Hillville

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

‘Hillville’ is an odd, roughly ‘L’ shaped mainly two storey farmhouse which appears to have been built in two distinct sections. It is situated on a slight rise at the end of a lane way off the Ballyblack Road, c.2 miles SW of Newtownards.

The ‘front’ section to the E is one storey with an attic and is late Victorian in appearance.

The partly gabled two storey (return-like) section to the rear has been modernised and is now plain, but may be much older.

Front E facade has timber and glazed central double door with sidelights and elliptical arch fanlight with ‘gothic’ tracery, all set within an elliptical arched opening. To either side of the doorway is a single sash window with horizontal astragals set within opening with segment arch head. Above each window is a cornice hood on brackets. Directly above the doorway is a window with pointed arch head and horizontal astragals to sash frame. This window is set within a gabled half dormer with decorative barges and finial.

The left hand side of the N facade has a similar central half dormer, with window to right on ground floor as front, but smaller and without cornice hood and brackets.

The N facade of the rear (older) section has three modern windows to the centre and left on the first floor. To the left on the ground floor is a single storey lean to projection with a small modern window to the left and larger window to the right. In between these is a flat roofed porch which contains a modern glazed door. To the right of the lean to is another modern window.

The rear (W) gable of this ‘older’ section is blank.

The S facade of the ‘older’ section has a large single storey flat roofed extension to the left, with large modern window, another large modern window to the right of this and a glazed door to the far right. To the first floor are three modern windows. There is an extremely narrow sash window at rear of the front (late Victorian) section, at the intersection of the ‘older’ portion.

The S facade of the ‘late Victorian section has a ground floor window as front, with a half dormer (also as front), directly above. The whole building is finished in lined render. The front section has a yellow brick dentilled eaves course, a chamfered plinth and vermiculated quoins.

The roof of this section is hipped with Bangor blue slates and two yellow brick chimney stacks. The roof of the rear section also has Bangor blue slates, but is partly hipped, partly gabled, with one rendered chimney stack. Cast iron rw goods to front section, PVC to rear.

Historical information

The OS Map of 1834 shows a building on the site of the present section to the rear. The revised map of c.1860 shows the building much as today, with the section to the east. The present eastern portion, however, has a late Victorian look, and may have been renovated, or possibly rebuilt, after 1860. The current owner (1998) believes that the rear section may be 18th century in origin, however, it has now been modernised.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Edition, 1834, Down 6.
2 PRONI VAL 1B/34 1st valuation, Newtownards, c.1835.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, 1860, Down 6.
4 PRONI 2nd valuation, Newtownards, c.1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Odd, one and a half and two storey, farmhouse consisting of a somewhat decorative late Victorian entrance section and a possibly much older, but now plainer, section to the east. The interior layout of the house reflects this distinction in age.