6 Main Street,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached two-bay three-storey rendered townhouse, built c.1860 and remodelled 1908, located on the north side of Main Street. Rectangular on plan, facing south.

Pitched natural slate roof, blue/black angled ridge tiles, polychrome brick chimneystacks with replacement terracotta chimneypots to each gable, half-round painted cast-iron gutters to eaves. Walling is painted smooth rendered. Windows are square-headed painted timber 1/1 sashes, painted rendered sills.

Principal (south) elevation ground floor left bay window has replacement mild steel sill-guard rail, that to right has square-headed painted timber four-panelled door, glazed above lock-rail with plate glass overlight.

West elevation is entirely abutted by 4 Main Street (HB11/04/025).

Rear (north) elevation is inaccessible but windows are all square-headed replacement uPVC casements, rendered walling.

East elevation is entirely abutted by 8 Main Street (HB11/04/023).

The house is situated on Main Street in the town centre, abutted by neighbouring buildings with St. Eugene’s Church of Ireland Church (HB10/04/003) to southwest.

Roof: Pitched natural slate roof, blue/black angled ridge tiles
Walling: Painted smooth render
Windows: Square-headed painted timber 1/1 sashes, painted rendered sills.
RWG: Half-round painted cast-iron gutters

Historical information

The house, which was in existence c.1860 and perhaps earlier, was substantially remodelled in around 1908.

The remodelling that the building has undergone makes it difficult to give a date of construction, however, there are buildings shown on the site from the time of the 1833 OS Map. Diminishing windows to the upper floor suggest that this may be the building shown on earlier editions. Unfortunately the earliest town plan, which dates from 1828-40, has not survived, and the building is not, therefore, identifiable in the Townland Valuation.

The first clear mention of the building is in Griffith’s Valuation and on the associated Town Plan (1856-64) which gives dimensions as follows: House 15.6x24.6x17, valued at £2 2s 4d. The building is shown on the town plan as a simple rectangle. It is occupied by Catherine McFarlane and leased from Alexander Aiken who also owns the adjacent property (HB10/04/025).

Revisions raise the value to £3 5s and in 1864 record the lessor of this property and the adjacent one, number 4, as James Glass. A marginal note reads, ‘Glass has gone to Australia and it is likely these houses may be finished. See in 1869’. The houses are described as ‘greatly dilapidated’ in 1901. In 1907 James Arbuckle is the lessor and in 1908 this house and number 4 increase dramatically in value to £7 5s and £8, respectively, indicating substantial remodelling.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/17/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/17/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/17/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4. PRONI VAL/1A/6/17 – Townland Valuation Map
5. PRONI VAL/1B/637A-F – Townland Valuation Records (1828-1840)
6. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/10 – Griffith’s Valuation Town Plan (1849-1869)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/40B – Griffith’s Valuation Records (1858)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/160/1 – Annual Revision Records Town Plan (1898)
9. PRONI VAL/12/E/160/2 – Annual Revision Records Town Plan (1908)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/27A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached two-bay three-storey rendered townhouse, built c.1860 and remodelled 1908, located on the north side of Main Street.
The building retains its early style and proportions featuring dimishing windows on the front elevation and retains its late victorian detailing to the brickwork chimneys. Despite modernisation and loss of some of the original interior layout and detailing, the building has group value as part of a terrace of three units on Main Street(HB10/04/23-25), set adjacent to the former National School (HB10/04/008) and St. Eugene’s Church of Ireland Church (HB10/04/003) and in a prominent location within Newtownstewart Conservation Area.