The Beeches, 23 Church Hill, Killinchy, [near Killinchy village], Co Down, BT23 6PP

The Beeches, 23 Church Hill, Killinchy

A plain two-storey former farmhouse dating from around 1861, built in the vernacular tradition. The asymmetric arrangement of its front facade and Georgian paned sash windows create the impression of a building considerably older than its actual date.

The main house has a gabled form and is finished in pebbledash render. The west facade originally contained the front entrance, now replaced with a large Georgian paned sash window, though the outline of the former doorway remains visible beneath it. To the left of this position is a slightly smaller sash window with Georgian panes, and two further similar windows to the right. The first floor of this facade has four unevenly spaced windows, smaller in scale than those below. The roof is finished in Bangor blue slate with three rendered chimney stacks positioned unevenenly along its length.

The north gable contains a sash window on the ground floor to the left, with a smaller tilt window (fitted with Georgian panes) positioned centre-left on the first floor. The south gable previously had a conservatory attached, whose outline remains discernible. A glazed door is positioned to the right on the ground floor, with a matching tilt window on the first floor.

A large single-storey gabled return has been added to the rear, with plain render finish. Its gable faces include a glazed door with a sash window to the left. Broad sash windows sit on both the north and south faces of this return. A flat-roofed conservatory has been joined to the north face of the return. The rear of the main house includes a lean-to projection, with a small sash window visible on the rear facade of this section.

Historical records indicate that the property does not appear on Ordnance Survey maps of 1834 or 1859-60. The valuation returns of around 1861 record an 'unfinished' dwelling on the site in the possession of Thomas Stewart. The original building may have been partly single-storey, as suggested by the spacing of the chimney stacks and low doorways. The large return was added during the 1980s, at which time the original entrance was replaced with a window. Recent additions include a kitchen extension and flat-roofed conservatory. A covered well survives at the end of the lane to the rear of the house. Rainwater goods are modern PVC.