162 & 164 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood, County Down, BT18 0EY

A symmetrical two-storey plus attic semi-detached Victorian dwelling built around 1885, located on the north side of the main Bangor to Belfast Road adjacent to the entrance to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

The pair displays the style and proportions typical of late 19th-century architecture, though extensive modifications to the adjoining dwelling have compromised the overall character and integrity of the group. While of local interest because of the connection with William Adolphus Ross, a well-known producer of Belfast mineral waters, they represent a common type of the period and not one of the best examples of the style.

The principal elevation faces north and forms the right half of a symmetrically arranged façade. A two-storey canted bay breaks through eaves level to the left. The door is positioned to the left and surmounted by a bipartite window embraced by a broken cornice with a gable head over. The left gable is abutted by the adjoining dwelling.

The building features pitched natural slate roofing with crested terracotta ridge tiles and finials, replacement uPVC barge boards, and a large moulded cavetto cornice to the eaves. Tall chimney-stacks have recessed panels and corbelled upper courses. Ogee moulded cast-iron gutters with circular downpipes (some uPVC replacement) are present. The walls are constructed in English Garden-wall bond red brick with pin tuck pointing (eroded) and largely repointed with cement, featuring a moulded corbel course to the eaves at the rear. The principal entrance comprises a timber double door with etched glazed panels and a segmental arched overlight, embraced by a double chamfered segmental arched opening. uPVC replacement double glazed windows are throughout.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. A two-storey cat-slide return to the left comprises various window openings and is abutted at ground floor by a gable-end red brick extension. A single window opens to ground and first floor left of the return, with two modern dormers breaking through the roof pitch. An additional flat-roofed extension abuts the left face of the return at the re-entrant to the west gable.

The right elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a projecting gabled right bay with attic level, abutted by a ground floor projected box-bay featuring a tripartite round-headed replacement window with decorative spandrels and surmounted by a cast-iron parapet. A replacement tripartite first floor window and bipartite attic window are present, along with a decorative cast-iron clustered downpipe and brackets. A single-storey flat-roofed entrance bay to the right comprises the front entrance (apartment no.164) at the left and a replacement window with opaque glazing to the right. The roof is enclosed by a decorative cast-iron parapet and modern uPVC fence, forming a balcony. A modified semi-canted bay is located at the re-entrant of the gable at first floor level over the front entrance.

The site is bounded to the west by a hedge, with a paved yard to the south elevation bounded by timber fence and the busy road beyond. Timber decking fronts the north elevation. Mature vegetation obscures views on approach. A two-storey detached dwelling stands adjacent to the west.

Historical Context

Cultra began developing in the second half of the 19th century following the opening of the railway in 1865. By the time of the Ordnance Survey in 1900–02, several medium-sized villas had appeared in the area, catering to professional and mercantile classes seeking to escape Belfast's poor conditions whilst remaining within easy reach of their businesses. The current house appears uncaptioned, positioned equidistant from both Cultra and Craigavad stations.

This semi-detached pair was built by William Adolphus Ross, a well-known producer of Belfast mineral waters who had formerly lived further north at 'The Ivies'. The houses first appear in valuation records in 1886, initially vacant and both owned by W.A. Ross. They were valued at £30 each, raised to £45 in 1887 as they were completed. William Ross became the occupier of one house in 1887 and lived there until his death in September 1900, leaving a modest fortune of over £4,000.

William A. Ross & Son were the chief rivals to Cantrell & Cochrane in the production of Belfast mineral waters. The company sank one of their wells to 420 feet to ensure absolute purity and equilibrium of temperature. Founded in 1876, the firm was among Ireland's foremost producers of aerated water. They were also celebrated for their high-class raspberry vinegar, prepared from special berries grown at Mr Ross's own gardens at Craigavad, County Down. These berries possessed a peculiarly delicate and delicious flavour, producing a beverage unsurpassed by any fruit drink in the market.

After William Ross's death, his house passed to John W. Lemon and then to Elizabeth Nelson, a 45-year-old widow from Wales, who was resident at the time of the 1911 census. She lived with her three children, a spinster older sister, and two servants (a Scottish cook and a house parlour maid from county Antrim). By 1918 the house was owned by William J. Orr.

The second house in the pair was vacant for some time after construction. Margaret Ferrie was the first noted occupier in 1890, followed by George M. Shaw in 1897. Shaw, a linen merchant, lived with his Scottish wife and a domestic servant, Rosetta McLees. By 1909 the occupier was Mrs Annabella Eddowes, an English widow aged 69 living on returns from investments in houses and shares, with a staff of three (a cook from Scotland, a waitress from Tipperary, and a housemaid from county Armagh). The house passed to George Ward in 1913 and Edith M. Ward in 1919.

Both houses were converted into apartments in the mid-20th century and remain in domestic use.