Irish Naitonal Foresters, 38 North Street, Lurgan, Craigavon, BT67 9AQ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey former house, now in use as a social club, built c.1860, located on the west side of North Street, Lurgan. L-shaped on plan with return to north side of west (rear) elevation, extended by L-shaped range of two-storey outbuildings, further abutted to south by a series of twentieth-century accretions (c.1970) of no interest.

Pitched roof covered with what appear to be man-made tiles, with angled ridge tiles having rendered gable chimneystacks each with seven original octagonal clay pots and corniced caps; hipped roof to return. Cast-iron ogee gutters supported on corniced stucco eaves over a plain frieze. Walling is painted render over a low contrasting chamfered plinth; principal elevation is band-rusticated to ground floor beneath a first floor sill course, otherwise smooth render; rusticated quoins to ground floor and stepped quoins to first floor. Windows are generally rectangular 1/1 timber sashes set in moulded stucco architraves with painted projecting masonry sills, except where otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces east and is symmetrically arranged about central round-headed entrance with deep alcoved and pole-moulded surround (later ‘INF’ panel crudely inserted to head); containing a fluted Ionic doorcase on plinth blocks with plain semi-circular fanlight over plain entablature; timber door having four raised and fielded panels. Plastic signage (National Irish Foresters) mounted over central entrance, and suspended sign to west side.

South gable is blank; south elevation of return has blocked window openings and is abutted to west side.
Rear (west) elevation is abutted by the return and outbuilding range. The exposed section is blank; west elevation of return has a window (2/2 horizontally divided) to first floor and a later timber sheeted door to ground floor.

North gable is extended by return (sharing eaves level) and has a window to each floor aligned to north. Return has three openings vertically stacked to east side, comprising a bolection-moulded four-panelled door with infilled sidelights over painted brick apron panels, panelled pilaster jambs, frieze and cornice, round-headed stairwell window with stained margin-panes, and spoked coloured glass occulus window; there are two openings at each floor to west side; those to ground floor are 2/2 sashes (horizontally divided).

Outbuilding range is plainly detailed with artificial slate roof, plastic rainwater goods and a variety of timber and uPVC casement windows; ground floor east has an inserted entrance (c.1970) having enlarged window and door insertions and tiled surrounds; walls are buttressed.

Flush with the north end of the front elevation is an original gateway with a a half-width square pier (topped with half of a ball finial) attached to the main building itself. The other pier is full-wdth, freestanding and has a panelled front and a figure of a lion for a finial. A wall (rendered on the inner side, roughcast on the outer) stretches westwards from this pier, enclosing the northern boundary of the property and several metres along this there is another, taller pier also with a lion finial. Beyond this the wall height rises considerably, and here the wall is roughcast to the outer side and bare rubble to the inner.

Roof: Appears to be tiled
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber sash
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

The site is vacant on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1835, North Street still being largely undeveloped. The adjacent vacant plot, currently a car park, was the site of the North Street National School, which closed in the 1930s and was subsequently demolished. By the time of the second edition, in 1863-4, the north side of North Street had been laid out in its current form, with No.38 terminating the east side of an unbroken row of buildings Griffiths Valuation records William Macoun as the occupier of a house, office, yard and small garden valued at £40.00, with the land leased from Lord Lurgan. The free school is recorded in the OS Memoirs (Vol.1 p115) as having been built in 1812. The Valuation Revisions of 1870-1894 record no change to occupier or valuation, although by this time William Macoun also sublets several other properties on the street.

A nearby interpretation panel confirms that the house was the home of William Macoun who, with his brother James Macoun, founded the linen factory that was to become the Lurgan Weaving Company Limited. The Macouns were associated with the weaving of high quality cambric handkerchiefs and linen for shirting. The Belfast and Ulster Directory of 1877 refers to the power loom factory of Messrs James Macoun & Co. The 1901 edition refers to Lurgan as the ‘cradle of the Irish cambric industry’, and the economic success of the town was heavily embedded in the textile production and finishing industry. Macoun is believed to be a derivative of the name McGeown, and the Macoun pedigree in Ulster are known to have been Scottish Presbyterians from Linlithgow, who settled in Magheralin in the mid-seventeenth century. Historical links that may account for the presence of the Star of David are not forthcoming, but it is worth noting that the Lurgan Hebrew Congregation was established for a time (c.1906 until the 1920s) from 49 North Street, and was founded by Joseph Herbert (formerly Herzberg), who ran his home-furnishings business from 16-18 North Street. No connection has been found with No.38.

The building has served as the local club house of the Irish National Foresters Benefit Society since the foundation of the Lurgan branch in 1892. The INF was established in 1877 as an Irish ’friendly’, or benefit society, established as a mutual organisation for the purposes of insurance, savings and co-operative banking, of the type that was widespread before the growth of high-street banking and social welfare. It was a breakaway from the Ancient Order of Foresters, following political disagreements. It was at one time the largest friendly society in Ireland, nationalist in political outlook, and having over 250,000 members in over 1000 branches worldwide prior to its decline in the wake of the formation of the Irish Free State and improving social welfare.

References
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/2/6/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/2/6/1 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/2/6/1 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1905-06
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/2/6B – Griffiths Valuation field map 1861
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/2/20A– Griffiths Valuation field book 1861
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/14/8E-L – Annual Revisions 1870-1894
7. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918)

Secondary Sources

Day, A and McWilliams, P: OS Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Armagh, Vol.1; Institute of Irish Studies, QUB, 1990

Online sources (accessed 02/10/2018):

McGeown, M: John Macoun: Botanist and Explorer from Maralin
1901 Street Directory: http://armaghancestry.com/1901northst.htm
http://www.craigavonhistoricalsociety.org.uk/rev/mcgeownjohnmacoun.html on 02/10/18)
https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/lurgan/index.htm
https://www.lurganmail.co.uk/news/foresters-move-to-fresh-fields-1-1771674
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_National_Foresters
http://www.lurganancestry.com/lurgand1877p1.htm

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
U. Historic Associations
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

38 North Street is a two-storey three-bay mid-nineteenth century former house, with attached outbuildings, built c.1860 and located on the west side of North Street, within the boundary of Lurgan conservation area. The house is well-proportioned, composed on a symmetrical plan and retaining an original aspect with historic fabric and features generally retained intact, including stucco ornamentation which is highly representative of the period, a variety of original timber windows, and a good Ionic doorcase. Details such as original chimneypots also contribute to authenticity and streetscape presence. The house was constructed as the home of Lurgan textile manufacturer William Macoun, founder of the Lurgan Weaving Company, which played a strong role in the economic profile of Lurgan as a centre of high quality textile production in the nineteenth century. Since the 1890s, it has served as the home of the Irish National Foresters, an organisation of considerable socio-historical interest as one of the largest benefit or 'friendly' Societies which played a significant role in social welfare prior to the introduction of the welfare state. Internally, although the building has been adapted to accommodate developing needs over the late twentieth-century, these are generally contained in additions, rather than impacting the original interior floor plan, which survives generally intact with many salient features. The building is enhanced by the survival of the outbuilding range to rear, which has survived in basic form and proportion, albeit with alterations, and the gate piers which mark entry to the original coach yard. It makes a strong architectural and historical contribution to the town of Lurgan, and significantly enhances the nineteenth-century streetscape.

General comments

Listing Query ref: HB14/LQ029

External description altered by Philip Smith 2019.03.12. Please note: this building has been numbered HB14.23.067, but does not appear to be in the HB14.23 ward.

This building has been re-numbered from HB14/23/067 as was recorded in the wrong ward.