23 CHURCH ST.

The Department's description

Historical information

The former nos.23-25 Church Street, a handed pair of rendered two-storey single-fronted terrace dwellings with central carriage arch, were built sometime between 1838 and 1861, as they are not recorded in the first valuation, but do appear in the second. Their appearance suggested they may have been constructed closer to the former date, possibly the early 1840s.

In the 1861 valuation, no.23 (a ‘neat private house’) was being sub-let to Richard Stephenson, whilst no.25 was occupied by John Godwin, who ran a ‘posting establishment’ (i.e. a place where horses could be hired), from the premises. Godwin held the lease of both dwellings from the Ross estate, and it is possible that he may have been responsible for building them. Both are recorded as measuring 5yds x 9½ x 2[storeys], with no.23 possessing a section ‘over gate at front’ of 2yds 1ft x 4yds 2ft x 1, with no.23 holding an equivalent section to the rear of this. No.25 also included outbuildings within the yard behind of 13 x 6 x 2 and 8 x 4 x 1½, where doubtless Mr. Godwin ran his business.

No.25’s ‘posting’ role had ceased by 1865 and both properties reverted solely to domestic use, with both in the hands of Henry Godwin from 1871 until 1883. In 1884 the lease of no.23 was acquired by Hugh Brown, with James Treanor is noted as the tenant in 1885, John Owens in 1892, Margaret Brown in 1893, Jane Hillis in 1906, Eleanor Godwin in 1911 and Margaret Dickson in from 1913 until 1918 when the property is listed as vacant; it remainied so up until at least 1923 when Mary White is noted as occupant. No.25, meanwhile, remained with the Godwin family until 1913, with Robert Lavery recorded as the tenant in 1914. Mr Lavery and Ms White were still occupying no.25 and no.23 respectively in 1930. The Cole family lived at no.23 for much of the rest of the 20th century, with Ellen Morgan resident in no.25 from the early 1930s until c.1953, and Mary Smith from that date until at least 1972.

Both houses were listed in September 1981. The pair appear to have remained occupied up until c.2000 but were demolished (without Listed Building Consent) in November 2016.

The Square / Church Street

The north-east to south-west line of what is now Church street and The Square is not depicted on Sloane’s or Kennedy’s maps of of 1739 and 1755, appearing for the first time on an estate map of 1767. It is probable that the thoroughfare was established as part of the laying out - or upgrading - of the road (present B25 Kilbroney Road) linking Rostrevor to the new village of Hilltown, which began to be developed by Wills Hill (later 1st Marquis of Downshire) in the 1760s. As its generous breadth - and name - suggests it is likely that it was also intended to act as a market place, and it is perhaps no coincidence that in April 1769 Rostrevor’s then landlord, Robert Ross, obtained a patent allowing him to hold a weekly market and quarterly fairs within the settlement.

The 1767 map shows the eastern and western sides seemingly developed as far as the present extent to the south-west and to the site of the current parish church in the north-east. The church itself was completed in 1821, forming a ‘closing of the vista’ of the broader portion of the street. By the time of the the 1834 OS map the extent of development we see today was in place, with buildings shown opposite the church and further along the narrower part of the carriageway to the north-east. The OS Memoirs of October 1836 provide what is perhaps the earliest description of this particular part of the town, telling us that ‘“Main Street” runs north east and south west, 620 yards in length, the breadth of that part contained between the new and old church (a distance of 180 yards) being 120 feet broad, the remainder averaging 30 feet in breadth. The houses in this street are nearly all 2-storey high and the greater part of them in good order, a number of them having furnished lodgings for the accommodation of strangers in summer. On coming into the town at its lower or south western extremity, this street presents a grateful “coup d’oeil”, the most pleasing and remarkable object of which is the new church, situated at the extremity of the broadest part of the Street and standing in line with its direction, its body and square tower appearing in good relief against the thick and luxuriant foliage of the trees to the north of the building.’

References - Primary sources
1 PRONI T1763/2 Map of County Down by Oliver Sloane, 1739
2 HERoNI Map of County Down by James Kennedy, 1755
3 PRONI D671/M7/2 Map of Rostrevor and surrounding lands, 1767
4 ‘A Map of the County of Down…by James Williamson, (1810)
5 OS map, Co. Down sheet 54, 1834
6 PRONI VAL1B/361 (1835-36)
7 Day, Angelique and McWilliams, Patrick ed. ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.3’ (QUB, 1990), p.35 (1835-36)
8 PRONI VAL2B/3/61C (1861)
9 PRONI VAL12B/19/21A-F (1865-1929)
10 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie, accessed 2020.06.30]
11 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’, (Belfast, various dates, 1910-19)
12 OS map, Co. Down sheet 54, 1919
13 PRONI VAL3C/4/23, 1936-57
14 OS map, Co. Down sheet 54, 1950
15 PRONI VAL4B/3/81, 1956-72
16 OS map, sheet 277, 1979