'Bay View', 35 King Street, Newcastle, Ballaghbeg, Co Down, BT33 0HD

Bay View, 35 King Street, Newcastle

A modest two-storey late Georgian gabled house dating from approximately 1810-20, situated on the south-west side of King Street on the slope of the Mournes, south of Newcastle town centre. The house remains one of very few largely original pre-1830 dwellings in Newcastle.

The front north-east façade is symmetrical in composition. At ground level, a four-panel timber door is flanked by 6 over 6 Georgian glazed sash windows to both left and right. The door features three-pane high level sidelights and a segmental radial fanlight above. The first floor contains three similar but slightly smaller sash windows. A low rendered wall extends from both ends of the façade, originally enclosing a small garden, though much of this front wall has since been demolished.

The south-east gable is partially obscured by a later two-storey house abutting it; only the right hand side is exposed, which is blank. The north-west gable displays a 2 over 2 sash window with vertical glazing bars on the first floor to the left.

To the rear, a single-storey lean-to addition is centrally positioned, with a plain timber sheeted door to the north-west face and a modern window to the south-west. The main rear façade contains a small sash window to the left of the lean-to at ground floor level, with two similar windows on the first floor flanking a modern central window. A pair of French doors at ground floor right appear to be recent insertions.

The front façade is finished in lined render with chamfered in and out quoins. The exposed section of the south-east gable is similarly rendered. The north-west gable and rear are in recently applied plain render. The roof is covered in natural slate, with the lean-to roof in artificial slate. Two modern rooflights and PVC rainwater goods are present. The house is currently undergoing renovation.

Historical records indicate the building appears on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map and a contemporary valuation plan of Newcastle. Valuation records show the house belonged to James Teer and was assessed at B+/A-, suggesting an age of approximately 20-30 years at valuation, consistent with construction around 1810-20. James Teer retained possession through the 1863 valuation, when the property had become known as Bay View, as marked on the 1859 Ordnance Survey map. By 1900, the property was owned by R. Trimble, listed in contemporary directories as a plasterer. The house underwent complete renovation in 1999.