89 Saintfield Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, single and two storey gabled dwelling, set is ‘stepped’ formation on the N side of the Saintfield Road c.1 mile W of the hamlet of Balloo. This house has been renovated in recent times and now has modern windows and doors and a largely modern interior.
Front (S) facade is in three distinct ‘stepped’ blocks. In the centre of the central ‘block’ is a modern glazed door with large sidelight, both recessed. To the right and left of this is a large modern window. To the W of this block is another block set at a lower level which has two similar windows to the front. To the E of the central block is a two storey section which has a window (as before) to the ground floor.

The E gable has a window with modern frame to the ground floor and two more to the first floor (of varying size). The W gable is blank.

To the rear of the W block is a set of French doors to the right and a large bow window to the left. To the central block are four windows of varying size but all with modern frames. The left hand side of the rear facade of this block projects slightly.
To the rear of the two storey block to the E is a modern glazed door with a small single pane window directly above this to the first floor. There is a lean to car port attached to this facade.

The entire facade is finished in rough cast (and painted) with a smooth rendered recessed base.

The roofs of all the blocks are gabled and covered in Bangor blue slates. Four yellow brick chimneys (to the central and E blocks). PVC rw goods.

The W block was a stable/outbuilding until recently.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1834 and 1859-60, which probably corresponds to this dwelling, though undoubtedly all three ‘blocks’ of the property have evolved over the years. The western block was a stable/outbuilding until recent years and the two storey block to the east may have begun life as single storey. The windows of the original ‘house’ section of the property appear to have been enlarged at some point, possibly the in the later nineteenth or early twentieth century. The yellow brick chimneys were undoubtedly added at this time also.

The house is not mentioned in the first valuation returns of c.1835 (probably because it was below rateable value), however, the c.1861 returns indicate that the building housed two dwellings, in possession of a John Marshall and a John Ritchie who had leased them from Samuel Lowry. The current owner stated that this property has a license to sell alcohol, apparently obtained by a morally upright past owner simply because he/she wanted to gain the only license for the area and thus block the opening of any public house.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2005/1/1-47 Lowry Family Estate Papers- Title deeds to lands in Ballymacashen 1741-1930.
2 PRONI OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 16.
3 PRONI VAL 1B/335 p.35 (83) 1st valuation Killinchy parish, Ballymacashen Td., c.1835.
4 PRONI OS maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 16.
5 PRONI 2nd valuation Killinchy parish, Ballymacashen Td., c.1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Long, part single, part two storey house, of probable pre 1834 origin, set on a slight gradient on a roadside in ‘stepped’ formation. This property appears to have been renovated in late Victorian/Edwardian times and was ‘modernised' recently. It now has modern window frames and doors and a largely modern interior.