The Stone House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, distinctive one and a half / two storey Arts & Crafts style house of 1930 by Denis O’D Hanna, with the usual features of the genre including expansive Westmoreland slated roof, stone façade, half-timbered jettied bay, dormers etc., with the whole ensemble set, somewhat dramatically, on a rocky coastline with a vast seascape backdrop. The building is located to the E of Warren Road, c.2 miles NW of Donaghadee.

Basically the building is L-shaped, but with a projections to E, W and the NE corner. The long portion of the ‘L’ runs roughly N to S with the (broader) ‘foot’ of the ‘L’ extending from the NW corner. The main entrance is located with a two storey half-timbered gabled bay to the left of centre of the W facing elevation of the long portion of the L.

The ground floor portion of the entrance bay is in undressed snecked rubble stone with dressed sandstone to the openings. The timber framed first floor is jettied. The main entrance faces W and consists of a timber door with narrow full length panels set into a bevelled sandstone reveal. To the S face of the ground floor of the porch is a multi-pane timber window . The first floor has a relatively large window with panes as before and a small upper opener. The floor overhang is supported on timber corbels whose two to front with their ends are carved in the form of grotesque human heads in the medieval manner.

To the left and right of the entrance bay the façade is single storey. To left is a large window with panes as before, whilst to the right are two windows, that to far right much larger but both with similar frames (as before). Directly above the far right window is a large flat roofed dormer with window frames as before.

The S facing façade of the shorter ‘foot’ of the ‘L’ is one and a half storey. To the ground floor are two large windows with frames as before, with two almost identical windows to the upper floor set into mono-pitched roof half-dormers. The upper level windows have brown brick dressings / quoins. The W facing gable of this section is uneven and had a buttress to left (which makes the wall to this side appear battered). To ground floor of the gable there is a large segmental headed glazed opening to left with integral door opening. To the right of this is a projecting stone chimneybreast.

The S gable of the main section of the ‘L’ is dominated by a (steeply pitched) hipped roof loggia with battered end walls, each with a large semicircular headed, multi-paned window (which look out to E and W respectively). The roof is also supported on two timber stanchions and to the rear wall (i.e. the gable itself) there is a central French window, with plain glazing. To the small exposed section of gable above the loggia there is a small single pane window.

The N elevation (i.e. the N face of the ‘foot’ of the ‘L’) has a complex appearance which dispenses with much of the niceties of the front elevations. It is two storey but with various single and one and a half storey off shoots. Two far left there is a one and a half storey gabled projection against gable there is a large single storey garage extension in brown brick. To the upper floor of the gable there is a small-ish multi-pane window. The right hand side of the elevation is dominated by a largely one and a half storey lean-to-like projection whose roof merges with the main roof. To the N face of this there is a small window with recent looking casement frame, with a much larger window to right with plate glass. To the roof of this section is a large hipped roof dormer with recent looking window frame. Between the lean-to section and the gable projection to left there spans a small conservatory-like linking section with a mono-pitched roof and panelled and glazed double door. Behind this section is a small exposed section of the first floor façade, which has two small-ish windows with what appear to be recent frames.

Like the N elevation, the rear elevation dispenses with many of the niceties of the front and has a less of an overtly ‘Arts & Crafts’ appearance and more of an (arguably) bland 1960s suburban villa. To the right of centre is a large two storey gabled bay in a mixture of brown brick with Westmoreland slate cladding to the gable and the area between the ground and first floor openings. To Ground floor is a large plate glass window flanked by much narrower windows with similar glazing. To first floor is a similar arrangement, but with shorter windows. To the short S face of the bay are two relatively small windows to the ground floor with two slightly shorter versions to the first floor. Those to the ground floor have plate glass, those above have recent looking frames with upper openers. The N face has a similar arrangement. The upper floor of the N face is abutted to right by a flat roofed dormer with plate glazing.

To the left of the bay is a large window with plate glazing. To roof above this is a large dormer with recent looking frame. To right of the bay are five windows of varying size most with recent looking frames. To this side a large section of the façade rises beyond eaves level into a very large, uneven gable with Westmoreland slate cladding to the apex. This gable contains a very long, squat window with recent looking frame. [Is this window ‘shared’ by two rooms?]. To far right the rear façade is single storey.

Much of the façade of the whole building is in snecked fieldstone [greywacke perhaps] with rough sandstone dressings and relieving arches to many openings. The expansive (mainly) gabled roof has a relatively steep pitch with an overhang and exposed rafter ends. The roof is covered in green-ish Westmoreland slate. There are three chimney stacks, one to main W gable in stone, with one to main ridge, one taller stack to N elevation, with a similar one to rear- all in brick. Cast iron rw goods with date ‘1930’ and initials [?]R [?]D.

Historical information

This house was built in 1930 to designs by Denis O’D Hanna. The name ‘The Stone House’ appears to be a later appellation, for there appears to be no building with this name listed in the 1930s directories for Donaghadee (thus making it difficult to trace the original owner).

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/2/[?6] OS map, 1939, Co Down 2

Secondary sources
1 Hugh Dixon, Ken Kenmuir and Jill Kennett, ‘Historic buildings…Donaghadee and Portpatrick’ (Belfast, 1977), p.29

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, distinctive one and a half / two storey Arts & Crafts style house of 1930 by Denis O’D Hanna, with the usual features of the genre including expansive Westmoreland slated roof, stone façade, half-timbered jettied bay, dormers etc., with the whole ensemble set, somewhat dramatically, on a rocky coastline with a vast seascape backdrop.