47-51 South Promenade, Newcastle, Ballaghbeg, Co Down, BT33 0EY

A mixed two and three storey terrace of three large seafront houses dating from the 1880s-90s, located on the west side of South Promenade to the south of Newcastle town centre.

Nos. 47 and 49 are two storey properties that were built as a pair and appear largely identical. They feature hipped roofs, full height canted bays, and small first floor balconies. Both have rendered and painted façades. No. 49 retains its original sash windows to the front, whilst No. 47 has modern PVC windows. Both houses have modern glazed porches. The roofs are covered in natural slate with two large gabled dormers to the rear of each (these appear to be relatively recent additions). Each property has rendered chimney stacks, with a shared stack between them and an additional stack to the rear return of No. 47. Small cast iron skylights are present to the front of each house, and the rainwater goods are mainly cast iron.

No. 51, located at the south end of the terrace, is three storeys and probably built slightly after its neighbours, possibly closer to 1900. It now stands subdivided into flats. The east-facing front façade is symmetrical with a projecting ground floor porch featuring a panelled door and sidelights, supporting a plain balcony. The porch and balcony are flanked by full height canted bays with sash windows to each face of each floor. Cill courses, string courses, and a castellated parapet detail the bays. The first floor centre contains glazed double doors with decorative moulding leading onto the balcony, with a second floor sash window directly above. The south gable has several centrally located window openings, not all of which may be original. The rendered façade is lined and painted with moulded quoins. The gabled roof is covered in artificial slate with four large modern rooflights to the rear, and two large rendered gable chimney stacks. The rear façade has been substantially altered by the conversion into flats, with a full height lean-to projection at centre, a two storey extension to the north, and a single storey extension to the south. Most rear window openings have been enlarged. Cast iron and PVC rainwater goods are fitted.

Though buildings appear on Ordnance Survey maps of 1834 and 1859, the present houses date from the late 19th century. Nos. 47 and 49 replaced a larger single dwelling recorded in the 1863 valuation as the home of Reverend John Moore, brother of the then Countess Annesley. The terrace was known as Armitage Place by the 1901 Ordnance Survey map, a name applied to this stretch of South Promenade from at least 1859 onwards.