32 Shore Road, Holywood, Co Down, BT18 9HX

32 Shore Road is a three-storey, three-bay early Victorian terraced townhouse built around 1840. It forms part of a terrace of three houses within a longer run of Victorian terraced properties on Shore Road, Holywood, and is located in the older part of the town centre.

The building is rectangular on plan with a single-storey projecting entrance bay to the front and a large two-storey return to the rear. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with a rendered chimneystack and terracotta pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods run along the eaves.

The main elevation faces east and is three openings wide. The walling throughout is ruled-and-lined painted render. Windows are primarily 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash with moulded architraves on the first floor. The ground floor to the left contains a timber garage door. To the right is the projecting entrance bay featuring a moulded cornice and applied lettering, with modern timber-framed sash windows and a timber four-panelled door with door furniture. A tiled ramped access provides entry.

The south elevation is abutted by the adjoining building. The west (rear) elevation is abutted at its centre by the two-storey return, with two windows over an arched opening to the right. To the left is a single window on each floor. The exposed section of the return to the left has two openings to the first floor and two timber doors plus a window to the ground floor, with a small passageway to the right. The exposed gable section to the right has a single window. The gable itself contains two 1/1 windows to the first floor, while the ground floor is abutted by a cement render wall with a buttress. The north elevation is abutted by an adjoining modern building.

The house is set back from the road with a paved parking space to the right and left of the main entrance. The rear contains a gravelled garden enclosed by a rubble stone wall and hedgerow, with a modern timber gate to the west.

Shore Road (formerly Shore Street) was one of the original Holywood thoroughfares, developing from the early seventeenth century as a collection of thatched cabins until redevelopment began in the early nineteenth century. As Holywood expanded and grew attractive to those fleeing Belfast's industrial conditions, professional and mercantile classes established homes here, transforming it into a genteel residential area with commerce largely confined to the upper part near the maypole.

According to historical records, this terrace, known as 'Archville', was built by John Jackson around 1840. It first appears on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858 and is listed in Griffith's Valuation (1856–64) as a terrace of three houses. At that time the property was occupied by Arthur McBirney, subsequently Thomas Ward. It was valued as a house, yard and small garden at £15 10s, later raised to £16. A succession of occupiers followed, including George C Wills (1887) and James Shannon (1892). Miss Margaret Bain occupied it in 1900 when the lessor became the Representatives of William Killips. In 1909 the valuation was raised to £16 10s due to the addition of a new return. The building was subsequently converted from residential use to a dental practice, resulting in significant loss of interior detailing, though the floor-plan remains largely intact. It is now in use as offices.

The architectural detailing to the main elevation is largely intact. The building illustrates the development of Holywood in the early nineteenth century, when Shore Road served as the main thoroughfare through the town.