20-22 Warren Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Pair of large two and half storey late Victorian semi-detached stuccoed houses of c.1890s with canted bays, gabled half-dormers and large two storey returns to rear. The pair is set on a slight rise on the W side of Warren Road, to the N of Donaghadee town centre.

Both houses are still largely identical and both now have now have mainly modern window frames. No.20 is to the S side. It is entered on the large S elevation which itself consists of the gable of the main section of the house to right and the S face of the return, to left. The gable is two and a half storey, with the return lower in height but containing three floors.

To the ground floor centre left on the gable is a gabled porch with decorative barges. To E face of the porch is the main entrance with panelled timber door, plain fanlight and simple surround. To the S facing gable of the porch is a semicircular-headed window. Joined to the W face of the porch (and the main S façade of the house) is a single storey lean-to, with two windows to its S face. To ground floor right of the porch (on façade of main house) there is a single window. There are two similar windows to first floor, with two to attic level with semicircular heads.

To ground floor of the S face of the return there are two windows (to left of the aforementioned lean-to). To the first floor are three windows, with three more in line with these to the second floor. To the very left hand (W) edge of the S face of the return a small two storey brick dwelling now abuts. This dwelling is of relatively recent construction, and has an overtly modern appearance, but stands in place of an original two-storey outbuilding.

The E (road facing) façade is much narrower than that to S and is symmetrical. It is dominated by a large two storey flat roofed canted bay with a window to each face at each floor resting on a sill course, with various other moulding courses in evidence and a parapet. To attic level are two semicircular headed windows set within gabled half-dormers with decorative barges and finials.

The rear elevation of the of the return (of no.20) is a modern patio window to ground floor with a modern window to the first floor. The second floor is blank. The S face of the return has a small window to each floor. The W face of the main house has a small lean-to extension. To each floor is a small modern window.

No.20 is much as no. 22 but there is a conservatory attached to the rear reception room. The W wall of the return is blank and the N wall has a small window each to the ground and first floors. There is a now blocked window opening to the first floor.

The façade is finished in painted lined render wind in-out bevelled quoins to front. The gabled roof is slated and has an overhang. The rw goods appear to be mainly cast iron. Large rendered chimneystack shared with no.22. Rendered stack to gable of return.

No.22 is mirror image of no.20, but with a few differences, namely: the main entrance has been shifted from the E to the W face of the porch (and does not have a surround); to the E face of the porch there is now a modern window; there is no lean-to to rear of porch; the window to gable of porch and all the attic windows to N and E have retained their sash frames (all with vertical glazing bars- 2/2); the two storey outbuilding is a garage which though now much altered was apparently a stable.

Historical information

This pair of houses is shown on the OS town plan of 1901 and though it looks as though it may date from the 1880s, the present owner of no.22 states that he has seen the date 1869 is inscribed (somewhere) in the plasterwork of this own property.

The two-storey outbuilding to no.22 was demolished some time after 1973 and replaced with the dwelling.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/8/8/2//1-3 OS town plan of Donaghadee, 1901
2 PRONI VAL/12E/121/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1908-35
3 PRONI VAL/3G/69/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1932-56
4 PRONI VAL/3G/69/1/1-3 Valuation town plan of Donaghadee, 1934-43

Secondary sources
1 Hugh Dixon, Ken Kenmuir and Jill Kennett, ‘Historic buildings…Donaghadee and Portpatrick (Belfast, 1977), p.28

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Pair of large two and half storey late Victorian semi-detached stuccoed houses of perhaps c.1880s with canted bays, gabled half-dormers and large two storey returns to rear.