Owens Public House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey, three bay, rendered terraced public house with applied decorative painted plaster facade to ground floor. Painted plaster quoins to corners. Upper windows four pane sliding sashes with painted stone cill and painted architrave moulding surround. Entrance door under central window and slightly wider. Double panelled doors with rectangular fanlight stating licensee. Sub-Doric pilasters to either side with rose head on neck of head and ribs on shaft. Similar pilasters other side of wide flanking ground floor windows (1.5 metre width). Plaster plinth course along base of facade breaking out at pilasters. No cill to ground floor windows. Entablature above with glass panel in frieze inscribed ‘Owens, wines, spirits’. Angled lamps over cornice. Natural slate roof, cast iron rainwater pipes, brick chimney on each end of ridge.

North east gable rendered and painted but without windows or decoration. Passage to side with block wall accessing rear.

Two storey return with pitched roof sits out from rear of main building, angled to return. Single storey flat roofed extension from return. Odd step down in back of main pitched roof where it abuts number 48 at back of chimney.

Since the second survey a metal framework has been added in the back yard to support a canvas tent and utilise this space for functions

Historical information

Building indicated on the site on 1831 map. 1858 Griffiths Valuation lists occupant as Michael O’Doherty renting from William Douglas value: £6. Two photographs in bar show building at turn of century. A steeply pitched thatched roof sits over a storey and a half building with a projection from the street-line of about 700mm along three quarters of the facade. Thatch comes down over this to a sign over the ground floor ‘John Gynn’. It was renovated in 1928 to the present condition and has been largely unaltered since (return extended in renovation). Owens are.descended from Mr Gynn.

References:

OSS 1831
Griffiths Valuaation 1838
Current Owner (1997)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A very well preserved bar of the 1920s in the shell of a much older building. An interesting vernacular adaptation of the classical style on the shopfront which is nicely considered . The facade adds interest and colour to Main Street. The decoration is appropriate. Its untouched interior is a rare survival which is of great character. The plan form, more reminiscent of the rooms of a house than a public building was a once common vernacular type which is now largely gone in most pubs. It is a building of local interest and social importance as it gives a glimpse of local society largely erased from other buildings in the area.