Stonebridge Furniture factory 122 Battlehill Road Richhill Co Armagh BT61 8QJ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, mainly two-storey former furniture factory complex, commenced in 1934-35, but greatly extended in 1947, and again in 1955, with the facade of the principal block remodelled along its present, vaguely ‘Streamline Moderne’, form at the last date also.

SETTING The complex is located in semi-rural surrounds, on the SE side of Battlehill Road, just NE of Stonebridge Roundabout, roughly 2km N of Richhill, 6.5km SW of Portadown. The main block faces directly on to the roadside. To the W side of the site is a car park, and to the S is a large triangular shaped loading yard.

GENERAL The complex consists of three separate blocks - the main two-storey factory building, constructed in various stages from c.1934 to 1955, a c.1960s two-storey block of roughly square plan to the NE of this (and now used as a gym), and the largest building, a long double-height warehouse on the lower ground to the S, built post-1967. The last two structures are overwhelmingly utilitarian and of no architectural / historic interest. There another much smaller ‘Nissen hut’ building on the opposite side of the side of the road that may once have belonged to the factory (possibly a canteen for the employees), which now serves as a shed for a garden centre / nursery.

MAIN BLOCK The main block is of irregular plan and is actually made up of two large, distinct offset two-storey structures, and one small single-storey section, all which have been uniformly re-clad (probably in 1955) to read as one piece. The front section is rectangular in plan measuring roughly 36m x 12 with a curved roof which has recently had all of its cast-iron covering removed. Attached to the E end of this is a relatively small single-storey section. Directly behind the taller portion is an enclosed full-length yard with several corrugated-iron lean-tos and directly behind this is the largest of the three component parts, a long gable-ended section, measuring about 44m x 14. This is slightly taller that the two-storey front portion, but because of the sloping ground has roughly the same roof level as its neighbour.

This ensemble is almost completely finished in wet-dash with lined render across the ground floor of the front (NW) elevation, and smooth render surrounds to the long (and almost continuous) rows of windows which stretch across both floors of the long front and rear (SE) elevations, and the upper level of the side elevations. Most of the windows all filled with metal (Crittall-like) frames; however, those to the ground floor of the front elevation are now boarded up. To the front and sides, the walls rise into parapets, with those to the sides having crow-stepped features, that to the SE having the factory name ‘Stonebridge Cabinet Works (Rowntrees) Ltd.’ spelt out in large raised capital lettering.

The front elevation of front section itself (facing into the road) has a central bowed entrance projection with recessed doorway with timber and glazed double-door, flanked by large three-light windows (now boarded up.) To the upper floor is a broad multi-light window and above this is the factory name / logo spelt out in large, raised ‘italicized’ lettering – “‘Stonebridge’ Furniture”.

The front section itself has been entirely gutted with the roof covering and all internal features removed, save for a central supporting wall and some steel joists and supports. The curved metal roof trusses and purlins are now exposed.

The larger rear section is somewhat plainer and utilitarian in nature and has a corrugated asbestos-coved double-pitch roof. Built into the E corner there is a square brick chimneystack, the top third of which - above the parapet level - is battered. This chimney looks as though it was originally free-standing, though there does not appear to be any documentary evidence to suggest this was the case.

Historical information

The present factory complex was built in various stages from c.1934-35. Prior to this the site was farmland, part of a larger holding which was attached to a house which stood to the western end of the property, with the land itself bounded by the road to the north, the grounds of St. Patrick’s RC Church to the east, and to the south by the Armagh to Portadown stretch of the Ulster Railway (opened in 1848).

In or just before 1934, the property (including the farmhouse and associated outbuildings) was acquired by Charles H. Rowntree (1892-1956), of Charles Rowntree & Sons, furniture manufacturers of Richhill. By the end of the following year, a new factory had been built on the western side of the plot, described by the valuers as a ‘new furniture manufacturing factory on [the] side of [a] good road’, measuring 60ft x 40, which was ‘well built’ but ‘plain’ with 6inch concrete walls with steel stanchions, boarded floors carried on steel beams, and ‘steel roof trusses carrying [a] corrugated iron roof.’ This building was located on the site of the present front block facing on to the road and appears to form part of the present structure.

In 1947 the factory was greatly expanded, with the valuation report of December of that year revealing that the main building had been extended to its present length, and the small single-storey section added to the north-eastern end. The accompany valuers’ plan (and near contemporary map evidence), shows that the main block had two flights of steps along the roadside frontage, indicating that at that time the façade must have been more radically different to what we see today. Immediately behind the main factory building, a large, corrugated iron sawmill had been constructed, with a smaller, but similarly built, store added to the north-east; the former is described by the valuers ‘really only a covered yard’ with an earthen floor, whilst the latter was ‘built as a piggery [but] is at present used as a store for bed fittings’. There was another much smaller building just south of this, a concrete-constructed boiler house.

In November 1955 the valuers report new ‘extensions’ having been added to the factory. The actual details of these appear to be missing from the valuation book, but photographic evidence from September 1958 indicates that it is likely that the main front factory block took on its present appearance at this date. The large offset section making up the back of the block would seem to have been added at this time also, its position occupying that of the sawmill previously recorded. Elsewhere, the former piggery to the north-east seems to have been extended, or possibly rebuilt, before 1953, for its footprint on the OS map of that year is considerably larger than the 96ft x 30½ noted in 1947.

By at least 1967 the north-eastern building (now a gym) was in place, with another separate structure built just east of this. A freestanding building to the immediate south of the south of the back end of present main block had been added by this time also, but on the 1981 OS map its location had been covered by the large warehouse that now spans the southern end of the complex.

The factory is believed to have remained in production until c.1996, after which it was sold to the present owner. Manufacturing is still carried out on the site by a number of tenants, with the aforementioned gym occupying the north-eastern building. The front section of the main block was stripped of its roof covering and internal detailing in c.2022 and is now (March 2023) believed to be awaiting refurbishment.

The farmhouse to the western end of the site (which appears to have been - in part at least - of pre-1830s construction) was demolished c.2010 and replaced with the present dwelling.

The Nissen hut structure on the opposite side of the road was constructed pre-1953, however, it does not appear to have been part of the factory complex as it is not included in any of the valuations. It may have served as a (privately run) canteen for the factory workers, but this is uncertain.

References – Primary sources
1 OS maps – 1862, 1906, 1953, 1967, 1981
2 PRONI VAL12B/10/1A-B Annual valuation revision books, Aghory ED – 1904-29
3 PRONI VAL3D/2/2/A/1-5 Valuers’ ‘RV’ binders, Aghory ED – 1933-57
4 PRONI VAL3C/2/1 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Aghory ED – 1936-57
5 ‘Belfast Telegraph’ – 5 August 1937, p.9
6 ‘Portadown Times’ – 24 February 1956, p.5; 5 September 1958, p.9

Secondary sources
7 Information from owner – March 2023

Online resources
8 https://www.armaghi.com/news/richhill-news/new-retail-park-on-way-for-co-armagh-with-search-now-on-for-tenants/79809 (accessed 23 May 2023)

Evaluation

Substantial, mainly two-storey former furniture factory complex, commenced in 1934-35, but greatly extended in 1947, and again in 1955, with the facade of the principal block remodelled along its present, vaguely ‘Streamline Moderne’, form at the last date also. The latter building is the main point of architectural / historic focus of the site, however, it has been greatly devalued by the complete loss of its interior as well as its roof covering and due to this it cannot be considered to be of special interest.

General comments

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