4 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached two-bay three-storey rendered townhouse, built 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 (painted to west gable), half-round painted cast-iron gutters. Walling is painted smooth rendered. Windows are square-headed painted timber 1/1 sashes, painted rendered sills.

Principal (south) elevation has rendered quoins to left, 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.

West gable is blank.

Rear (north) elevation was not accessed but windows are all square-headed replacement uPVC casements, rendered walling.

East gable is entirely abutted by 6 Main Street (HB11/04/024).

The house is situated on Main Street in the town centre with former National School (HB10/04/008) to west and St. Eugene 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 to front elevation only, painted rendered sills
RWG: Half-round painted cast-iron gutters

Historical information

The house has been significantly remodelled over the years, making 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 suggest that this may be the building shown on early 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, and office valued at £3 5s. The building is shown on the town plan as a simple rectangle. Alexander Aiken is the freeholder and also lessor of the adjacent property (HB10/04/024).

Revisions raise the value to £5 15s and in 1864 record the lessor of this property and the adjacent one 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 the adjacent one increase dramatically in value to £8 and £7.5s, respectively, indicating that the houses have been significantly remodelled.

“Newtownstewart Remembered” carries a photo of Main Street dating from c.1910 and states that Number 4 was occupied by Miss Smith who was a dressmaker. The Belfast & Ulster Directory of 1921/22 also lists Miss Smith as a dressmaker.

According to the owners, the house was renovated c.1980 at which time most detailing was replaced.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/6/17/1 – Ordnance Survey Map 1833
2.PRONI OS/6/6/17/2 – Ordnance Survey Map 1854
3.PRONI OS/6/6/17/3 – Ordnance Survey 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)

Secondary Sources

1.Belfast & Ulster Directory 1921/22
Dunbar, Billy. “Newtownstewart Remembered” Omagh, Strule Press, 1987

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 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 most of its front windows and its victorian detailing to the brickwork on the chimneys. Despite modernisation and loss of some of the windows and original interior layout and detailing, the building has 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.