8 Shandon Park

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Semi-detached three-bay two-storey with dormer attic brick and rendered Arts and Crafts-style villa built 1906 having projecting gable to west and gabled rear return to east. The house is one of semi-detached buildings and is attached to 6 Shandon Park to south side (HB26/11/006A). The building is set back from and parallel to Shandon Park and is located within its own gardens with driveway and tarmac parking to west and south and gardens to east.

Pitched natural slate roof with saw-tooth terracotta ridge tiles and finial to dormer; decorative painted bargeboard and eaves board, uPVC ogee moulded guttering discharging to uPVC square downpipes. Two-stage roughcast rendered chimney stack to north having flat sandstone coping with terracotta pots. Brick central shared chimney having cornice to sandstone coping and circular terracotta pots. Pitched slate roof to rear return.

Three bay front elevation faces west and has two-storey canted bay to south having leaded hipped roof, single-storey central entrance porch with leaded hipped roof and dormer to south-west. Red brick ground floor and roughcast rendered upper floors with projecting rendered cornice stringcourse between ground and first floor. Projecting rendered plinth to canted bay, painted stone sill course to ground and first floor and painted header course to ground floor windows. Timber framed glazing to entrance porch. Square-headed window openings to ground floor and segment-headed openings with moulded surround to first floor. One over one timber sliding sash windows to ground floor and six over one timber sliding sash windows to upper floors with central window to canted bay having eight over one timber sliding sash window. Dormer has pitched slate roof with decorative bargeboard with finial, rendered walls and square-headed opening with pair of timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed door opening with timber panelled entrance door having multi-pane fanlight over and flanked by sidelights. Entrance approached by a short-flight of concrete steps with painted rendered plinth having chamfered coping.

South elevation has painted red brick ground floor and six over one segmental arched window to first floor of main house; square headed opening to ground floor and one-over-one sash. Rear return is three-bay two-storey with red brick ground floor with rough-cast rendered upper floor with decorative brick string course. Square-headed openings with painted rendered sills. Two over two timber sliding sash windows.

East elevation has central gabled rear return, two-storey flat-roof extension and single-storey smooth rendered extension with mono-pitch slate roof to north bay. Square-headed opening to first floor of rear extension having margin paned timber sliding sash window with coloured glazing.

North elevation is attached to adjacent property 6 Shandon Park (HB26/11/006A).

Setting: Building is set within its own grounds having tarmac driveway and parking to south and west. Single-storey outbuilding is located to south-east and is enclosed by timber sheeted fence and gateway leading to rear garden. Gardens to rear enclosed by mature hedge boundary. Paving to west and mature planting and hedge boundary to west and trees to south.

Materials:

Roof: Natural slate
RWG: uPVC
Walls : Red brick and roughcast render
Windows: Timber sliding sash

Historical information

Nos 6-8 Shandon Park, a pair of two-and-a-half-storey semi-detached Edwardian houses located near the corner of the Knock Road, were constructed in c. 1906. The third edition Ordnance Survey map (1902) depicted Shandon Park along its current layout but recorded that the townland of Knock remained predominantly rural in character by the turn of the 20th century. Shandon Park was first included in the Ulster Town Directories in 1895 and by 1902 approximately ten dwellings had been constructed along the new residential street (UTD). The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that the majority of the houses on Shandon Park were constructed in the late-1920s and early-1930s with the Edwardian nos 6-8 Shandon Park predating most of the neighbouring dwellings (DIA).

Nos 6-8 Shandon Park were originally known as ‘Woodlee’ and were constructed on land owned by William Kerr, a local builder and contractor who resided at Lindesfarne on the Holywood Road. The Annual Revisions record that the semi-detached houses had been completed and occupied by 1906 when they were valued for the first time. No. 8 Shandon Park was initially valued at £33 and was first occupied by Henry A. Cutler, a civil engineer who was City Surveyor to Belfast Corporation. In 1911 the census building return described Cutler’s house as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of nine rooms. The semi-detached houses were first depicted on the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21) which depicted the pair along their current layouts possessing two-storey rear returns suggesting that no major structural changes have been made to the buildings since the early 20th century. Cutler had vacated No. 8 Shandon Park by the 1930s when the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) noted that William McIlhagga, a local flax merchant, had taken possession of the dwelling which was increased in value to £51. Ownership of nos 6-8 Shandon Park had passed to a Mr. W. J. McAlister by the Second Revaluation (1956-72) which further raised the value of No. 8 to £60 and recorded a Mr. W. H. Mulholland as occupant. During the Second Survey No. 8 Shandon Park continued to be utilised as a private dwelling.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/4/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1834)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1902)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21)
5. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/L/6-11 – Annual Revisions (1906-1930)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/30 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1901-1943)
10. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects – http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A well-proportioned and detailed building which retains some of its Edwardian character. The house, along with No. 6 Shandon Park adjoining (HB26/11/006A), was constructed in 1906 and the pair were originally known as 'Woodlee'. They pre-date the majority of houses on Shandon Park, which were constructed in the late-1920s and early 1930s. Although of some interest there are better examples of this style listed and it is not considered of special historic or architectural interest.