12 New Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two and a half storey Edwardian free style terrace house; part of a distinctive asymmetric block of c.1905 by James A. Hanna containing three dwellings sporting a typical Hannaesque mixture of canted bays with scalloped parapets, half dormer gables and prominent chimneys and all executed in a mixture of brick, stone and rough cast. No.12 forms the east end of the terrace and is largely identical to the middle property, no.14, with both ultimately traditional plan terrace houses dressed in a façade of Edwardian electicism. No.16, to the west end, is slightly larger and of less traditional, freer plan. The terrace is sited on the S side of New Road, to the N of Donaghadee town centre.

The asymmetric front (N) façade has a (slightly decorative) glazed and panelled front door, with simple four pane fanlight over, to the right side on the ground floor. To the left is a two storey canted flat roofed bay with decorative scalloped parapet. Each face of the bay to each floor has a simple casement six pane window, with those to first floor shorter. Each of the windows is dressed with sandstone surrounds. To attic level a large gabled half-dormer is centred on the bay and sports a three-pane casement window. The edges of the front dormer wall are battered while the gable has a moulded coping.

The ground floor of the E gable has two casement windows to the left side- that to the far left is six pane while that to the right is narrower with 3 panes. To the left side of the first floor is a wide, 9-pane casement window. To either side of the second floor (set within the gable) are two evenly spaced plain casement windows. To the right of centre is a slightly projecting chimney breast which is formed in brick. This rises vertically through ground and first floors then offsets to the left and then rises to the gable chimneystack.

To the right side of the rear S elevation is a 6-pane casement window to the ground floor, while the left side is obscured by a two storey gabled return. The W face of the return is blank while the gabled S face has a small recently added lean-to, brick faced, porch addition to the left side on the ground floor. There is a large, modern looking single storey flat roofed extension attached to the S face of the return also, somewhat lower in height than the lean-to. To the centre of the first floor of the return gable is a 2/2 sash window. To the left side of the ground floor of the E face of the return is a wide modern window. To the right side is a relatively wide 2/2 sash window. To the right side of the first floor are three narrow sash windows, (2/2, 2/2 and 1/1 respectively reading L to R). A tall chimneystack rises from the middle of the eaves of the S façade. There is a small Velux window to the centre of the main rear roof.

The return, the rear elevation and the first floor of the N façade are all finished in roughcast render. The ground floor of the N and E façades are finished in facing brick. The main and return roofs are covered with natural slate. Cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

The terrace was designed in 1905 (but possibly not built until c.1907) by James A. Hanna for Mr. Francis McCormick JP. No 16 became Mr McCormick’s home while the remaining houses were a speculative development.

References- Primary sources
1 Copy of the architect’s original drawing [In the possession of the owner of no.14.]
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.25

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, two and a half storey Edwardian free style terrace house; part of a distinctive asymmetric block of c.1905 by James A. Hanna containing three dwellings sporting a typical Hannaesque mixture of canted bays with scalloped parapets, half dormer gables and prominent chimneys and all executed in a mixture of brick, stone and rough cast. No.12 forms the east end of the terrace and is largely identical to the middle property, no.14, with both ultimately traditional plan terrace houses dressed in a façade of Edwardian electicism. No.16, to the west end, is slightly larger and of less traditional, freer plan.