43 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 used as a beauty salon. 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 right on the ground floor is the main entrance. This consists of a panelled timber door and semicircular fanlight with ‘radial’ tracery, all encased in a moulded surround with vermiculated ‘keystone’. 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 SE.

To the left of the entrance there is a window with horned timber sash frame with Georgian panes (six over six), and a moulded surround with ‘keystone’. There are two similar windows to the first floor, without ‘keystones’, with two shorter versions to the second floor (three panes over six). At basement level there is a window to left, similar to those on the second floor, but without a surround and with wrought-iron security bars over. To the right of this, (to NW-facing wall supporting the steps to the entrance), there is a doorway with sheeted timber door.

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

Only a small section of the NW gable is exposed. It is rendered and several large projecting chimney breasts rise against it.

To the left-hand side of the rear elevation there is a two-storey return with a shallow-pitched lean-to roof. To the left on the rear (NE-facing) façade of the return there is a window to the left on the ground floor, with a horned timber sash frame (one over one). To the right of this there is a doorway with recent part-glazed timber door. There is a window to left on the first floor, as that to the ground floor.

To the ground floor of the NW façade of the return, there is a window to right as those on the NE façade. There is a similar window to right at first floor level; to the left there is a smaller window set at slightly higher level, with a recent timber frame.

To the right of the rear façade of the main section of the house, there is a window of similar size to that at first floor front, with a recent timber frame, made to resemble the original Georgian-paned sash frame. To the right on the first floor there is a similar window, with a smaller one to right on the second floor. To the left there is a window set at the half-landing level between the first and second floors, with a frame as previous. The whole of the rear elevation is finished in painted plain render.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building appears to be wholly slated, with rendered parapets to the NW. Large rendered chimneystack to NW, with several octagonal clay pots. 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 some time 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 George Arnold in 1857 and the representatives of Alexander Auchinleck the immediate lessor. Interestingly, an Alexander Auchinleck -listed as an attorney in Pigot’s 1824 ‘Directory’- 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 this structure occupied the site of the present building, its plot probably covering those of the present nos.39 and 41 as well, seeing as both were also the hands of Auchinleck’s representatives in 1857.

George Arnold remained in residence until 1863, when a Miss Arnold is listed as the tenant. She was succeeded four years later by a William Napier, who was followed in 1872 by an Oliver Stevenson. In 1892 the freehold was acquired by a William Keatly, who also lived in the house between that year and 1902, when he rented it to a Daniel McClements. A Robert P. Cresswell was tenant from 1921 to 1924, next a [?]Timothy Gallagher (1924-29), J Laverty (1929-c.34), Robert Burke (1938-47), and a Mildred Burke (1947-49). A John Burke is listed as the occupier in the latter year, remaining there until 1972 at least. In 2001 the property was converted to a beauty salon.

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
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
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 used as a beauty salon. A now rare example of a substantial late Georgian townhouse within Strabane, which still retains much of its internal layout and detailing.