1-5 Belfast Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Group of three, two storey vernacular terrace houses, of perhaps c.1860, with sandstone facades. The houses are set on the E side of the Belfast Road, W of Comber town centre.

No.1 is to the S end and is built on the squint. To the centre of the ground floor on the front (W) façade is a timber sheeted door with small glazed panel encased with painted stone surround with cornice. To the right of this is a window with PVC frame. To the right of this is an elliptical headed carriage arch with brick dressings and timber sheeted double doors. To the first floor are three windows as the ground floor.

The rear façade is much smaller because the house sits on the squint. To the ground floor left at the rear is the rear of the carriage arch. To the right of this is a small window with PVC frame. To the first floor are two slightly larger windows with similar frames. There is a ‘side’ door (similar to front but with diamond shaped panel), within the carriage arch.

No.3 has a doorway, as before, to the right on the first floor. To the left of this is a window with modern frame with two similar windows to the first floor. To the rear there is a modern door to the left on the ground floor and a small window to the right with modern frame. To the first floor is a slightly larger window with a tiny window to its right (both with modern frames).

The front façade of No.5 is as No.3 only handed. To the ground floor at the rear there is a modern lean-to extension. To the first floor are two windows as first floor rear No.3 (but handed).

The façade of the entire terrace is in sandstone and the whole of the gabled roof covered in natural slate. Three brick chimney stacks. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods (PVC entirely to No.5).

Historical information

This stretch of terrace is not shown on the OS map of 1859, though it may have been built soon after this date. The owner of No.3 stated that she had been told that her house (and by implication Nos.1 and 5), was built in 1860.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
2 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and in the Linen Hall Library- the town plan to accompany this valuation is missing making identification of owners of properties largely impossible.]
3 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Group of three, two storey vernacular terrace houses of perhaps c.1860, with sandstone facades and modern window frames and doors.