9 Bangor Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey mid-19th century house, one of a pair of semi-detached villas, with rendered walls and hipped roofs. Main entrance faces south; main elevation of block faces west.

West elevation is 3 windows wide: roof hipped, with Bangor blue slates in regular courses with red toned ridge tiles to main ridge and dark grey toned to hipped roof. Wall smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with slightly raised smooth frieze, and projecting plinth. Oversailing eaves with white painted timber soffit supported on shaped timber brackets; moulded cast iron guttering, with one circular downpipe, part PVC and part cast iron, at left-hand extremity, common with adjoining house, and one rectangular section PVC downpipe to the right-hand extremity. One chimney, smooth rendered with small block cornice; six original octagonal stoneware pots. Gabled dormer with plain timber pilasters framing a semi-circular arched modern fixed upper light with opening lower light, which appears to be of PVC, surmounted by an open pediment with moulded timber barges; plain cheeks; dormer roof slated as main roof. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash vertically hung, 1 over 1 with horns, with raised moulded render surrounds; projecting sandstone cills, with rendered ends; left-hand and right-hand cills in poor condition.

Original south elevation is 3-bay: roof, walls and guttering as previous. To right of main chimney previously described is a smaller one, smooth rendered, with a block cornice; original pots as previous. Windows similar to west elevation, all with horns, except one to extreme right on ground floor which is without horns. Main entrance is second bay from left: comprises an elliptic arched opening, with panelled archivolt, keystone, and panelled pilasters; recessed doorway consisting of an original rectangular timber panelled door and plain sidelights set between triple columned mullions, surmounted by a plain fanlight; sandstone doorstep, partly rendered. Projecting at the right-hand extremity of original south elevation is a screen wall to coachyard, smooth rendered, with plain block sandstone coping to top, containing a large elliptical archway with raised surround, panelled as previous to main entrance of house, with iron girder inset; pair of modern iron gates, not original. Rear face of screen wall to coachyard is roughcast render with pebble dash finish.

Extending beyond the coachyard archway is a one-bay modern extension in almost the same plane as the original south elevation: two-storey, with flat roof; timber fascia with oversailing felt covering; wall rendered, with pebble dash finish; one window to each storey, modern rectangular timber fixed light to ground floor, with metal casement to first floor, set in plain reveals with sandstone cill to ground floor and concrete cill to first floor.

East elevation: most of original east elevation now covered by a modern two-storey flat roofed extension. Main block has roof slated as previous, with modern flush rooflights. Extension has flat roof as previous; wall is of exposed rubble stone to ground floor, smooth rendered to first floor; projecting balcony at first floor level, of concrete supported on a rectangular section steel post at left-hand extremity with a single storey rubble stone bay to the right-hand side; modern concrete steps up to balcony, with modern plain iron balustrading. Windows in east elevation are all modern rectangular, timber casements to ground floor, and metal to first floor. Modern glazed and panelled timber door at first floor leading on to balcony. Plain modern iron railings to balcony. At right-hand extremity of modern extension is a projecting single storey outbuilding, part of the adjoining property at no. 11, with red brick and dry dash walling and slated roof.

SETTING: The building stands within its own grounds set well back from the main road and approached by a driveway. Extensive front garden with lawns and shrubs. Main entrance gateway shared with adjoining property comprises a pair of circular gate piers, rendered, wet dashed and painted, with octagonal bases and octagonal sandstone caps; gates missing; curved screen walls, rendered as piers, with sandstone copings; square end piers, similarly rendered, with concrete caps. Front boundary wall is similarly rendered, with concrete coping. North boundary is partly formed by a low fence, partly by mature hedge. South boundary to front of house is formed partly by rubble stone wall enclosing adjacent 19th century church, and partly by mature hedge or bushes. Driveway terminates at coachyard entrance, with gravelled area at the house, leading to terraced area along front of house, enclosed by modern low rendered lined and blocked plinth walls with concrete copings and concrete steps. South boundary alongside house is of rubble stone with sandstone copings raking up to coachyard entrance.
Rear yard is partly surfaced in concrete, and partly in modern concrete flagstones with some red brick panels; modern concrete fountain. South boundary to rear yard is of rubble stone with concrete coping; north boundary formed by rubble stone two-storey outbuilding with slated roof, and modern single storey canted bay. East end of rear yard occupied by a modern single storey timber boarded outbuilding.

Historical information

Built as one of a pair of semi-detached villas sometime between 1834 and 1859. Either no. 9 or the block at 9 and 11 was marked on the map as 'Ballykeel'.

References – Primary Sources

1. OS Map 1834, Co Down 1 (shows what appears to be a predecessor on the site).
2. OS Map 1859, Co Down 1 (house or block marked as 'Ballykeel').

Secondary Sources

1. T. Merrick, Buildings of Holywood (Holywood, 1986), p 57 (but gives date as c 1830).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an early-to-mid 19th century semi-detached house ' which has undergone many alterations which detract from its original character and appearance.