Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB18/04/006

Address :
Community Centre 2-4 Downpatrick Street Crossgar Co Down BT30 9EA

Townland:
Crossgar

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
27/05/1980 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
205/6

IG Ref:
J4536 5216

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Owner Category

Church - RC

Exterior Description And Setting

Large late Georgian style house of perhaps c.1840-50, with rubble façade, brick dressings and large modern extensions to rear. The building is prominently situated at the corner of Downpatrick Street and Killyleagh Street, at the N end of the village of Crossgar, and now serves as a community centre. The rubble constructed front façade faces roughly W and is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a panelled timber double door, flanked by narrow sidelights with decorative tracery and panelled aprons. The door and sidelights are topped with an elliptical fanlight with ‘double’ spoke tracery. The doorway has in/out brick dressings (as do all the front façade openings). Some the bricks have been replaced recently. To the left of the doorway are two sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6) and security grills over. To the right of the doorway are two similar windows, with five more to the first floor. The first floor windows appear to have largely retained their original brick dressings, whilst those to the ground floor are recent replacements. To the far right on the first floor is a traditional style projecting sign. The N elevation consists of the gable of the main building (to right) and the long façade of a single storey flat roofed return. The gable is rubble constructed. The lower half of the façade looks as though it was rendered until recently. To the left on the ground floor of the gable is a small (high level) sash window with security grill over. The façade of the return is rendered. To the right on this façade is a relatively small double sash window. The S elevation consists of the gable of the main building (to left) and the façade of a large two storey flat roofed extension. The gable is finished in lined render and has a recessed fire escape doorway to the first floor, with accompanying metal stair. The façade of the extension is also line rendered. To the first floor there are two small windows with modern frames, whilst to the ground floor is a fire escape-like doorway with a large plain-sheeted double door. To the left and centre at the rear is the large two storey extension. This has a large modern window to the ground floor and two small windows (as S façade) to the first floor. To the right of this is the long single storey return. This is rendered and has two plain sheeted doors and two small windows, to its S façade. There is exposed section of the rear façade of the main building (to top right hand corner). This retains its rubble finish and has a blocked up window opening to the right and a window (with modern frame) to the left of this (which looks like a recent insertion). The gabled roof is covered in natural slate. Two brick chimney stacks (to gables). Rendered parapets. Mainly metal rw goods.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A building which appears to match the shape of the original section of the present property is shown on the OS map of 1834; however the c.1838 valuation plan of Crossgar indicates that the site was occupied by a longer structure. Unfortunately, given the discrepancies between the numbering system used on the plan and the numbering system used by the valuation returns themselves, it is difficult to be certain as to the actual dimensions of the 1838 building. The present property does appear to be that shown on the OS map of 1860, however, and that recorded in the valuation returns of c.1863 as the property of James Cleland, (possibly the same James Cleland who was the then owner of most of the village and builder of Tobar Mhuire House). The evidence indicates, therefore, that the building is certainly pre 1860, but perhaps not pre 1834. The building may have originally incorporated a shop, for a mid 19th century looking shop front (to the left hand side), was present up until the early 1970s. For most of the 20th century (c.1915-1972) the property was in the hands of the Bassett family with Charles Bassett listed as a publican and ‘hardware and general merchant’ in the directories for the decades following 1915. The Bassetts appear to have vacated the building in c.1972, after which the shop front was removed and the whole property was converted to a public house. This public house ‘The Hunter’s Moon’ closed in the mid 1990s and the building housed a tea room and a shop for a short period, before conversion to a community centre in 1999. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 OS map, 1834, Down 30 2 PRONI VAL/1B/330 1st valuation, Kilmore, c.1835-38 3 PRONI VAL/1D/3/1 Valuation town plan of Crossgar, 1838 4 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]) 5 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 OS map, 1860, Down 30 6 PRONI VAL/2D/3/14 Valuation town plan of Crossgar, 1859 7 PRONI 2nd valuation (in print), Kilmore, 1863 8 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870) 9 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.378-79 10 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 OS map, 1901, Down 30 11 PRONI OS/6/3/30/4 OS map, 1920, Down 30 Secondary sources 1 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings…East Down’ (Belfast UAHS 1973), p.47

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion H-. Alterations detracting from building

Historic Interest

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

Evaluation

Large late Georgian style ‘house’ of perhaps c.1840-50 in a prominent location in the village of Crossgar, with rubble façade, brick dressings and large modern extensions to rear. The building incorporated a Victorian shop front until the early 1970s (which may have been original). The property was refurbished in 1999 and now serves as a community centre.

General Comments

Date of Survey

24 May 2000