41 Bowling Green

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three-storey terrace house of c.1835, one of an almost identical, typically late-Georgian pair, now believed to have been converted into four apartments. The property is set within the terrace on the east side of (the) Bowling Green.

The front elevation faces SW and is asymmetrical. To the left on the ground floor is the main entrance. This consists of a panelled timber door and semicircular fanlight with ‘radial’ tracery, all encased with plain pilasters, an entablature with paterae and incised panels, and a projecting cornice. The doorway is reached via a flight of stone steps with simple wrought-iron railings (with some urn finials). The railings continue around the basement area. The steps are shared with the entrance to the neighbouring property to the NW.

To the right of the entrance there is a window with horned timber sash frame with Georgian panes (six over six), and a moulded surround with vermiculated ‘keystone’. There are two similar windows to the first floor, without ‘keystones’, with two shorter versions to the second floor. At basement level there is a window, similar to those on the second floor, but without a surround and with wrought-iron security bars over. Plans of the building suggest there is another window to the left of this (under the steps to the entrance), but this could not be seen.

The front façade is finished in painted rusticated render at ground floor level, painted plain render above this and painted roughcast at basement level.

The rear elevation could not be seen in its entirety. To the right-hand side of the rear elevation there is a large two-storey gabled return. Only the rear (NE) façade of the return could be seen, and on this façade there is a large (undoubtedly enlarged) first floor window with a modern timber frame. Plans suggest there is a window to the ground floor also, but this could not be confirmed. Plans also suggest there is a door and window to the ground floor of the SE façade of the return, with another window to the left on the first floor; once again this could not be confirmed, however.

The same plans show a window to the left on the ground floor of the rear façade of the main section of the house, with another directly above this to the first floor, these could not be seen. A window could be seen to the left on the second floor, with a smaller one to the right of this, both with modern timber frames. The whole of the rear elevation appears to be finished in plain unpainted cement render.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building appears to be wholly slated. Large rendered chimneystack to SE, with several octagonal clay pots. The covering on the gabled roof of the return could not be seen. This roof has an overhang with plain bargeboards. Cast-iron rainwater goods to front, PVC-u to rear.

Historical information

This site is shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34. Unfortunately the town plan of Strabane drawn up to accompany the valuation of 1832-34 has been lost, making it extremely difficult to trace any details of the buildings within the town at this date with any degree of certainty. Reading through the valuation book itself, however, there appears to be nothing to match the size of this property and its almost identical, (and undoubtedly contemporary), neighbour. Thus it would appear that both houses date from after 1834, however, their late Georgian styling suggests they are likely to have been built close to this date, perhaps the later 1830s.

Whatever the case, the continuity of information supplied by the second valuation of 1857 and all others thereafter, demonstrates that both buildings were standing bay at least that date, with no.43 occupied by a Margaret Stevenson in 1857 and the representatives of Alexander Auchinleck the immediate lessor. Interestingly, an Alexander Auchinleck is noted as owning an old, long, (43½ft), one / one and a half-storey thatched house in the Bowling Green in the 1832 valuation. It seems likely that structure occupied the site of the present building, its plot probably covering those of the present nos.39 and 43 as well, seeing as both were also the hands of Auchinleck’s ‘representatives’ in 1857.

Margaret Stevenson remained in residence until 1863, when a James Stevenson is listed as the tenant. He was succeeded eight years later by a Francis M. Boyd MD, who was followed in 1872 by an Oliver Stevenson. In 1892 the freehold was acquired by a William Keatly, who rented it to an Andrew Hamilton from 1894. A Robert P. Cresswell was tenant from 1902 to 1907, when he was followed by a Robert Graham (1907-22), Elizabeth Graham (1922-27), William Lynn (1927-28), A. Reynolds (1928-30), Eleanor Stevenson (1930-c.33) and Ronald Hill (c.1833-36). The next resident was a Bernard A. Murphy (1936-39), next a Frank McKay (1939-41), Edward D. Monteith (1941-42), John H. Sweeney (1942-68), and Robert Wray, who was still occupying the house in 1972. At some stage after that year the property was divided into four apartments.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824)
2 PRONI VAL/1B/638A First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/638B First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
4 PRONI VAL/1B/638C First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
5 PRONI OS/6/5/5/1 OS map, County Tyrone sheet 5 (1833-34)
6 Lewis, Samuel, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
7 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846)
8 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856)
9 PRONI VAL/2B/6/41 Second valuation, Camus parish (1857)
10 PRONI VAL/2D/6/18A Valuation town plan of Strabane (1857 [-59])
11 PRONI VAL/2D/6/18B Valuation town plan of Strabane (1857 [-59]) [PRONI also holds a microfiche copy of this plan, catalogued under the ref. T/2933/4/252.]
12 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31A Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED(1860-64)
13 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31B Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1864-73)
14 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester, 1870)
15 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31C Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1874-81)
16 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31D Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1882-91)
17 PRONI OS/8/25/1/1-17 OS town plan of Strabane (1883)
18 PRONI OS/9/22/2/1-17 OS town plan of Strabane (1883)
19 PRONI VAL/12E/187/1/1-12 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1884 [-1908])
20 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31E Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1892-96)
21 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31F Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1892-96)
22 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31G Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1897-1910)
23 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31H Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1897-1910)
24 PRONI OS/8/25/2/1-3 OS town plan of Strabane (1905)
25 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905)
26 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31J Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1911-22)
27 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31K Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1911-22)
28 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31L Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1922-31)
29 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31M Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1922-31)
30 PRONI VAL/3B/7/14 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Strabane UD (1935
31 PRONI VAL/3C/7/23 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, annual revisions, Strabane UD (1936-57)
32 PRONI VAL/3G/159/1/1-3 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1936-55)
33 PRONI VAL/3G/159/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1951-55) [Sheets 1 and 3 are currently missing.]
34 EHS OS map (1:10,000 scale), sheet 72 (1983)

Secondary sources
1 Bradley, Jim, et al, ‘The Fair River Valley: Strabane Through the Ages’ (Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2000)

Other
references
1 EHS HB10/14/018 First Survey report (10 Feb 1970)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Three-storey terrace house of c.1835, one of an almost identical, typically late-Georgian pair, now divided into four apartments. This building is of aprticular importance as it is one of the few remaining substantial late Georgian townhouses within Strabane, albeit one altered internally.