Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB23/16/006 B

Address :
Ardnalea House Apartments 1-3 71-73 Station Road Craigavad Bangor County Down BT19 1EZ

Townland:
Craigavad

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
27/01/1975 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
115/13

IG Ref:
J4218 8132

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Owner Category

Private Private Private

Exterior Description And Setting

An attached two-storey over basement multi-bay house with basement, comprising the western portion and return of a grand single dwelling, built c.1845, located on the south shores of Belfast Lough, at the north end of Station Road, Holywood. The house is rectangular on plan with lower single-storey extension with attic and basement (having separate porch entrance) to south. HB23/16/016B has been subdivided into three apartments; the eastern side of the house is a single separate dwelling (HB23/16/016A). Roof is hipped natural slate with tall rendered chimneystacks, moulded caps. Overhanging eaves cornice with ogee cast-iron rainwater goods. Walling is rendered with cornice, frieze and architrave to each floor, and cill course to first floor. Windows are full-height double-hung timber framed and timber casements to ground floor (that to right end of principal elevation is a pair of doors, leading to Apartment 2); first floor windows are generally 1/1 horned timber sashes. Attic windows to extension have been raised to form tall round-headed dormers, breaking eaves. Principal elevation faces west and is symmetrically arranged with five equally spaced openings about a wide elliptical-arched entrance opening with modern glazed timber door and matching sidelights. The opening to right forms the entrance to Apartment 2; each is accessed by a perron over basement level bounded by modern metal railings and tiled with modern terracotta tiles. The elevation is extended to south by the lower extension (described later). The entire north elevation (HB23/16/016A and B) consists of six equally spaced openings to each floor; No. 71 comprises the two openings to right side (Apartment 1 to ground floor, Apartment 2 to first floor); remainder are part of HB23/16/006B. The east elevation is abutted by No. 69 at right side. The remaining section has two storeys with mezzanine storey between ground and first floors, all three windows wide and over a basement, which is open to a narrow perimeter channel. Windows are 1/1 sashes throughout, with projecting painted masonry sills and string course rising over windows at mezzanine level. The rear (south) elevation is abutted by the lower extension, which is further abutted by a modern gabled porch comprising the entrance to Apartment 3. It is a single bay deep and two windows wide to east and west; south gable is blank with the exception of the porch (of no interest). Setting The house occupies a secluded
setting accessed from a private residential lane off Station Road. An expansive lawn to north gives an open aspect to Belfast Lough, and there is a gravel parking area to west, bordered with shrubs. There is a modern garage to south west corner of the site, which is accessed from south by a short gravel drive. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Render Windows: Timber RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Ardnalea House first appears captioned ‘Ardnalee Ho[use]’ on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858. Two gate lodges are also marked, as is a ‘landing place’ and ‘flag staff’. A formal garden is also shown. Griffith’s Valuation of the same period describes it as a ‘house, offices and land’ occupied by Lady Bateson and leased from William S Mitchell, a linen merchant and minor landowner who lived at ‘Olinda’ nearby (H23/16/008). The house is valued at £77 later raised to £92 and the valuer describes it as, ‘An elegantly finished cottage in very good repair...Somewhat against it, basement dark. 15 years built.” This would date the house to c.1845. Dimensions are given for a single storey structure and a gate lodge. Notes by the Crawford family who were subsequent occupiers suggest that the interior decoration was executed by Italian artists in the 1840s, at the time the house was first built. It would appear that this was a bathing lodge or dower house for Lady Bateson, the wife of Sir Robert Bateson, a conservative politician and significant landowner, who was to die in 1863 at his home in Belvoir Park. (www.forestserviceni.gov.uk) By 1875 the house was occupied by William Crawford, a member of the family who owned nearby Crawfordsburn. According to family notes, William Crawford of Ardnalea was a Director of the Belfast Bank in Waring Street, the Bank having been founded by Hugh Crawford in 1808. Crawford’s alterations to the house give it much of the external appearance it assumes today. He raised the house by a storey and built additional outbuildings by 1877, shortly after taking over the house, and the valuation was consequently raised to £168. In 1891, ‘labourers’ houses’ are added to the plot but there is no change in value. Crawford died in 1907 leaving a considerable fortune and the property passed to his son Robert J Crawford. In 1933 the house is occupied by Robert J Crawford and valued at £168. The house is supplied with water from a well with a gas engine pump and the lighting is Holywood gas. There is a 1½ HP gas engine for driving the water pump. The valuer notes that the house has ‘painted walls’. ‘Splendid view of Lough. Old-fashioned semi-basement house’. At this time the accommodation comprises, on the ground floor, a dining room, reading room, inner hall, two drawing rooms, an outer hall, cloakroom, WC, WB, pantry, study and WC. On the first floor, there are five principal bedrooms, two dressing rooms, HM (?) sink, bathroom WB, a sewing room, four maids’ bedrooms and a WC. In the basement are a larder, scullery, kitchen, maid’s bathroom, three store rooms, three lumber rooms, boiler house, cellar, dairy and disused kitchen. Dimensions are given for the house and various outbuildings including a boat house, fowl houses, byres and hay barns. Robert J Crawford appealed in 1935 maintaining that the, “basement (except for kitchen premises, dairy, storeroom, cellar and store for central heating) is empty but involves an extra maid as everything, coals etc has to be carried upstairs (except meals)”. The valuation was then reduced to £155. In 1940 the mansion house and three acres of curtilage were requisitioned by the military, Crawford retaining 6½ acres. Family notes indicate that the house was sold in 1948 and ‘converted into flats’, the conversion possibly being carried out by Henry Lynn, architect, who was working in Belfast between 1930 and 1972 and whose drawings of the outbuildings survive. A series of Crawford family photographs show the interior in 1947. The house had been converted into ‘a house and two flats’ by 1949. In November 1949 the main house was occupied by Col Vinnycomb and was valued at £62. Flat No 3 was let to Air Commodore Churchman and was valued at £39. Flat No 2 was let to Mrs V Grainger and valued at £44. Air Commodore Allan Robert Churchman (1896-1970) was an RAF officer with a distinguished record in both World Wars. He received one of the first DFCs (Distinguished Flying Cross) to be awarded after their introduction in 1918. Towards the end of the Second World War he became Air Officer Commanding of the RAF in Northern Ireland and on retiring from the RAF took up the post of General Inspector within the Ministry of Health and Local Government in Northern Ireland which he held until 1961. (www.rafweb.com) 1950 valuer’s notes remark that the ‘main block of house [is] occupied by Col Vinnycomb. House modernised and in good condition. This part of house is best situated and has full view over Lough. Owner also retains full control over all the grounds which extend to 3 acres”. In 1951 a new motor house was erected for Col Vinnycomb adding £2 to the valuation. References: Primary Sources 1.PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858 2.PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02 3.PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31 4.PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41 5.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64) 6.PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) 7.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930) 8.PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930) 9.PRONI VAL/3/D/4/4/F/7 – Valuer’s RV Binder (1933-57) 10.PRONI D2460/3-35 – Crawford Family Photographs, some annotated (c.1880-1947) 11.PRONI Will of William Crawford, died 11/3/1907 12.D2954/A/5/70 – Plans of outbuildings at Ardnalea by Henry Lynn (1947) 13.D2964/J/216 – McConnell & Co, estate agents, correspondence (1945-8) Secondary Sources 1.www.forestserviceni.gov.uk 2.www.rafweb.com

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Ardnalea is a two-storey multi bay mid-nineteenth-century house with basement, now divided into four dwellings. The original subdivision into two dwellings took place in the mid-twentieth century - No 69 (HB23/16/016A) and No 71. No 71 (aka 71-73) has now been further subdivided into three apartments. The exterior is plainly detailed with restrained classically styled ornamentation. Due to overpainting of the original Grottesca decorative scheme, the interior of the house lacks the exceptional significance of its neighbour, which retains original decoration in a Rococo style. However, parts of the original scheme have been preserved beneath wall panels. The subdivision of the interior, which has been carried out in phases over the twentieth century, has resulted in a complex and somewhat awkward interior division. The setting has been compromised by infill development. As a whole, Ardnalea is a fine and fairly original example of the type, displaying its historic development but also all of the characteristics of a suburban villa from the time of the expansion of Belfast's suburbs. Its association with the Crawford family is also of note.

General Comments

Date of Survey

01 June 2010