2 Martello Terrace

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, two and a half storey, double fronted house, one of a terrace of four dating from c.1859-60. The terrace is situated off Victoria Road, to the NE of Holywood town centre.

The front (SW) façade is symmetrical. The central doorway has a projecting porch supported with square section columns and matching antae which is surmounted by a frieze, cornice with dentils and a pediment like blocking course. The panelled door has glazed margins and a rectangular fanlight also with margins.

Above, at first floor is a shallow (100mm) projecting bay on which is set a further projecting rendered bay. The rendered bay is flanked by fine pilasters which rise up to moulded consul brackets which support a projecting cornice. Set within the bay is a semi circular arched sash window with horizontal astragals. The window is framed with pilasters and has a moulded archivolt and keystone.

To left and right of the doorway are chamfered, projecting, rendered flat roofed bay windows. The front window is sliding sash with horizontal astragals. Those to the sides are similar but narrower. The windows rest on a cill course and are topped with a projecting cornice with dentils and blocking course. To either side of the central window are two similar equally spaced sash windows. Two small gabled dormer windows sit directly in line with the chamfered bays. The dormers are framed with plain pilasters and have ‘pointed’ fixed two light windows. The reveals are also glazed. Between the dormers are three Velux roof lights. Walls are generally finished in brick.

To the rear is a large three storey return which is part rendered and part brick. To the right of the return is a flat roofed extension which appears to belong to No.1. Above this is a first floor 6 over 6 Georgian style sliding sash window. To the right of the return is a similar first floor window. Below this is a large multi pane, tripartite window. The window has a wide horizontal ‘astragal’ which conceals the edge of the internal mezzanine floor.

The NE face of the return is finished in render and has a central sash window as before to second and first floors. That to second floor is shorter. To the ground floor is a modern, enlarged, off centre window. The NW face of the return has two wiinows as before to the right side of first and second floors. The left side of the return is blank and the ground floor is obscured by the flat roofed extension. To the extreme left of the face is a vertical rendered band (c.450mm wide). The SE face of the return has three unevenly spaced windows (as before) to first and second floors. To the ground floor are two windows (as before). That to the right is slightly shorter and has no astrigals. The ground floor and a c.3 metre wide vertical band of the face isrendered.

The main and return roofs are finished with Bangor Blue slate. Cast iron rw goods. Brick chimney stacks with wide projecting stone cornice and some matching pots delineate the divide between each house.

Timber ranch type fencing and gate enclose the small front garden.

Historical information

Detailed history to follow with survey of the whole ward. Below are some preliminary notes.

The group we know today as ‘Martello Terrace’ was built in c.1859-60, but was actually originally known as ‘Martello Crescent’. The name ‘Martello’ alludes to the proximity of the terrace to an old windmill, which may have doubled up in Napoleonic times as a look out post - in other words a kind of Martello tower.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS maps, 1st rev., 1858, Down 1.

Secondary sources
1 Tony Merrick, ‘Buildings of Holywood’ (‘Holywood Advertiser’ publication 1986), p.58.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial, two and a half storey, double fronted house, one of a terrace of four dating from c.1859-60. This property has been divided into two complete apartments in recent times, with a section of the building belonging to another apartment mainly contained within the neighbouring former house (No.1).