Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/07/016 B

Address :
69 Bridge Street Banbridge Co Down BT32 3JL

Townland:
Ballyvally

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
25/10/1977 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office - Terrace

Former Use
House - Terrace

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:
J1264 4604

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A three-storey two-bay mid-terrace former town house built c.1810; square plan form with large modern rear return. Located at the north end of Bridge Street on the east side forming part of a terrace opposite the junction with Downshire Road. Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; cement rendered chimney; cast iron rainwater goods. Ruled-and-lined painted rendered walling; raised long-and-short quoins; channelled ground floor with faceted quoins. 6/6 timber sliding sash windows (unless otherwise stated); no horns; painted masonry cills. Six-panelled timber door flanked by Doric quoins; half-circle fan-light; faceted voussoirs, raised and pointed key-block. Granite steps. The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrically arranged. The ground floor comprises door to left and single window to the right; 2/1 window with vertical glazing bar; heeled and lugged moulded surrounds; raised and pointed key-block; moulded cill brackets. Two uniformly arranged first floor windows with 3/6 timber sliding sash second floor windows directly over. The left gable is abutted by the adjoining building (HB17/07/016C). The rear elevation is completely abutted by an L-shaped plan, two-storey flat-roofed modern extension; creating a light well to the original elevation. View to elevation obscured. The right gable is abutted by the adjoining building (HB17/07/016A). Setting Three storey adjoining terrace to the north and south. The River Bann flows directly adjacent to the rear of the site. The surrounding buildings make up the commercial centre of the town comprising of two and three storey 19th and 20th century buildings. Roofing: Natural slate Walling : Render Windows: Timber RWG: Cast Iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

No. 69 Bridge Street, a three-storey Georgian Townhouse, was the first of nos 67-75 Bridge Street (HB 17/07/016A-D) to be constructed and dates from as early as c.1810 (Brett, p. 14). No. 69 Bridge Street is depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map which shows that it stood alone in 1833, was situated to the north of a Flour Mill owned by Edward Clibborn, and that at that time there was a shambles situated to its rear along the River Bann. The contemporary Townland Valuations (c.1830) record that the house was owned by Edward Clibborn and was valued at £11 4s. Edward Clibborn was a successful flour miller, linen merchant and bleacher who operated out of offices on Bridge Street at this time, perhaps in No. 69 although this cannot be confirmed (1843 Ulster Town Directory). The second edition of the Ordnance Survey map shows that a building had been constructed to the north-side of No. 69 by 1860; this building was a linen and yarn store that was either built over, or converted, c.1870 creating nos 71-75 Bridge Street (HB17/07/016C-D). By the 1860s ownership of No. 69 Bridge Street had passed to John Finlay who operated McConnell, Finlay & Co., a textile manufacturer who also owned the adjoining linen and yarn store. Finlay let the house, which was valued at £16, to Robert Norris, a professor of music (Ulster Town Directory). By 1864 ownership of No. 69 Bridge Street had passed to William Waugh (a local linen merchant and Justice of the Peace who possessed offices on Dromore Street). Robert Norris had vacated the house by that year when Dr. George Tyrell came into possession of the site; Tyrell was employed as a doctor of medicine and operated a dispensary on Scarva Street (Ulster Town Directory). There was also a change in the valuation of the site between 1863 and 1864 when its value was increased to £26; it is not known what caused this increase in value, however due to the change in both occupant and owner around the same time it is possible that a renovation of No. 69 Bridge Street occurred at this time, although this cannot be confirmed. In 1872 the house changed owner once again when James C. Stuart, a local landowner who owned over 1,200 acres around Banbridge, purchased the site (List of Co. Down Deeds, 1876). Dr. George Tyrell continued to reside at No. 69 Bridge Street until c.1890 when the house was occupied by Samuel Fryar who established a Banbridge branch of the Sun, Fire and Life Insurance Co. within the premises. In 1921 the value of the site was split when the ground floor office, housing the Insurance company, was revalued at £14, whilst the first and second floors were let out as separate offices at a total value of £10. By the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930, Sun, Fire and Life Insurance Co. continued to operate from the ground floor of the building, whilst during the same period a number of different tenants ran businesses from the upper floors, the last recorded was a Dr. Robert Cocks who operated a medical practise from the address. The former house does not appear to have been utilised as a private dwelling during this period and was principally utilised as commercial and office premises. No. 69 Bridge Street was the only member of the terrace described by Brett in 1969 when he wrote it was ‘a very nice modest three-storey house of about 1810 with Doric doorcase, and particularly crisp later stucco rustication on the ground floor, especially the faceted quoins and voussoirs around the doorway’ (Brett, p. 14). No. 69 was listed in 1977 along with the rest of the terrace and is currently vacant. Photographs of the terrace from c.1910 shows that no discernible alteration to the façade of the house has been made in the last century (photographs in Quail & Young). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833 2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860 3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918 4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/B – Griffith’s Valuation 1863 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. PRONI VAL/12/E/119/4 + 6 – Annual Revisions Banbridge Town Plan 12. List of Co. Down Deeds (1876) 13. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918) 14. Ordnance Survey map 220-8 (1969-70) 15. First Survey Record – HB17/07/016B (1977) Secondary Sources 1. Quail, D; Young, A. F, ‘Old Banbridge’ Catrine: Stenlake Publishing, 2002.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A three-storey three-bay mid-terrace former town house built c.1810. Much character and detailing survives and it is of some significance in the locale, being one of the earlier buildings in the town centre. It is a good example of the type of Georgian townhouse that developed with the expansion of the town. It also forms part of a group of buildings (HB17/07/016A-D) representing the ongoing stages of development at this end of the town.

General Comments

Date of Survey

30 November 2011