Rollo House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay three-storey terraced Georgian townhouse with Victorian detailing; built c.1790 and located south of High Street in Holywood town centre. Rectangular on plan with full-height projecting stairwell to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles; rendered chimneystacks. Cast-iron half round rainwater goods. Walling is painted smooth render. Windows are 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash in moulded surround with keyblock and corbelled sills (diminutive windows to second floor without keyblock).

The principal elevation faces north and is symmetrically arranged being three openings wide. To centre at ground floor is curved projecting portico and segmental-headed opening framed by Doric pilasters, surmounted by decorative cast-iron railing. Six panelled timber door with transom light, having brass door furniture.

The east elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB23/20/005A).

The south (rear) elevation has a single window to each floor to either side of a round stairwell tower. Tower with two windows to rear; to right is a window to each floor; to left is modern fire exit.

The west elevation is abutted to first floor level by adjoining building.

Setting:

Located on Holywood’s main street; set back from the road with a small paved garden to front enclosed by painted masonry wall with piers and decorative cast-iron railings. Communal tarmacadam car park to rear.

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

Historical information

This house is one of a pair of houses, of Georgian proportions with some Victorian detailing, and possibly built together. A map of Cultra dated 1775 does not show the houses, the development of Holywood having not yet extended into Ballykeel townland at this date. A map of 1819, however, does show a terrace in the location of the present house. (Auld, p.10-11)

Merrick states that this house and its neighbour (HB23/20/005) were the venue of the Holywood “squeezes”, fashionable evening social gatherings held in the 1790s and 1800s which sometimes continued through the night. (Merrick, p.22)

The house is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) and shown on the associated town plan, as one of three dwellings owned by John Rowley. The current house is valued at £13.14s. (Townland Valuation)

By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64), ownership of the house has passed to Elizabeth Pollock and there is a considerable rise in valuation to £23, perhaps indicating some remodelling at this time. A valuation town plan dating from c1860-c1866 shows that the house has been extended to the rear and that the porch has now been added to the front facade. The tenant, at this period, is William Shepherd. (Griffith’s Valuation) It appears that the premises was run by William Shepherd as a school, ‘Mr W Shepherd’s English, mercantile and classical academy’. (Belfast and Ulster Street Directory, 1861)

In 1884 the valuation is reduced to £20 and in 1889 it is further reduced to £17. However, Holywood was becoming less desirable as a place of residence towards the end of the century and the reduction in valuation may simply reflect this fact. The house is let to a number of tenants, Thomas O’Brien in 1863, Hugh Stewart (n.d) (who was the former Post Master, the post office being situated at Number Ten High Street) , Samuel McClure (1880), Thomas Wormald (1887) and William D Donnan MD (1900). (Annual Revisions, Merrick, p.22)

William Dunlop Donnan, a physician and surgeon, lived with his sister and their servant. He was the eldest son of William Donnan, ‘wholesale spirit merchant’ and was born in Ceylon where his family were resident at the time. (1901 census, Will of William Donnan) William Dunlop Donnan was the elder brother of Frederick George Donnan, the internationally celebrated physical chemist, best known for his theory of membrane equilibrium. The theory had important applications in the technologies of leather and gelatin, but particularly to the understanding of living cells, and how ions and molecules are transported within them and between the cell and its environment. (www.oxforddnb.com) The Donnan family also lived at residences in Riverston Terrace (HB23/20/40B) and Ardmore Terrace (HB23/20/65C). The current house was designated first class in the 1901 census due to its size and construction and eleven rooms were occupied by the family. (Annual Revisions, 1901 census)

Subsequent tenants were James Gilliland (1907) and George E Richards (1908). By 1911, William Martin Downing, who had previously occupied the adjoining house (HB23/20/005) is listed as the occupier of the current dwelling. William Downing had previously been employed as a master bookbinder, but at this period he was working as a wholesale stationer and lived with his wife and son, a furniture salesman. (1911 census) William Downing may have been forced to diversify from his original profession due to the mass production of books and the increasing mechanisation of the industry in this era. Books were now sold ready-bound rather than leaving the binding to private purchasers or booksellers. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

By 1921 the house had been purchased for £350 and Thomas Frizelle, a gas works engineer and manager, was in residence. The Holywood Gas Company is listed as immediate lessor of the house from 1925. (Annual Revisions, 1911 census) Gas was supplied for heating, lighting and cooking by a privately-owned coal-fired gasworks situated on the Kinnegar which had been opened in 1860. The gasworks continued in operation until the 1980s. (Auld, p.94)

Today the building, known as Rollo House, is in use as a music school and has been completely refurbished internally.

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/B/318 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
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 William Donnan, died 24th April 1912
12. Belfast and Ulster Street Directory, 1861
13. 1901 census online
14. 1911 census online

Secondary Sources

1. Auld, C. “Holywood Co Down, Then and Now” Holywood: Con Auld, 2002
2. Merrick, Tony “Buildings of Holywood” Holywood: Holywood Advertiser, 1986
3. www.library.eb.co.uk – Encyclopedia Britannica online
4. wwwoxforddnb.com – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical three-bay three-storey Georgian townhouse, built c.1790. The building has been fully refurbished in recent years, now functioning as a private music school, resulting in significant loss of historic fabric and some alteration to the original floor plan. Despite this, it remains a relatively rare example of late 18th century housing in Holywood, illustrating the growth of Holywood town centre during the late 18th and early 19th century.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered, it was previously recorded as HB23/20/006.