Rosebank, 8 Millisle Road, Donaghadee, Co Down

Rosebank is a Grade B+ listed house situated south of Donaghadee town centre, set back from Millisle Road at the end of a large lawn that was once formally planned as a garden. The building is largely symmetrical with gables, two storeys and an attic, accompanied by single and two storey wings. It is probably of late 17th century origin, dating from around 1680, but underwent significant renovation and extension in the later 1700s, with further renovation and extension in 1997.

The front south-west facing elevation of the original dwelling projects 300mm and is dominated by a central four-panelled front door cased with Doric columns, entablature, fluted frieze and cornice. To the left and right of this central section are two sliding sash windows each, with a further five matching windows positioned equally on the first floor, all fitted with Georgian panes. Flanking the central section on both the left and right are two-storey lean-to bays that appear on the Dillon map of 1680. At ground floor these contain one large central window opening flanked by two narrow openings, with a Diocletian window directly above. The openings to the left are blocked, whilst those to the right are glazed with Georgian panes to the lower section and plain glazing to the upper section without astragals. To the left and right of these bays are single-storey gabled projections, each with one tall sliding sash window. The projection to the left is the high-ceilinged ballroom dating from around 1790. The projection to the right is a recently constructed two-storey house built in 1997-98. The large window to the right lights a double-volume entrance hall. To the left of the left-hand gable is a short wall with a semi-circular headed opening containing a timber pass door. The north-west facade of the single-storey section has no openings but features a rendered chimney stack rising to the apex of the gable. The upper section of the original house is visible over the roof line, displaying two sliding sash windows with Georgian panes and a chimney stack to the gable apex.

The rear elevation is complex, comprising four separate sections. To the far right is the rear of the ballroom with two tall sliding sash windows. To its left is a double-hipped roofed projection dating from approximately 1770-80, which is three storeys high and features a mixture of medium-width, narrow, round-headed and tripartite windows, all with Georgian panes. To the left of this stands a two-storey bow-fronted projection from the 1780s, with tall sliding sash windows to the ground floor and shorter sliding sash windows to the first floor, all fitted with Georgian panes. A tall chimney stack rises from the left gable of the bow projection, which is topped with a half-cone shaped roof. To the left of the bow-fronted extension is the rear of the recently constructed house, featuring a flat-roofed extension with one drop-hung tripartite window with Georgian panes. The flat roof serves as a balcony to the upper room, accessed through modern French windows with margins and a barrel-vaulted half-dormered roof over a plain fanlight. A very small square window is positioned to the far right of this section.

The south-east facade features a simple symmetrical gable on the left with a simple stone door surround to a central six-panelled door with a shallow two-pane fanlight. To the left and right of the door are drop-hung windows with Georgian panes, with two further matching windows positioned evenly on the first floor. To the right of the gable stands the blank side of the flat-roofed extension with a curved screen wall to the side of the balcony, which will probably have a wrought iron railing added.

All walls and chimney stacks are rendered. The sloping roofs are covered in Bangor blue slates, and the building is fitted throughout with cast iron rainwater goods.