Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/04/003 B

Address :
Sergeant's House RUC Barracks Church Square Banbridge Co Down BT32 4AT

Townland:
Tullyear

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

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:
220/8

IG Ref:

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Two-storey two-bay sergeant’s house (1927) to north of Police Barracks (HB17/04/003A). Hipped natural slate roof with central red-brick chimneystack. Timber fascia and soffit with cast-iron rainwater goods. Walling is roughcast rendered with smooth rendered platband between floors . Windows are mainly multi-paned timber casement windows with painted smooth rendered surrounds and projecting painted cills. The principal elevation faces northeast. Central doorway with timber door up one steps under moulded concrete canopy and with small window on either side. Gate pillar to yard at left. First floor has single window at left. The southeast elevation has a window to centre on ground and first floor and another at left on ground floor. The southwest elevation has single storey flat roof extension full width with a door at right and single casement window at left ground floor with double casement window at right on first floor. The northwest elevation is symmetrical and has two windows to ground floor comprising four timber casements. First floor has two windows with three timber casements. Setting Set to north of Barracks at a lower level than the road in the yard of the Police Barracks(HB17/04/003A). Accessed via entrance from north of Masonic Hall and through security gates. River Bann flowing on west side of site. Yard to east through double plain wrought iron gates; single storey painted wetdash outbuilding to south. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Render Windows: Render RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Historical Information

The Sergeant's House was built in 1930s as accommodation for the Sergeant and family. The Police Barracks, located to the north side of Church Square, Banbridge was constructed c.1860; it does not appear on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map for 1860 but is recorded in Griffith’s Valuation of 1863. The building was originally constructed to house both a Police Barracks for Banbridge as well as to operate a rent office for the Downshire estate. The return completed by the police for the 1901 Census listed seven policemen resident in the Barracks: a Head Constable, a Sergeant and five Constables. All were single, as married men were generally not expected to live at the barracks. The majority of the men came from a rural farming background and more than half were catholic. The men had been born in various locations including King’s County, Kerry, Monaghan, Donegal and Tyrone. In 1911 an additional man had been added to the force which otherwise remained of a similar composition. (1901, 1911 census) The Census Building return described the Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks as a 1st class building that possessed a stable and a coach house as its sole out offices. In 1909 the estate office was deleted from the valuation lists and the RIC took over the entire building which was then valued at £35. There was no change to the site between 1909 and 1923 when Partition resulted in the establishment of Northern Ireland and the Royal Ulster Constabulary who continued to occupy the building; in 1925 the barracks was purchased by the Ministry of Home Affairs for £1200 and by 1927 its value had increased to £59, due to extensions to the rear. These housed new quarters for the Head Constable which comprised a three bedroom house, with kitchen, sitting-room, pantry, bath and WC. The barracks is shown T shaped on the 3rd Edition OS map and the northeast side has been filled in by the 1960s maps, suggesting that the new accommodation was built on to the existing Barracks block and not as a separate house. It is not clear from the records when the separate Sergeant's house was constructed but its style indicates that a date in the 1930s Is most likely. There are also some elements that may be the result of work undertaken in the 1950s, such as the wetdash finish and smooth feature banding. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860 2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918 3. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/C – Griffith’s Valuation 1863 4. PRONI VAL/12A/3/16 – Valuer’s Notes 1927 5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894 8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/B – Annual Revisions 1911-1922 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/C – Annual Revisions 1921-1930 11. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918) 12. First Survey Record – HB17/04/002 (1977) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Borough of Banbridge’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1969. 2. Dillon, A., ‘Image of Ireland: Banbridge’ Dublin: Gill & MacMillan, 1997.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two-storey two-bay sergeant’s house built in 1930s adjacent to the 1860s Police Barracks (HB17/04/003A). Much historic fabric and detailing survive. Although this is an unusual example of a house built as separate accommodation for police officers on site, it is of a late date and not of special architectural interest. There are other better examples of police service buildings.

General Comments

Record HB17/04/ 003 duplicated to create record for Sergerant's House

Date of Survey

16 April 2013