50 The Brae,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Much altered, extended and modernised, sprawling single storey gabled house, sited to the W of The Brae, just to the N of Ballygowan.

The front (SE) façade of the original section of this house has a recent left of centre hipped roof porch with PVC glazing to all sides and matching door to front. To the left is a window opening with PVC frame (similar frames to all windows). To the right of the door are two similar windows. These front windows have smooth render surrounds. To the front of the roof of this section are two recent hipped roof dormers with timber sides.

The SW gable has a large PVC conservatory attached, whilst that to the NE has a small window to the right.

To the rear is a large full height gabled extension which is in turn attached to a long sprawling extension, part of which may have been a former outbuilding. All of these extensions have more than doubled the size of the property and all are modern/thoroughly modernised with PVC windows, doors, etc.

To the left of this extension on the rear of the original house is a sheeted door and to the right is a window as front. The original section is finished in rough cast with quoins to the front. Its roof is Bangor blue slated and has three unevenly spaced rendered chimney stacks. Two Velux windows to the rear of the roof. The extensions are also finished in rough cast with similar roofs.

To the rear of this property is a large and unusual rock outcrop. When extending the house, the owners were forced to build around this outcrop thus giving the whole building a somewhat organic, zigzag plan.

Historical information

The OS map of 1834 shows a building roughly on the site of part of the present rear extension, but by 1858, the SE portion of the present house had been built. This new dwelling is noted in the valuation returns of c.1863 as being in possession of a Mary Burgess, with the older pre 1834 structure to the rear now acting as an outbuilding. The property remained largely in the same form until recently when it was greatly extended, possibly incorporating some elements of the outbuildings.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834, Down 16.
2 PRONI VAL1B/316C, pp.55-56 1st valuation Comber parish 1834.
3 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.40.
4 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60, Down 16.
5 PRONI 2nd valuation Comber parish c.1863.
6 EHS HB24/16/12 1st survey notes and slide.
7 EHS OS map 167-5 (1:2500) 1973-1990.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Small single storey house of c.1840s, now greatly extended at the rear and modernised throughout. The recently added dormers and porch to the front make for an awkward composition.