Survey Data
Reg No
40810005
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Original Use
House
In Use As
House
Date
1870 - 1890
Coordinates
265456, 440474
Date Recorded
18/09/2008
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Semi-detached three-bay two-storey house, built c. 1880, having two-storey bay with blind round-headed niches to the east end of the front elevation (south-east), and with three-bay two-storey return to rear (north-west). One of a pair with the building (see 40810006) adjoining to the north-east. Pitched artificial slate roof with terracotta ridge cresting, smooth rendered chimneystack to the south-west gable end, and with cast-iron rainwater goods. Random rubble walls with some sections of red brick, formerly rendered, and with raised rendered block-and-start quoins to the south-west corner, and with smooth rendered plinth course; roughcast rendered walls to rear and to the south-west gable end. Square-headed window openings with flush red brick block-and-start surrounds, stone sills, and with two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows. Central round-headed door opening having red brick block-and-start surround, decorative terracotta mask keystone, timber panelled door, overlight, moulded timber lintel, and with flanking Doric columns. Set back from road in own grounds north-east of Greencastle.
Appraisal
Although recently renovated, this fine house or seaside villa, of late nineteenth-century date, retains much of its original form and character. Its visual expression is enhanced by the retention of salient fabric such as the timber sliding sash windows, while the doorcase with Doric columns provides an attractive central focus. The semi-detached form of this building with bay to the east end having niches to both floors creates an interesting and quite eclectic composition that is an unusual building type to find in Greencastle. The poor quality of the masonry and brick construction indicates that this building was formerly rendered. This building dates to the late-nineteenth century, a period when Greencastle and neighbouring Moville were popular seaside resorts frequented by the middle classes of Derry. Greencastle was accessible by regular steam packet boats from Derry in the Summer months during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This fine house is one of a number of attractive and sizeable middle class seaside villas in the Moville and Greencastle areas. This building forms an interesting part of a pair of buildings with its neighbour (see 40810006) adjoining to the north-east, and is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area.