143 Groomsport Road, Bangor, Co Down, BT20 5NZ

A large asymmetrical two-storey, multi-bay Edwardian house influenced by Arts and Craft, built circa 1910. The house is situated off Groomsport Road, east of Bangor, overlooking Belfast Lough, within the Ballyholme area which began significant development around the turn of the twentieth century. The property does not appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1901 but first appears on the fourth edition (1919–26), confirming construction in the early twentieth century.

The building has an oblong plan form with projecting bays and adjoins a former stable block to the north-east. It is roofed with rosemary tiles on a hipped roof with terracotta ridge tiles and exposed timber rafters at eaves level, now fitted with uPVC ogee moulded replacement gutters. Rough-cast rendered chimney stacks with brick courses at upper level are surmounted by masonry cornices with tall bowed terracotta pots.

The external walls are rough-cast rendered with projecting plinth and quoins. The original red brick has been painted with impervious weatherproof coating, which has compromised the character of the building. Double-glazed replacement casement windows throughout in timber to the front and uPVC to the rear include some original came-lights sandwiched between the glazing. Large painted concrete cills support thin projected lintels over windows.

The principal south-east facing elevation is asymmetrically arranged. From the left: a two-storey projecting hipped bay contains a bow-bay window to the ground floor and a tripartite window to the first floor. The central section features the front entrance—a round-arched panelled timber door with glazed upper portion and brass ironmongery, surrounded by a deep stone surround with plain brackets supporting a Queen-Anne style segmental-arched canopy, accessed by tiled steps flanked by low walls with terminating ball finials. To the left of the entrance is a tripartite light; to the right is a keystone oculus, with a matching oculus at first floor left with a central bi-partite window and Palladian-style fenestration at landing level. Right of centre is a projecting gabled bay in decorative timber frame style with a jettied first floor containing a quadripartite window to the ground floor and tripartite window to the first floor. Further right is a one-window-wide bay with matching bi-partite windows to ground and first floors.

The south-west elevation is symmetrically arranged with two matching bi-partite windows to the first floor. The ground floor has been substantially modified by a single-storey flat-roofed timber-glazed modern extension built circa 1970.

The rear north-west elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The right hand side comprises a pair of projecting gabled bays with matching bow-bay windows, tri-partite first floor windows and decorative timber frame style gable heads. The left hand side contains the rear entrance on the far left with various sized casement windows to ground and first floors. The north-east elevation has a single window located centrally at first floor level.

The north-east elevation is abutted at ground floor by a flat-roof garage infilling a former stable yard, which connects the original L-shaped one-and-a-half storey pitched-roofed stable block and hay-store to the main house. The north-east face of the stable block is further abutted by a single-storey garage with timber-sheeted folding door mounted on rails and a diagonal lattice window; a diminished chimney matches the style of the main house. The south-east gabled face of the stable block is abutted by a timber-framed greenhouse, with a modern garage door located between the gate piers of the original stable entrance, which retain ball finials.

The house is accessed via a pair of matching gated entrances serving long driveways that flank the large front garden. Original piers exist at the left-hand entrance though no longer in use; modern gates are hung on concrete piers cement-rendered. The front garden is obscured from public view by landscaped vegetation, with a long gravel path running centrally to a small circular water feature. The rears of adjacent detached dwellings run parallel along the west of the site.

Adjacent to the modern extension on the west is a small swimming pool installed circa 1970 and a small timber cabin. The rear garden slopes towards the shore with panoramic views across Bangor and Belfast Lough, bounded by a low dry-dash wall with further land beyond under the same ownership. A small concrete garden compound and outbuilding occupy the north-easterly part of the garden.

The house was originally captioned 'Brooklands' and occupies a sizeable plot within extensive gardens. Recent alterations include the 1970s extensions, infilling of the former stable yard with garage facilities, and the addition of the swimming pool. The simple character and detailing of the building have been compromised by the introduction of timber and uPVC framed double-glazed windows and the inappropriate coating of external brick, stone and timber. The internal layout and fabric have largely survived, and the stables and outbuildings remain of interest, though similar buildings of better condition exist in the area.