32-34 Warren Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Distinctive pair of large three storey late Victorian semi-detached stucco houses of c.1895 with Jacobean gables, two storey and single storey canted bays and mildly classical window and door mouldings. The three storey section of each dwelling is ‘L’ shaped with a single storey flat roofed porch to the crux of the ‘L’ while the rear two storey returns are ‘back to back’ creating a large single gabled return. Both now have PVC window frames throughout, with a large PVC conservatory to rear of no.32. The houses sit on a slight rise on the W side of the Warren Road, to the N of Donaghadee town centre.

No.34 To the asymmetric S elevation there is a single storey porch. To the E face of the porch, the panelled front entrance door is set within a semicircular-headed opening with moulded surround and keystone and a plain fanlight. The N face of the porch is blank. The wall head is finished with a double string course which creates a frieze which extends around most of three-storey section.

To the front E elevation is a two storey canted bay. Each of the three windows rest on a string course and have a moulded surround and keystone. The PVC ‘6/1’ top hung windows have segmental arch heads. The frieze sits directly above the window heads and the upper string course of the frieze forms a sill course to the first floor bay windows which are identical to the ground floor windows. Above the first floor windows the bay is finished with a further frieze. To the second floor is a pair of semicircular-headed windows which are framed with moulded surround which comprises of pilasters, archivolt and keystone. The gable is curved in Jacobean style. Between the gables of the two properties there is a decorative rw hopper. To the centre of the ridge of the rear section is a tall shared chimney stack with rendered moulded decoration. There is a second smaller chimney stack to the eaves of the NW side of the rear section.

The N face of the ‘front’ section has a segmental arch headed window to the ground and first floors while the second floor level is blank..

The E face of the rear section is blank (to ground floor is the porch). The N face is a single storey canted bay, as before. To the left of the bay is a segmental headed window as before. The first floor has two segmental arch headed windows as before. The gable has a Jacobean design all as before.

The N face of the ground floor of the return has two widely spaced modern PVC kitchen windows. To the left side of the first floor are three windows with PVC frames. The ground floor of the W face is obscured by a further single storey extension which is part flat roofed and part pitched roof. The flat roofed portion appears to be of recent construction.

No 32 is the mirror image of no 34 with the following exceptions :-
The side single storey bay (to S elevation) and the S face of the porch have been re-rendered but without rustication.
To the S side of the main return is a modern PVC conservatory the W glazing of which ‘overlaps’ with the W wall of the return. To the first floor is a French window with a very small wrought iron balcony.
What appears to be a recently constructed single storey return has been added to the W of the main return.

There is a small roundel window to the E wall directly above the front porch.

The building is entirely rendered. The E face of the three storey sections have rustication to the ground floor. The N face of the three storey section of no 34 also has rustication to the ground floor. The remaining render is plain. Roofs are covered in natural slate. Cast iron rw goods. An original water pump remains attached to the N wall of the return of no.34.

Historical information

These houses are shown on the OS map of 1901 and probably date from c.1895.

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

Distinctive pair of large three storey late Victorian semi-detached stucco houses of c.1895 with Jacobean gables, two storey and single storey canted bays and mildly classical window and door mouldings. The three storey section of each dwelling is ‘L’ shaped with a single storey flat roofed porch to the crux of the ‘L’ while the rear two storey returns are ‘back to back’ creating a large single gabled return. Both now have PVC window frames throughout, with a large PVC conservatory to rear of no.32.