16 BRIDGE ST

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey terraced building with dwelling above chemist's shop, built c. 1850; the name of the architect is unknown. Rectangular plan form facing SW having two separate monopitched single storey rear returns. The building is located on the NE side of Bridge Street, within the Rostrevor Conservation Area with a glazed shop front to chemist's and a separate doorway leading to dwelling at FF.

Pitched fibre cement tile roof with black clay ridge tiles and projecting eaves course with metal RWGs: half round guttering to front discharges to a cast iron polygonal hopper and a cast iron circular-section downpipe (shared with No. 18, HB16/06/026A). Rectangular section chimney to SE is shared with No. 18 having two buff clay pots and two terracotta clay pots.

PRINCIPAL ELEVATON
Main elevation faces SW, is fronted by the public footpath along Bridge Street and consists of a glazed shop front to NW and a single bay to SE with a four panelled painted timber door opening onto a single granite step and leading to dwelling; square-headed fanlight above door, brass furniture and a double hung 6/6 sliding timber sash window in-line to FF.

Shop front consists of a glazed square-headed opening flanked by wide painted timber panels with moulded timber corbels to their top which would appear to be part of an earlier shopfront. Signage is modern, mounted on projecting roller shutter casing with florescent lighting above and ‘McKeevers Chemists’ in raised lettering. Shop window has an aluminium frame and shop door is located to SE side of window; aluminium framed door with glazed top and bottom half. Tripartite window to FF is in-line to centre of shop front; double hung 4/4 sliding timber central sash with timber mullions and 4 pane fixed sidelights.

Brass 'pestle and mortar' motif at FF level between shop front and door to dwelling and a projecting modern wall mounted metal sign displaying a green cross and ‘McKeevers Chemists’.

Generally painted lined render walling and square-headed opes to elevation.

NORTHWEST ELEVATON
Building is attached on the NW to No. 14 Bridge Street (HB16/06/024).

NORTHEAST ELEVATON
Rear elevation faces NE consisting of a two storey block fronted on the NW by a long monopitched rear return (Chemists) and on the SE by a smaller monopitched rear return (dwelling) with a larger monopitched outbuilding attached to its NE end.

Elevation has an irregular pattern of fenestration with four uPVC casement windows (recently installed) to FF; the two windows to centre of FF are diminutive and those at either side are two part side opening casements. Three part uPVC casement window to GF in walling between rear returns which looks onto a rear concrete yard; NE end of yard is raised and set to lawn being accessed via a short flight of concrete steps and enclosed along site boundaries by smooth rendered walling.

Generally painted textured render walling and uPVC RWGs to elevation and rear returns.

Rear return of chemist at NW has a corrugated asbestos roof, a wide top opening timber casement window to its SE elevation with a smaller uPVC casement window and a painted sheet metal door also to SE. Slim concrete cills to return.

Rear return to dwelling at SE has a monopitched fibre cement tile roof with a skylight and a painted flush timber door with glazed top half to its NW elevation. This rear return is abutted on the NE by a store built of coursed reconstituted stone blocks having a painted flush timber door and a three part timber casement window to NE side of door.

SOUTHEAST ELEVATON
Building is attached on the SE to No. 18 Bridge Street (HB16/06/026A).

SETTING
No 16 Bridge Street forms part of a terrace, mainly composed of shops with dwellings over, which is located on the NE side of the Bridge Street which leads from Rostrevor’s Square, at its NW end, down to a triple span bridge (HB16/06/033) over the Rostrevor River at its SE end.

MATERIALS
Roof: Fibre cement
RWGs: Cast iron(SW) and uPVC (NE)
Walling: Rendered
Windows: Timber sliding sash(SW), timber casement and uPVC (NE)

Historical information

No. 16 Bridge Street, a two-storey terraced building (possessing a ground floor shopfront) was constructed in the mid-19th century. The Rostrevor Conservation Area Guide records that in 1752 the village consisted of only a few cottages but that by the early-19th century Rostrevor had ‘developed some of its present form with a tree-lined Square and a quay half-a-mile distant.’ Bridge Street, which was originally known as ‘Post Office Street,’ had been fully developed by the turn of the 19th century with many of the current buildings constructed along its length. There was steady growth in the population of the village throughout the century which coincided with the arrival of the tramway from Warrenpoint in 1875 and the construction of the Rostrevor Hotel in the following year (Rostrevor Conservation Area Guide).

A building on the site of nos 14-16 Bridge Street was recorded on the Townland Valuation Town Plan (c. 1834) which depicted it as a simple rectangular-shaped building that possessed an outbuilding to rear. The accompanying Townland Valuations (1838) set the total rateable value of the building at £7 and 8 shillings. It is unlikely that this structure is nos 14-16 Bridge Street as it did not possess the dimensions of the current buildings, suggesting that this single structure was replaced with the two smaller buildings in c. 1850. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1861) set the total rateable value of No. 16 Bridge Street at £10 and noted that the building was initially leased to a Mr. William Steward by the estate of Robert Martin. The occupants of the property changed with frequency over the following four decades and by the turn of the 20th century No. 16 Bridge Street was inhabited by Bernard Dunne, a local auctioneer and draper who operated a shop from the premises. The 1901 Census of Ireland described the building as a 2nd class dwelling that consisted of nine rooms and possessed a stable, barn and a turf house amongst its outbuildings to rear. It was in the first decade of the 20th century that Post Office Street was renamed Bridge Street.

The Dunne family continued to reside at No. 16 Bridge Street until the 1960s. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) increased the value of the site to £18 and noted that ownership of the building had passed David Sinton, a local grocer. Michael Dunne remained at the address until c. 1968 when the property was occupied by Kevin Durkin who established a chemist shop at the site. By the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of No. 16 Bridge Street had been greatly increased to £45. No. 16 Bridge Street was included in the Rostrevor Conservation Area in 1979 and was subsequently listed in 1981 (NIEA HB Records).

References
Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/54/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map (1834)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/54/2 – Second edition Ordnance Survey map (1859)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/54/3 – Third edition Ordnance Survey map (1901-02)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/54/4 – Fourth edition Ordnance Survey map (1919-30)
5. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/2 – Townland Valuation Town Plan (c. 1834)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/361 – Townland Valuations (1838)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/61C – Griffith’s Valuation (1861)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/19/21A-F – Annual Revisions (1865-1930)
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/23 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/3/81 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
11. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1918)
12. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
13. First Survey Record – HB16/06/025 (1970)
14. NIEA HB Record – HB16/06/025
Secondary Sources

1. ‘Rostrevor Conservation Area Guide’ Belfast: Department of the Environment (N. I.), 1979.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey terraced building with dwelling above chemist's shop, built c. 1850 and located on Bridge Street, Rostrevor. Rectangular plan form facing SW with later single storey returns to rear. Despite the use of fibre cement roof tiles, modern signage and some uPVC windows, it retains much of the original architectural style with modest detailing and well ordered fenestration to its front facade. The rear elevation retains smaller openings with modest detailing consistent for its time, notwithstanding the monopitched extensions. As an integral part of the coherent row of buildings of similar scale and proportions, No.16 contributes important character to the Rostrevor Conservation Area.