The Beeches

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively plain two storey gabled farm house of c.1861, extended at the rear in recent times.
The W facade originally contained the front entrance to this house, but it was replaced with a large-ish Georgian paned sash window recently. The outline of the doorway is still discernible below this window. To the left of the doorway is a similar (but slightly smaller) sash window, with two more to the right of the doorway. To the first floor are four unevenly spaced windows, similar to before but much smaller.
The N gable has a sash window (as before) to the left on the ground floor and a smaller ‘tilt’ window (with Georgian panes) to the centre left on the first floor.
The S gable appears to have had a conservatory attached to it until recently, the outline of which can still be discerned. To the right on the ground floor is a glazed door. To the right on the first floor is a ‘tilt’ window, as N gable. The S gable merges into the S face of a lean-to projection at the rear. To the left of centre at the rear is a large single storey gabled return. The gable of this return contains a glazed door with sash window (much as before) to the left. To both the N and S faces of the return is a broad sash window (much as before). Joined to the N face of the return, and to the rear of the main house, is a recent flat roofed conservatory.
To the left of the return (on the rear facade of the lean-to section attached to the main house) is a small sash window.
The facade of the main house is finished in pebbledash render, with plain render to the return. Both main and return roofs have Bangor blue slates, with three rendered chimney stacks to the main roof (unevenly spaced). PVC rw goods.
Covered well at the end of lane at rear of house.

Historical information

With its Georgian paned sash windows and uneven arrangement of the front facade and chimneys, one could easily suspect that this house assumed much of its present form in the early 1800s. However, the property is not shown on the OS map of 1834 nor on that of 1859-60, the first evidence for a house on the site coming from the valuation returns of c.1861 which state that there was an ‘unfinished’ dwelling on the site at this point, in the possession of a Thomas Stewart. This ‘unfinished’ house may only correspond in part to the building we see today, however, as the spacing of the chimneys and the low doorways suggest, the original building may have been at least partly single storey.
The large return was added in the 1980s and the original entrance replaced by a window around the same time.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 17.
2 PRONI 2nd valuation, Killinchy parish, Killinchy td., 1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Largely plain two storey former farmhouse of c.1861 whose asymmetric front facade and Georgian paned sash windows give the impression of a much older building. The original front entrance was recently replaced by a window and a kitchen extension and flat roofed conservatory have been added to what was the rear façade.