21-23 Saintfield Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, single storey gabled block containing two houses, set on the N side of the Saintfield Road, less than 1 mile W of Killinchy.

No.21 is to the E side. The front S facade has a timber sheeted door to the right with a sash window (with horizontal astragals) to the right of this. To the left of the door (and widely spaced) are two similar windows. The front facade is finished in rough cast and painted. The very top of the facade has been re-rendered (previously this area was covered by the edge of the thatch. The E gable is blank and appears to have been re-rendered in rough cast recently. The rear is partly covered in greenery. To the far left is a timber sheeted door, to the right of this is a square four pane window and to the right of this is a smaller casement window. The rear facade is whitewashed and the very top of the facade has been rendered (for similar reasons to the front).

No.23 is much smaller than its neighbour. The front facade has a small gabled porch to the right. This porch is mainly glazed and has a timber sheeted door and a felt covered roof. To the left of this are two sash windows. The front facade is finished in rough cast and painted. The W gable now has a large timber lean to shed attached. To the rear there is two sash windows, the one to the right larger. The rear facade is (mainly) unrendered and painted.

The roof of the entire block is gabled and covered in corrugated iron (the roof was thatched until recently). Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

The original survey of this property in 1974 noted that the was an inscribed stone on the E gable which apparently read Built by James Orley A.D. 1813. This stone is not readily apparent now, however. It may have been rendered over or it could be covered by the ivy on the gable.

Historical information

This block is shown on the OS maps of 1834 and 1859-60, and (as the date stone on the wall is said to have stated) appears to have been built in 1813. The valuation records of c.1835 do not give any details as to the ownership of the house(s) but the second valuation of c.1861 notes that they were at that stage in the possession of a James Oprey. This would suggest that the name on the date stone on the gable is likely to have been ‘Oprey’ [?O’Prey] rather than ‘Orley’, as stated in the original survey notes of 1974.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 16.
2 PRONI VAL 1B/335 p.45 (45) 1st valuation Killinchy parish, Balloo Td., c.1835.
3 PRONI OS maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 16.
4 PRONI 2nd valuation Killinchy parish, Balloo Td., c.1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plain single storey vernacular block containing two dwellings probably built in 1813. Until recently this block had a thatched roof but this has recently been replaced with corrugated iron.