63 Victoria Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey-with-attic, two-bay semi-detached Victorian house; built c1860 and located to the south side of Victoria Road, Holywood. Rectangular on plan with two-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and chimneystack having clay pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on ovolo moulded eaves. Walling is painted smooth render with plinth and quoins. Windows are 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash in moulded surrounds having keyblock detail; moulded fanlight motif to first floor windows; continuous sill to first floor windows.

The principal elevation faces northeast and is two windows wide to first floor; ground floor has two windows to left and entrance door to right. Door has two elongated bolection moulded panels, beaded muntin and kickboard with transom light and moulded surround having segmental- arched head with keyblock.

The southeast elevation has a small window to attic floor.

The southwest rear elevation has a window to ground and first floor; to left is a two-storey return with window to attic. Return has uPVC window to gable; east elevation has two small uPVC windows and uPVC door to right.

The northwest elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB23/20/060A)

Setting

Prominently sited on a bend, set back from Victoria road with entrance at northwest. Gravelled parking area to front with car-port to gable. Large lawn and shrubs garden to rear enclosed by mature hedgerow and trees.

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

Historical information

The area known as ‘High Holywood’ first began to be developed c1850 as Holywood became an increasingly desirable location for merchants and professionals seeking to leave behind the dirt and bustle of Belfast. The opening of the railway in 1848 transformed Holywood into a commuter town, accessible to a wide range of working people and a prime location for landlords seeking to make a good return on rented property. This semi-detached pair first appears, uncaptioned, on the second edition OS map of 1858. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) shows that two pairs of houses were built on the same plot, the current pair, numbers 61 and 63 and numbers 65 and 67 which are still present. The four dwellings are listed as ‘Glenside Place’ in the printed valuation book. Merrick suggests that the two buildings date from about 1850 and this is confirmed by an advertisement in the Belfast Newsletter offering the houses for sale which states that the lease of the land on which they are built dates from 1st November 1848. The houses are likely to have been built shortly after the lease was purchased (Merrick, p.58; Belfast Newsletter).

The present house is listed in Griffith’s Valuation as the home of George Nelson who leases the property from Anne Suffern. The house and outbuildings are valued at £14.10s and the yard and garden at 10s.

‘Glenside Place’ makes several appearances in the pages of the Belfast Newsletter during the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1864, a house in Glenside Place is offered to let and in April 1866 a house is offered as a summer let for the months of June, July and August. In 1866, 1873, 1878 and 1894 houses in Glenside Place are to be sold to a landlord or private owner, offering a good rental return on investment. A typical advertisement of 24th April, 1873 offers ‘One of the dwelling-houses known as Glenside Place’ together with the adjacent plot to the west which is ‘usually let for grazing purposes for the season at about £1...The house is one of two, pleasantly situated a little off the road, on high ground, and has a small pleasure-ground in front, the Garden in the rere sloping gently back to the river. It contains Parlour, two Bed-rooms, one Sitting-room, three Attics, Kitchen, Scullery, Pantry, &c, and there is space for three similar houses in the plot to be sold adjoining’. (Belfast Newsletter) An advertisement of 1894 states that the houses in Glenside Place are ‘situate in the best letting and healthiest locality in Holywood, are always occupied, and within ten minutes’ walk from railway station’. (Belfast Newsletter)

By the third edition OS map of 1900-02, the houses have been extended to the rear. At the time of the 1901 census the house is occupied by William Torney a commercial traveller in tobacco. He lives with his sister, his five-year-old nephew being resident at the time. By 1911 William Torney has become a commercial traveller in soap. (1901, 1911 census) The house remains in use as a domestic dwelling.

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. Griffith’s Valuation online
6. 1901 census online
7. 1911 census online
8. Belfast Newsletter, 19th November 1864
9. Belfast Newsletter, 19th February 1866
10. Belfast Newsletter, 21st April 1866
11. Belfast Newsletter, 26th May 1866
12. Belfast Newsletter, 24th April 1873
13. Belfast Newsletter, 1st March 1878
14. Belfast Newsletter, 17th December 1894

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-storey-with-attic, two-bay semi-detached Victorian house, built c.1860. Formerly known as 2 Glenside Place and built to form a small crescent with numbers 66 and 69 to northwest (formerly known as Glenside). Largely unchanged, much historic fabric survives with the original floor-plan. Architectural detailing to the principal elevation is largely intact. The pair are a good example of the type in this area of Holywood and represent part of its development after the arrival of the railway.

General comments

This record was completed without access to primary source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland