About
The Gallery Whitehead is part of a victorian three storey house within the conservation area of Whitehead. Cable Road was once known as Queens Road but when the telephone cable was brought over from Scotland it was laid under Queens Road and from then on it became Cable Road. Before that 19 Cable Road was 3 Fairfield Terrace.
During EHOD the exhibition will be of Victorian paintings and prints. There are four exhibition rooms in the house and further artworks throughout the three floors and two returns.
The walls of the rest of the house are covered in artworks as well. Number 19 Cable Road was built at the end of the 19th Century and retains most of its original features. It has six fireplaces, tall windows and high ceilings, old wooden floors and being the end house in a terrace of three, light streams into the house from all angles. While it is not a grand house, a family lived there with rooms for two maids.
The house was built by Sam Dowther who had his builder's yard further up Cable Road and because he was a master builder and stonemason it has many beautiful features such as carving on the stairs and stained glass above the front door. the house has never been modernised and is much the same as when it was first built.
It would have benefitted from the Villa Ticket System which stemmed from Berkley Dean Wise's vision of railway travel. When the railway came to Whitehead in order to encourage people to use it, anyone who built a villa in Whitehead was entitled to free first class return railway travel to Belfast for ten years. This helped to develop the seaside town into a popular holiday destination and soon hotels were built. Coach tours to Whitehead began. One of the coach firms was owned by William G Deveney who also owned four hotels in the town and he rented number 19 Cable Road to his managers.
During the second world war the house was painted black and was the only black house in Whitehead. Evidence of this can still be seen on parts of the windowsills.
Book Tickets
Guide Prices
| Ticket Type | Ticket Tariff |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free |
Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.
