21-25 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Block of three identical two and a half storey terrace houses of 1902, set on the slope on the NW side of High Street.

No.21 is to the NE side. To the left on the ground floor is a recent panelled and glazed door with plain segmental headed fanlight. The doorway has a chamfered reveal with in/out yellow brick dressings with keystone, as do all front façade openings. To the left of this is a pair of window openings with segmental heads and PVC frames. To the first floor are two similar windows set slightly further apart than those to the ground floor. These windows are set on a yellow brick cill course with a decorative ‘hound’s tooth’ course at window head level. The front façade is in red brick. Above the first floor windows are two yellow brick courses with a yellow brick eaves course to the roof overhang. To the front of the natural slated gabled roof is a gabled dormer with modern window frame and plain barge boards. The dormer has vertical hung Bangor blue slates to the sides.

The front facades of Nos.23 and 25 are the same as 25 except that both have traditional panelled doors, vertical hung red clay tiles to the dormer sides and decorative red clay ridge tiles. The exposed sections of the gables to each end of the block are blank.

To the right on the rear façade of each property is a two storey return, set on the squint. That to No.21 could only be seen from a distance. It is gabled with a sash window to the first floor of the gable end. The NE façade could not be seen. The main rear façade has a small window with PVC frame to the right at the attic landing level. The rest of the façade could not be seen, but both it and the return appear to be entirely finished in plain render.

The return to No.23 has two windows and a door to the ground floor on the NE side with two further windows to the first floor and one to the first floor of the NW end. This end also has a modern lean-to shed to the ground floor. The return has a flat roof. The main rear façade has a window to the left on the ground floor and one to the left on the first floor. There is a smaller window to the right at the attic landing level. All the windows have PVC frames. This façade and the return are finished in limestone chip render.

The rear of No.25 is largely original with the whole façade in brick and with a (natural slated) gabled roof to the return. The window/door openings are the same as No.23 but with original sash window frames apart from that to the ground floor of the main rear façade which is PVC. There is a small shed with mono-pitched (corrugated PVC) roof to the gable of the return.

Each house has a Velux window to the rear side of the roof and a tall yellow brick chimney, with corbelling, to the NE side. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods to whole block.

Historical information

These houses were built in 1902 by a local general merchant and developer named Ritchie. The site was formerly occupied by four single storey dwellings.

References- Primary sources
1 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

Two and a half storey terrace block of 1902 containing three identical houses, with red and yellow brick facades and gabled dormers. The front façade of each property is generally intact though all of the window frames are now PVC.