Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB16/06/039

Address :
THE WILLOWS, HORNER'S LANE ROSTREVOR CO.DOWN

Townland:

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Survey 1:
B

Date of Listing:
22/09/1981 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
HOUSE

Former Use
HOUSE

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:

Vernacular:

Thatched:
No

Monument:

Derelict:

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OS Map No:

IG Ref:
J1793 1818

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Owner Category

PRIVATE

Exterior Description And Setting

Architects

Historical Information

The ‘The Willows’ was built in 1872-73 by Edward Greer of Moygannon (1832-1912), who had acquired much of the land around the present Horner’s Lane - previously known as ‘Mill Vale’ - in c.1870 and had set about various building projects in the vicinity. (For more on the history and development of the wider site see HB16/06/067). The house is likely to have been the ‘single-storey cottage for Edward Greer’ designed by William James Watson of Newry, referred to in the ‘Irish Builder’ in September 1872. Watson was the architect whom Greer appears to have commissioned to work on all the buildings he developed / remodelled along the Lane at this time, the house’s High Victorian Gothic styling aligning with the extensions to neighbouring Strathmore (no.5 - see HB16/06/067), as well as Brick Row (nos.1-6 – HB16/06/038A-F) and nos.12-14 (HB16/06/084A-B). The building does not appear to have been occupied until 1875, when an J.A. Cowrie is recorded as tenant in the valuation book, followed by Charlotte Cowrie in 1876. Kate Hillier took up the lease in 1880, followed by Henry McDowell in 1882 and Anne McDowell in 1883. The property was vacant again from 1884 until 1888, when Edward Greer himself is noted as living there. Charles Buchanan seems to have acquired the property outright in 1895 and in the 1901 census he is noted as an 80yr bachelor, residing here alone save for a domestic servant, with the house itself noted as a ‘2nd class’ dwelling with 10 rooms in use. Charlotte Milligan was owner from 1909 until her death in 1913, Rev. W.A. McWilliam from 1915, Nora Livingstone from 1916, and Francis Henry Hardinge (or Harding) from 1922. After Mr Harding’s death in 1933 the property appears to have been sold to a T.W. Harbinson, who leased it to Susan Osbourne Harding (the wife of the former owner?) From 1943 until 1960 the property was let to Rev. Alexander Lyle Harrison with Norah Healey the tenant until c.1968, followed by Mr and Mrs Richard Blackwell Smyth. Mrs Olivia Blackwell Smyth retained the lease until 1972 by which point ownership had passed to John Watson. It appears to have changed ownership on at least one occasion since that time. The house remains largely original; however, in c.2008 a small separate outbuilding to the west side was demolished and replaced with the present large garage / flat. References - Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL2B/3/61C - 1861 2 PRONI VAL12B/19/21A-F - 1865-1929 3 ‘Irish Builder’ – 15 September 1872 4 Census of Ireland, 1901 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie, accessed 2021.11.15] 5 OS map County series: Co. Down sheet 54 - 1902, 1919 6 ‘Newry Reporter’ – 9 December 1913, p.7 7 ‘Belfast News-Letter’ – 3 Map 1934, p.6 8 PRONI VAL3C/4/23 - 1936-57 9 PRONI VAL4B/3/81 - 1956-72 10 ‘Belfast Telegraph’ – 16 May 1972, p.3 11 OS map IG series: Sheet 277 - 1979

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Historic Interest

Evaluation

General Comments

Date of Survey