40-42 Ballywalter Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey gabled block consisting of two houses, on the W side of the Ballywalter Road on the very S edge of Millisle.

Front E facade has central single storey (seemingly) flat roofed porch. On the S side of the porch is the entrance to No.42, with timber panelled door and plain fanlight set in doorway with segmental arch head with label moulding over.

The N facade contains the entrance to No.40 and is much as previous except with a glazed PVC door. Two windows to the front (E) facade of porch (one to each property) both with segmental arch heads and label moulding (which is linked). Both windows rest on a cill course which continues along the whole front facade of the building. The porch window of No.40 has a PVC frame, with a sash frame to No.42. The porch has a coping, which continues as a first floor cill course, and a cornice-like course (below the cornice/cill course) which continues along gables as well as front. To the left of the porch are two (almost twinned) windows with sash frames, set in openings as before and with linked label moulding. Two windows to the first floor, the right of which has label moulding which links to the left first floor window of No.40. The rest of the front facade of No.40 is a mirror image of No.42, but with PVC frames to windows.

S gable has a window to the left on the ground and first floors, as front No.42.

N gable has a window to the right on ground and first floor, as front No.40.

Both houses share a large central gabled return. The N side of the return (No.40) has two PVC windows to the left on the first floor, with a larger PVC window and PVC door to the ground floor. No.42 has a mirrored arrangement, but with sash frames and a small lean to extension over the area of the rear doorway. No.40’s half of the rear of the return has a first floor PVC window and a large PVC kitchen window to the ground floor. No.42 has a sash window to the first floor and a flat roofed extension to the ground floor.

The entire facade is finished in plain render and painted. Eaves course and chamfered plinth.

The main roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and clay ‘saw tooth’ ridge tiles. Slight overhang at verge. Rendered chimney stack to each main gable and to roof of return (which also has Bangor blue slates). Cast iron rw goods.

At the rear of No.42 is a small two storey gabled dwelling, possibly once used as a house for servants.

Historical information

According to the owner of No.40, these houses were built in the 1890s. He also informed the writers that he believed both dwellings used to be rented by the gentry as ‘summer homes’, with the actual owners (and presumably their families) living temporarily in the small annexes to the rear (one of which still survives at the rear of No.42). Alternatively, this story may be apocryphal (it sounds slightly implausible) and the annexes may simply have been servants’ quarters.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey gabled block consisting of two houses, constructed in the 1890s and still largely intact.