80 Church Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-bay, three-storey end terrace house built c.1870, located to the east of Church Road near Holywood town centre. Rectangular on plan with two-storey return to rear and two-storey box bay to front.

Pitched natural slate roof with brick chimneys with moulded painted masonry plinths, multiple flues and terracotta pots; brick gable chimney on rear return. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on sandstone corbelled eaves. Walling is Flemish bond red brick, projecting bay is painted stone; windows are timber-framed 1/1 sliding sash with sandstone moulded lugged surrounds, flat brick arches and painted sandstone cills; continuous cill course to upper floors. Double bay windows have moulded window surrounds, divided by a central Doric pilaster; decorative console brackets under sill (1-2-1 formation).

Principal elevation faces southwest and has paired window openings to left bay (those to ground and first floor contained in projecting rectangular bay with dentilled eaves) and single openings, including entrance door, to right bay. Door has four bolection-moulded raised-and-pointed panels with brass door furniture; transom light surmounted by sandstone pediment on scrolled console brackets; sandstone architrave; accessed by five bull-nosed stone steps.

Northwest gable is blank.

Rear elevation is abutted by a two storey return and single storey extension. Exposed section of right bay has a 6/6 sash window at each floor. Left bay has multi-paned sash windows at each floor. Return and extension both have UPVC double doors opening into rear garden.

Abutted to southeast by adjoining building (HB 23/20/040B)

Setting

The house is set back from the road with a small garden and paved pathway to front enclosed with a small hedge. Rear garden is enclosed with brick piers and large iron gate.

Roof: Natural Slate
Walling: brick
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The terrace dates from between 1867 and 1870.

The terrace is drawn onto a valuation town plan dating from c1860-c1866, onto a field described as ‘pasture’ and leased by William Brown from Andrew Cowan. However, it is first listed in the valuation book dating from 1867-79 when the houses are all initially vacant, indicating that they are newly built. By 1870 three of them are occupied and leased from Robert and Daniel Reade. The lessors remain the Reade family throughout the period of Annual Revisions. All the houses are initially valued at £28 each.
By 1880 the terrace is described as ‘Riverston Terrace’, apparently deriving its name from the nearby ‘Riverston House’. In 1883, the valuations are all decreased to £25, most likely as the result of an appeal.

The current house is occupied by Emily Wilson in 1870 and Mary Bates in 1887. It remains in the Bates family - Edward Bates is mentioned in the Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory for 1890 as a solicitor - until 1913 when it is taken over by Ann Campbell and in 1925 by Harold Rea.
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 VAL/12/E/123/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1860-c1866)
7.PRONI VAL/12/E/123/2/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1867-1900)
8.Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory 1890

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-bay, three-storey end terrace house built c.1870, forms part of a terrace of five. The house retains its original character and robust detailing and the group is a good example of the type of larger terrace that formed part of the development of Holywood in the later 19th century.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB23/20/040