2-10 Zion Place

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Terrace on the eastern side of Newtownards consisting of five, two storey gabled houses, probably dating from c.1850. This terrace is now awkwardly situated on the E side of a busy roundabout.

No.2 is at the S end of the terrace. Its front W facade has an ‘Ards’ doorway to the left with blocked (James Gibbs-like) surround and semicircular arch head with keystone. This encases a timber panelled door and plain fanlight. To the right of this is a sash window with horizontal glazing bars with two more to the first floor. The front facade is finished in lined render.

The S gable is blank.

There is a large full height gabled return to right side of the rear.

The gable of the return has a modern kitchen window to the ground floor, with a sheeted timber door (leading to a basement store) below this. The S facade of the return has a modern glazed door to the ground floor and a modern window to the first floor. The left side of the rear of the main house has a modern window to the ground and first floors. The rear is finished in plain render.

The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and a rendered chimney stack to the S gable. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods. Remains of dry WC to rear.

No.4 is the largest house in the terrace and is double fronted. Central doorway as No.2, but slightly wider and with two panes to fanlight. Window to right of doorway as No.2, with three evenly spaced windows to first floor. Windows appear to have been replaced recently. To left of doorway is a large ‘elliptical’ arch carriage doorway with [?original] timber sheeted double doors with heads of bolts showing. The front facade is finished in plain render.

The rear of this house appears to have been extended on a number of occasions and now completely taken up with a massive full height gabled return with basement. The N side of the return merges with a lean to extension. The gable of the return (including the W facade of the lean to) has a timber sheeted basement door to the right. To the ground floor right is a plain (modern) sheeted rear door with plain fanlight with a modern window to the immediate left and right. There are two small single pane windows to the upper level. The S facade of the return has a fixed light window to the left on the ground floor level. Small modern window to first floor right exposed section of rear of main house. The return has a rough cast finish.

The main roof is pitched and has Bangor blue slates to the front, but there are asbestos free slates to the rear and the return. Large Velux window to rear also. Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

No.6 has a similar front facade arrangement to No.2 but the ground floor window is slightly closer to the doorway, the door is of the modern glazed and panelled variety, and the windows are modern also.

The rear of the house has been greatly extended and now has a large sprawling one and two storey flat roofed return with modern windows (and a glazed door) throughout.

The front facade is finished in lined render, the rear in a mixture of plain render, rough cast and concrete brick. The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and a rendered chimney stack. PVC rw goods.

No.8 has a similar front facade arrangement to No.2 with a timber panelled door, but modern windows.

To the rear is a full height flat roofed return with modern windows and door.

The front facade is finished in lined render, the rear in rough cast.

The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates with a rendered chimney stack. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

No.10 is similar to No.8, but has patterned glass to the fanlight and to the upper panes of the modern windows.

N gable blank and rendered.

To the rear is a large full height, flat roofed return with PVC windows and door (to S facade), with a PVC window to both ground and first floor of rear (W) of main house.

Front facade finished in lined render, rear in rough cast.

Pitched roof with Bangor blue slates and rendered chimney stack to N gable. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

This terrace is shown on the OS Map of c.1860 (but not that of 1834) and probably dates from the 1850s. The properties were probably constructed by one of the Londonderry’s (possibly the 3rd Marquess), the then owners of much of Newtownards. The owner of No.4 stated that his property was the first to be built and served as the ‘key house’ for the whole terrace, that is the dwelling of the leaseholder of the whole grouping. This house also once had a doorway between it and No.2, to the south side. All of the houses now have large returns, all of which appear to be of twentieth century construction.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, 1860, Down 6.
2 PRONI 2nd valuation, Newtownards, c.1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey terrace probably dating from the 1850s with 'Ards' dooorways. The rear of each property has been much extended at the rear.