Brook House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-bay two-storey-with-attic Victorian house, built c.1870 and located south of Croft Road, Holywood. L-shaped on plan with full-height return and single-storey flat-roof L-shaped extension to rear; projecting porch to south.

Hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks with castellated detailing to caps. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on tolled stone eaves. Walling is cement render with chamfered plinth and plat-band between floors. Windows are segmental-headed 1/1 timber-framed sliding sash with horns and projecting masonry sills; canted bays with three windows (those to left and right are slenderer) having moulded cornice and parapet. Entrance door has four raised-and-fielded bolection-moulded panels, brass door furniture and bell-pull, plain transom light over, accessed by two masonry steps.

The principal elevation faces south and has projecting left bay and corniced porch to re-entrant angle. Paired segmental windows throughout with the exception of a canted bay to ground floor left and single window over porch. Porch has entrance door to east and slender window to south.

The west elevation is two windows wide to each floor.

The north elevation is abutted by full-height return to left and single-storey flat-roof extension to right; exposed sections are blank. Return is abutted by the single-storey extension at gable; left cheek has two windows to first floor and attic, elongated modern timber window to ground floor; right cheek has two windows to first floor and attic, abutted to ground floor by single-storey extension. The single-storey extension has a modern timber door to north and west; abutted to north by lean-to with corrugated tin roof.

The east elevation has two windows to first floor; canted bay to left and 2/2 window with horizontal glazing bars to ground floor.

Setting

Situated on a mature site enclosed by mature trees and hedgerow. Lawned garden to all sides; large garden to south at a lower level with early masonry steps leading to house. Gravelled driveway to east accessed via modern cast-iron gates on modern smooth rendered gate piers. Bounded to road by replacement stone wall laid in courses.

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

Historical information

The strip of land between High Holywood and Ballymenoch House began to be developed in the second half of the nineteenth century, Griffith’s Valuation map of the early 1860s shows Croft Road subdivided into saleable plots. The present house is first shown, uncaptioned, on the third edition OS map of 1900-02 as one of a number of large villas in spacious grounds that have sprung up in the vicinity. The house first enters valuation records in 1869 as a newly-built vacant dwelling. The immediate lessor and perhaps also the developer is Baldwin J Mulligan, a partner in A W Craig & Co’s weaving and spinning factory in the Falls Road. (Belfast and Ulster Directory) However, the house changed hands several times, finally becoming the property of the Anderson family, who appear to have also lived in the house intermittently. The house was initially valued at £77 but this was lowered to £67 in 1875, probably as the result of an appeal. (Annual Revisions)

Moritz Putheim is the first tenant to be listed in valuation records and he is followed by Alexander Smith in 1880. Mr Smith had occasion to complain to the Belfast Board of Guardians about the pollution of a small stream in Holywood, probably Croft Burn which runs behind Brook House, by sewage matter from several houses in the neighbourhood. (Belfast Newsletter) John Williams, cotton handkerchief manufacturer, was the tenant by the time of the 1901 census and lived with his wife and three adult children. His son also worked in the cotton handkerchief industry as a salesman. The family had two servants, a housemaid and a cook. (1901 census) John Williams was a partner in the firm, McBride & Williams, cotton handkerchief and dress goods manufacturers of Ormeau Avenue. (Belfast and Ulster Directory) By 1907 the occupier was Roland Pears, a mechanical engineer and partner in the firm Combe, Barbour & Co of the Falls Foundry. (Belfast and Ulster Directory) The house is not identifiable in the 1911 census but by 1912 it was the home of John Anderson. In 1913 the valuation was lowered to £47. John Robb was the tenant in 1916 and Robert Callaghan in 1919. (Annual Revisions)

By the 1930s, Brook House was the home of J R Mitchell and his three sons. RAF Pilot Officer Lawrence Clement Mitchell died in February 1938 at an RAF base in Norfolk. (Will of LC Clement) William R D Mitchell, after serving as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps became a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and moved to England. Giffney Mitchell continued to live at Brook House for some years and was a civil servant. (Campbell College Register 1894-1954)

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
6. PRONI Will of Lawrence Clement Mitchell, died 11th February, 1938
7. Belfast and Ulster Directory, 1861
8. Belfast Newsletter, 27th June 1877
9. Belfast and Ulster Directory, 1901
10. Belfast and Ulster Directory, 1910
11. Campbell College Register 1894-1954 (available at www.lennonwylie.co.uk)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Brook House is a three-bay two-storey-with-attic Victorian house, built c.1870. The house displays an asymmetric layout and Victorian design and detailing. Although of robust character and significant in the locale, it is not among the best examples of the type.