 November 1907, p754

Secondary Sources

1.Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002
2.Jenkins, David “Shipping at Cardiff, Photographs from the Hansen Collection 1920-75” 1993
3.www.theshipslist.com

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

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship

Evaluation

The Hill is a well-preserved two-storey Edwardian house, built c. 1905 in a free Domestic Revival style to designs by Henry Seaver. The house displays several features of interest, including original fenestration, structural timber framing (unusual in the context of Northern Ireland) that is particularly noteworthy and a fine porte cochere with glazed canopy and unusual sandstone columns. Detailing is of good quality throughout, representative of a period at the high point of Belfast’s ocean liners when high quality craftsmanship was much in evidence, and reflecting the original owner’s involvement in the industry. The setting of extensive mature grounds survives and retains a fine Arts and Crafts style timber gate. The house is a fine example of the work of a notable architect.