63 King's Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey three-bay red-brick house, built in 1907 to designs by Blackwood & Jury, Belfast. Rectangular plan form facing N with two storey rear return, a single storey canted extension to rear S and detached red-brick gabled garage to E. Situated to the S of the King's Road with stepped red brick boundary walling having reconstituted stone coping and square section red brick piers.

Pitched fibre cement roof with terracotta roll top ridge tiles and projecting eaves. Painted timber bargeboards to E and W, timber soffit and facia with ogee uPVC guttering discharging to circular section uPVC downpipes. Rectangular section red brick chimneys to each gable with moulded capping. E chimney has terracotta pots and W has a mixture of buff and terracotta pots.

Walling is generally English Garden Wall bond with cement pointing set on raised red brick plinth. Windows are typically square-headed top hung uPVC casements with bevelled edge surrounds.

Principal elevation

Front elevation faces N consisting of a central doorcase flanked by two-storey three-sided canted bays having hipped roofs. Doorcase has square headed painted timber six panel door with semi-circular arch decorative fanlight above and similar red brick drip mould with moulded red sandstone corbel stops. Original brass doorbell and letterbox with later metal plaque displaying: 'Linbrook'. Door opens onto a set of three brick steps. Segmental arched red brick window opening at FF level above door. Canted bays have continuous painted stone cills at each level; dog's tooth brick course above GF window heads and moulded brick course below FF cills.

East elevation
Window openings not recorded as there was no access at the time of survey.
Rectangular section red brick mid-ridge chimney to roof with painted timber bargeboard to gable and red brick walling throughout. Mono-pitch block is set back from main building having a window blocked with red brick, originally with square head, at FF level. Recent extension projects from mono-pitched block to S having canted southern end with hipped roof and corner windows.

Building is attached on the E to a single storey red brick garage by a red brick wall with square headed gate opening, having a brick pediment above, and painted timber gate. Garage has varnished boarded timber vehicular door to N, stepped brick kneelers and reconstituted stone coping to raised gables.

South elevation
South elevation not recorded as there was no access at the time of survey.

West elevation
No openings to W elevation, rectangular section red brick mid-ridge chimney with painted timber bargeboard to gable and red brick walling throughout. Mono-pitch two storey rear block is set back from main building with a single storey flat roofed block filling space. Recent extension projects to S from mono-pitched return.

Setting
Situated along King's Road No. 63, now known as Linbrook, is set back from the road having stepped red brick boundary walling enclosing gravel yard to front. Painted timber side gates to E and W lead to garden at rear.

Roof: fibre cement
Walling: red brick
RWGs: uPVC
Windows: uPVC

Historical information

No. 63 King’s Road, a two-storey three-bay red-brick house located in the townland of Ballycloghan, was constructed in 1907. The second edition Ordnance Survey map (1858) records that Ballycloghan remained predominantly rural in character in the mid-19th century and that only a small number of gentleman’s or merchants mansions had been constructed by that time (including Cabin Hill, Thornhill and Belmont House). The map also shows that the King’s Road (known as Church Road until c. 1902) formed the main road to Comber and that the stretch of road between the Sandown and Knock Roads had not been constructed at that time (the new segment was depicted in plan form on the contemporary Griffith’s Valuation map). The laying out of the railway between Belfast and Comber resulted in the rapid development of the area. Knock Railway Station was sited to the immediate south-west of No. 63 King’s Road (where the railway line intersected with the Knock Road) and helped turn the former countryside into a residential suburb by the end of the 19th century.

No. 63 King’s Road was constructed on land owned by Edward Emerson, a corn merchant and agent who operated from the Corn Exchange on Victoria Street and resided at Enderly House on the Knock Road (UTD). No. 63 King’s Road (which was also known as ‘Syringa’) was designed by Blackwood & Jury, an architectural partnership formed between William Blackwood and Percy Morgan Jury in 1901. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that the firm carried out a large amount of contracts for the Ulster Bank although the firm were also heavily involved in domestic and commercial contracts in Belfast and designed a number of other houses on the Knock and King’s Roads (DIA).

The Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of Syringa at £40 upon its completion in 1907. Emerson leased the site to William George Tweedie, a ‘fancy pot maker’ who resided at the house with his wife Margaret and their four children. The 1911 census described No. 63 King’s Road as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of nine rooms. The Tweedie family continued to reside at the house until c. 1920 when a Mr. Matthew Burns took possession of the house. The Burns family remained at the address until the 1950s and under the First General Revaluation of Property of Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of No. 63 King’s Road was increased to £60. In 1956 the house was occupied by a Mr. J. D. Farrell who remained at the site until the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time the total rateable value of the building stood at £64.

Field inspection of the site carried out as part of the Second Survey has found that the single-storey extension to the rear of No. 63 King’s Road is a recent addition to the house. The building continues to be utilised as a private dwelling.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/5/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1858)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/5/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1901-02)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/5/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1919-20)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/5/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1938-39)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/L/2-11 – Annual Revisions (1897-1930)
6. PRONI VAL/3/C/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
7. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/28 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
8. Ulster Town Directories (1901-1943)
9. Census of Ireland (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

Two-storey three-bay red-brick house, built in 1907 to designs by Blackwood & Jury, Belfast. The house, now known as Linbrook, has some character and some interesting detailing which is enhanced by red brick walling, painted timber bargeboards and red sandstone dressings; the most notable feature being the original fanlight doorcase and painted timber six panel door. Although a good quality building, it has undergone some recent alterations which detract from its interest, such as replacement uPVC windows and fibre cement roof tiles and is not considered of sufficient architectural or historic interest to merit listing.