Belle Vista, 27 Mourne View, Ballynahinch, Co. Down, BT24 8EL

Belle Vista is a relatively small and somewhat picturesque single storey villa of around 1865, located at the east end of Mourne View, northeast of Ballynahinch town centre. The property has been substantially extended at the rear in recent years.

The front (south) façade is asymmetrical. To the left of centre is the entrance doorway, set within an elliptical headed arch recess. The door itself is timber panelled with two panels topped by arched heads, and is flanked by Ionic columns supporting a projecting entablature with cornice. Above, set back from the entablature, is an elliptical fanlight. The entrance recess is framed by a narrow moulded surround. To the left and right of the entrance are hipped roof canted bays. Each bay is flanked by sash windows with segmental heads and sash frames resting on a cill course with simple moulded surrounds. Each bay has a chamfered plinth, and steps to the entrance fan out between the bays. To the right of the right-hand bay is a further window of the same type. The west gable has two windows matching the front design, whilst the east gable has one similar window.

A large two-storey hipped roof extension has been added to the rear at the east end. The west face of this extension has a central garage door with modern up-and-over mechanism at ground floor, flanked by small windows with segmental heads and modern timber frames. The upper floor carries three similar windows set in gabled half dormers. The east face has two similar half dormers, a lower-level window to the left, and another window at ground level to the far left. The shorter north face has a ground floor doorway and a half dormer. To the right (west) of the extension, the rear of the main house merges into a lean-to-like section. The north face of this section has a large doorway with partially glazed double doors to the left, followed by two sash windows, with a paired sash window to the far right.

The front façade, gables and façade of the extension are finished in rusticated render with a tall chamfered base and chamfered quoins to front and gables. All façades are painted. The north face of the rear lean-to is finished in rough cast with smooth render surrounds to the openings.

The roof of the original section is gabled and covered in natural slate with red clay ridge tiles, featuring a slight overhang with bracketed eaves to the front. Four tall rendered chimney stacks rise from the ridge, each carrying two octagonal pots and unevenly spaced. The extension roof is hipped and also appears to be covered in natural slate with overhang. Cast iron and PVC rainwater goods are present throughout.

Building development along Mourne View, the short link between the Belfast and Crossgar Roads, did not commence until after around 1863. This house may have been the first structure built along the stretch, possibly constructed by William Shaw. Historical sources suggest the building was originally known as Mourne View. The current owners acquired the property in 1992 and added the large rear extension in the mid-1990s.