2 Springvale Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey gabled house with half-dormers and decorative window and door surrounds, built c.1870-80 to serve as the master's residence for the near by school. The building is situated at the north east end of the Springvale Road on the south side of the village of Ballywalter.

Facade finished in lined render with quoins and chamfered plinth. The gabled roof is covered in Bangor blue slates and rendered chimney stacks with cornice on brackets on that to the N. Slight roof overhang to eaves. Cast iron rw goods.

The front (W) elevation is symmetrical and has a central panelled timber door with semicircular fanlight with margin tracery. Door and fanlight have simple pilaster surround with archivolt with keystone. This surround is also encased with outer pilasters with carved brackets supporting cornice and blocking course.

To both the left and right of doorway are a set of paired sash windows with margins to upper sash. Windows have pilasters to both sides and to centre mullion (similar to those outer pilasters on doorway), which support a cornice and blocking course. Below the window cill are three brackets. To the first floor are three evenly spaced gabled half dormers, each with semicircular headed window openings with surrounds as doorway, and with sash frames with margins. Two brackets to each cill. Large overhang to eaves.

To first floor centre of each gable are paired semicircular headed window openings with simple surrounds and sash frames with single vertical astragal to each sash.

[The writers only had limited access to the rear.] To centre of the rear elevation there is a full height ‘lean-to’ extension with mixture of sash and modern windows with modern windows to rear of main house. The rear is enclosed with a high rendered wall with modern ‘garage’ to back of yard.

Historical information

This house, which is known locally as the ‘Headmaster’s house’, was built as the residence for the master of Ballywalter Park School, the much altered neighbouring building just to the south (now the parochial hall). The school itself appears to have been built in the 1850s, but this house is post 1860 in date, possibly c.1875-80. The style of the house with its Italianate detailing, closely resembles the original style of the school house, which itself appears to have echoed the near by Lanyon gate lodge at Ballywalter Park.

The school house closed in 1932.
References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/23/6a-f Annual valuation revision books, Ballywalter, 1866-1929
2 PRONI VAL/12E/84/1 Valuation plan, Ballywalter, 1902-35

Secondary sources
1 J.A.K. Dean, 'The Gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer', (Belfast, 1994) pp.11, 23, 63, 74
2 Derek Patton, "The Village of Ballywalter- A brief history" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.14' (1990), pp.10-15

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey gabled house with half-dormers and decorative window and door surrounds, built c.1870-80 to serve as the master's residence for the near by school.