2 The Crescent, Holywood, County Down, BT18 9AY

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay polychromatic brick mid-terrace house, built in 1864, situated south of High Street in Holywood town centre. The house is rectangular on plan with an L-shaped return to the rear.

The principal elevation faces west and displays Flemish bonded polychromatic brickwork with a dentilled brick course at ground level and a cornice to the first floor. The three-bay arrangement is symmetrical, with paired window openings between brick pilasters at ground floor level. The central entrance rises two bull-nosed stone steps and features a double-panelled door with brass furniture, a transom light, and side lights. Windows throughout are timber-framed 2/2 sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars and stone sills, set within yellow brick surrounds of varying detail. The north elevation is smooth rendered and is abutted by the adjoining building. The rear elevation is painted smooth render and is partially enclosed by the L-shaped return. The pitched natural slate roof carries rectangular brick chimneystacks with stone plinths and terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with drive-in brackets complete the external details.

The terrace benefits from a secluded square setting with mature trees, enclosed by a brick wall with cast-iron electric gates to the north. A small front garden contains lawn and shrubbery, enclosed by a polychromatic brick wall and accessed by two stone steps with a central paved pathway. The rear garden is enclosed by rubble and brick wall with no public access. External inspection indicates that the original floor plan survives.

This house exhibits architectural detailing of quality that is largely intact and represents a good example of mid-Victorian terrace housing in original condition. It possesses significant group value within its own terrace and contributes to an informal square that combines with an earlier terrace located at right angles to form the composition. Polychromatic brick is of particular note in this area.

Historically, the house was newly drawn on the valuation town plan and listed in 1864 as one of four new houses "nearly finished". It was leased from Hugh Stewart, possibly the grandson of the developer of numbers 5 to 8 The Crescent built in the 1820s. Early occupants included Jemima Murdock (1867), Reverend William Beatty (1887), a senior missionary of the Irish Presbyterian Church in India, George May (1900), and Arthur Deane (1910), curator of Belfast Art Gallery and Museum. The property's valuation dropped from £24 to £20 in 1884.