11 Bangor Road, Holywood, Co Down, BT18 0NU

11 Bangor Road, Holywood

This is an early-to-mid 19th century semi-detached house which has undergone some alterations that detract from its original character and appearance.

The building is a two-storey mid-19th century house, one of a pair of semi-detached villas, constructed between 1834 and 1859 (the house or block was marked as 'Ballykeel' on the 1859 Ordnance Survey map). It features rendered walls and hipped roofs. The main entrance faces north; the main elevation of the block faces west.

The west elevation is three windows wide. The roof is hipped, covered with Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark-toned ridge tiles. The wall has a smooth rendered finish, lined and blocked to the first floor, with a slightly raised smooth frieze and raised platband at cill level. The ground floor features channelled rustication with a projecting plinth. Oversailing eaves with white painted timber soffit are supported on shaped timber brackets; moulded cast iron guttering with one downpipe (part PVC and part cast iron) is positioned at the right-hand extremity, shared with the adjoining house. One chimney, smooth rendered with a corbelled cornice, carries five original octagonal stoneware pots. A gabled dormer with plain timber pilasters frames a semi-circular arched three-pane timber side-hung casement window, surmounted by an open pediment with moulded timber barges; the dormer roof is slated to match the main roof. Windows throughout are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1 with horns, set in raised moulded render surrounds with projecting sandstone cills (some later rendered portions present).

The north elevation is four bays wide, with similar roofing, walls and guttering to the west elevation. Two modern flush rooflights have been inserted. To the left of the previously described main chimney stands a smaller chimney, smooth rendered with a block cornice; it carries one original pot and one modern terracotta pot. Windows are similar to the west elevation except those at each end of the first floor and the two to the left at ground floor, which lack horns. The main entrance is in the second bay from the right. It comprises an elliptically arched opening with panelled archivolt, keystone and panelled pilasters. The recessed doorway consists of an original rectangular timber panelled door and plain sidelights set between triple columned mullions, surmounted by a plain fanlight; a sandstone doorstep with red tiles completes the composition. Projecting at the left-hand extremity of the north elevation is a screen wall to the coachyard, smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with a crenellated top. This contains a large elliptical archway with raised surround, panelled as the main house entrance, with a rectangular timber frame inset; a pair of iron gates (not original) closes the opening. The rear face of the screen wall is finished in roughcast render.

The east elevation comprises the main rear wall to the left with a deep projecting return to the right; roofs are slated as before, with a flush rooflight in the main block to the left. The main block to the left has rendered walls with pebble dash finish except for smooth render, lined and blocked, to a projecting bay in the left-hand corner. PVC gutters and downpipe are present. One window, a rectangular timber sliding sash with 6 over 6 panes without horns, is set in plain reveals with a recessed cill. The side wall of the later projecting bay contains a coupled timber side-hung casement window. The ground floor has a later lean-to projection with what appears to be synthetic slate roof covering; the wall is roughcast, with smooth render patching, PVC gutter and downpipe, and cast iron downpipe. Two windows are present: a rectangular timber sliding sash (6 over 1 without horns) to the right, and to the left a window altered to form a three-pane fixed light.

The eastern return has a hipped roof with a modern flush rooflight. The wall is rendered with pebble dash finish, painted to the ground floor; PVC gutter and soil pipe are fitted. One window with rectangular timber frame contains an air expeller. The southern return has a pebble-dashed wall, painted to the ground floor; PVC downpipe and part cast iron downpipe are present, alongside a cast iron soil pipe. One window to the first floor is a modern rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent. The ground floor contains one window, a rectangular timber sliding sash 1 over 1 without horns, set in plain reveals with a projecting concrete cill (damaged). A rectangular timber glazed and panelled door provides access.

The rear yard is surfaced with stone pavings, smooth rendered and dry-dashed areas. The party wall of the yard to the south is roughcast rendered with a modern timber fascia serving the flat-roofed adjacent property. Outbuildings to the rear are of no architectural interest: single-storey structures with lofts, roughcast walls, with some doorways now without doors whilst others retain ledged timber doors. The coachyard is surfaced with gravel, with a small grassy garden in the corner.

The building stands within its own grounds, set well back from the main road and approached by a winding driveway. An extensive front garden with lawns, shrubs and mature trees surrounds the house. The main entrance gateway, shared with the adjoining property, comprises a pair of circular gate piers, rendered, dashed and painted with octagonal bases and octagonal sandstone caps; the gates are missing. Curving concave screen walls, rendered as the piers with sandstone copings, and square end piers similarly treated with concrete caps, frame the entrance. The front boundary wall is similarly rendered with concrete coping.