144 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-bay three-storey Victorian mid-terrace townhouse, built c.1855 and located to the south of High Street in Holywood town centre. Rectangular on plan with three-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with brick chimneys having terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on overhanging corbelled eaves with paired brackets. Walling is Flemish bonded red-brick with painted smooth render having band rustication to ground floor; smooth painted render to rear. Windows are timber-framed replacement sash throughout; segmental-headed flat brick lintels and continuous sill to first floor.

The principal elevation faces west and is three openings wide. To right is four-panelled double-leaf replacement timber door having transom light, and panelled pilaster surround, surmounted by carved console brackets and simple corniced canopy.

The north gable is abutted by adjoining building (HB23/19/006B)

The east (rear) elevation has two segmental-headed windows; abutted to left by lower three-storey return. Return has window to all floors at gable. Exposed section to left has single opening to left at first and second floor; modern timber door to ground floor.

The south elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB23/19/006D)

Setting:

Situated to the south of High Street in Holywood town centre, with St Comcille’s Church and Tower (HB23/19/009) directly to south. Tarmacadam car-park to east semi-enclosed with painted masonry wall. Small paved garden to front enclosed by simple cast-iron railings and gate. Rear yard is enclosed by painted masonry wall with modern cast-iron gate.

Roof: Natural Slate
Walling: red-brick and render
Windows: Timber and uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The houses are first shown on the second edition ordnance survey map, captioned ‘Walmer Terrace’. According to Merrick, they were built in 1856 and housed a variety of merchants and professional people who were attracted to Holywood, following the opening of the railway in 1848. (Merrick, p.29) The terrace was also home to at least three members of the clergy, a Catholic priest, a Presbyterian missionary and a Church of Ireland curate.

Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists the houses as ‘Walmer Terrace’. They are all leased from Andrew Cowan who also owned the semi-detached pair of houses called ‘Mill Bank’ (HB23/20/056A-B) which was built at about the same time.

The current house is initially occupied by William Carson, solicitor, who appears to have moved into another house in the terrace as it is later noted to be vacant. It is a house, yard and small garden valued at £36, later raised to £38. The rent is £45 yearly plus taxes. Dimensions are given for the house, return and three out offices.

A number of tenants follow, Robert McGee (1863) Mary Ross (1880), James M Barkley (1887), merchant and Edward Polland (1900), who had previously lived at 122, High Street (HB23/19/002) and was a jeweller who died in 1904.

Holywood entered something of a decline in the late nineteenth century due to several factors, including the arrival of trams in Belfast in the 1870s which meant that the mercantile and professional classes had many more residential areas to choose from. The valuation is reduced to £37 in 1889 and £35 in 1891. In 1904, following a complaint, the valuation is reduced to £28. A plan and dimensions of the building are given in valuer’s notes. The valuer states that the house contains 9 rooms and a box room with a bathroom and WC combined. He comments, ‘Drawing room too large for probable tenants. Gable of return cracked and leaking. Large draughty hall (with fireplace)’. The rent is £37.10s, reduced from £45.

Mary J Polland follows in 1905 and then Anne Boyd (1915) who died a widow in 1917. The house was taken over by the Secretary for War in 1921, the reasons for which are unclear. The valuation was reduced to £22 in 1912 and a motor house was added in 1929.

The building is currently in use as offices.

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/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/53 – Valuer’s Notebook (1900-06)
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/54 – Valuer’s Notebook (1906-12)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
9. PRONI VAL/12/E/123/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1860-c1866)
10. PRONI VAL/12/E/123/2/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1867-1900)
11. PRONI Will of Edward Polland, died 11/04/1904
12. PRONI Will of Anne Boyd, died 10/09/1917

Secondary Sources

1. Merrick, Tony “Buildings of Holywood” Holywood: Holywood Advertiser, 1986

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A three-bay three-storey Victorian mid-terrace townhouse, built c.1855. The building has been refurbished in recent years, resulting in some loss of historic fabric and minor alteration of the floor-plan. Despite this, most historic detailing remains. This building forms part of an important group, being one in a terrace of six. The terrace is good of its type and illustrates the ongoing growth of Holywood in the mid-19th century

General comments

Please note this record has now been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB23/19/006