Church of Ireland Rectory, 1 King Street, Newcastle, Ballaghbeg, Co Down, BT33 0HD

Church of Ireland Rectory, Newcastle

A large two-storey rectory built in 1899, designed in the Free Style architectural manner, with a hipped roof and distinctive round, tower-like corner bay and balcony. The building stands on the north-west side of King Street, close to the junction with South Promenade, and continues to serve as a rectory while retaining its original external detailing.

The south-facing front elevation is the principal façade. It features outer bays and a central balcony with ornate cast-iron work, which forms an open porch or veranda. Set within this is the main entrance, comprising a timber panelled door with sidelights and fanlight. To the right of the doorway is a tall sash window with a segmental head. To the left stands a two-storey hipped roof square bay containing two ground-floor windows (matching those on the right) and a smaller first-floor window with a flat head. Above the balcony are two similar but slightly taller windows. The right side of this façade is dominated by a two-storey tower-like round corner bay with a conical roof, fitted with three windows to the ground floor and three to the first floor.

The west façade contains a slightly projecting square bay to the left, with two ground-floor windows and a single first-floor window. At the centre of the ground floor is a partly glazed door with flanking sidelight-like windows. Directly above on the first floor is a large Palladian window with moulded piers and window head. To the right of this façade is a single-storey canted bay with a hipped roof and windows on each face. Above to the right is a narrow sash window, while to the left the distinctive round corner bay rises again.

The east façade features the round corner bay on its left side and a two-storey square bay to the right, narrower than that on the front. Between these bays is a balcony forming a ground-floor veranda with two windows that extend to ground level and appear to open as doors, with timber panels beneath the frames. The first-floor balcony level has two windows, with that to the right also detailed to operate as a door.

The north façade is partially obscured. A tall rendered wall abuts the left side, where a large ground-floor kitchen window is visible. Two sash windows occupy the first-floor centre. The eaves level at the centre is lower, with the hipped roof cut away to create a flat roof section. A small attic window appears on the east-facing slope above this flat portion.

Throughout the building, the external finish is plain cement render with a cill course at each floor level and a string course between floors (absent on the north elevation). An eaves course completes the treatment. The natural slate roof is dressed with red clay ridge tiles and finials to the larger bays, while the conical roof to the tower bay employs shaped tiles. Four rendered chimney stacks serve the property. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present, and granite gate posts without gates mark the south boundary.

The rectory was constructed in 1899 at a cost of approximately £1,200 on land granted by Lord Annesley in perpetuity to the parish for an annual rent of £10. The house was completed and occupied in 1901. The architect was John Russell. Although the building merits recording as a fine example of late 19th-century domestic architecture with distinctive stylistic features, it is not considered of sufficient rarity to warrant listing.