146 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-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 elevation. Windows are a variety of timber framed sliding sash with flat brick arches; canted bay to ground floor is 2/2 (having horizontal glazing bars) with moulded window surround divided by Doric pilasters, plain entablature with dentilled frieze corbelled eaves and parapet: segmental-headed 6/2 windows and continuous sill to first floor; 6/6 to second floor and to rear.

The principal elevation faces west and is two openings wide. To right is canted bay. Entrance accessed by two stone steps; door has four raised-and-fielded panels with brass door furniture and transom light; panelled pilaster surround with ornate console brackets surmounted by moulded entablature with dentilled eaves and projecting corbelled pediment.

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

The east (rear) elevation has a window to left at first and second floor with a uPVC double-leaf door to ground floor; abutted to right by lower three-storey return. Return has window and modern timber door to second floor, a single window to second floor, and is abutted to ground floor by a small lean-to. Exposed section to left with two window openings to each floor.

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

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.

Roof: Natural Slate
Walling: Red brick and renderr
Windows: timber
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 occupied by Mrs Margaret Beattie. It is a house, yard and small garden valued at £27, later raised to £29. Dimensions are given for the house and return. A number of tenants follow, Nathaniel Thompson (1863) Henry Agnew (1880), Ellen Campbell (1887) and Andrew Cowan in 1900.

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 £28 in 1889, £27 in 1891 and £22.10s in 1904 following a complaint about the valuation. Valuer’s notes of this period give a plan and dimensions of the building and state that the rent is £30 reduced from £35 yearly. The houses have 5 bedrooms and 2 receptions, hot and cold water and a bathroom. The valuer comments that this house has been vacant for years.

The following occupants were Minnie Mateer (n.d.), Anna Hawthorne (1915) and Charles F Gracey (1916). The valuation was reduced to £17.10s in 1912.

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)

Secondary Sources

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

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-bay three-storey Victorian mid-terrace townhouse, built c.1855. The building has been extensively refurbished in recent years, resulting in the loss of historic fabric. 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