Irish National Foresters' Hall 37 Bridge Street Rostrevor BT34 3BG

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey end of terrace hall of domestic appearance, built in 1881 as an RIC station, but seemingly repurposed as a dwelling house in the 1920s following fire damage, before being converted to its current use as a hall c.1946-47.

SETTING A prominent village
setting, at the south end of the terrace of the SW side of Bridge Street, at the junction with Horner’s Lane, just N of the bridge over the Kilbroney River.

GENERAL The building consists of the main gable-ended section facing on to Bridge Street. To the rear there is a relatively large double-pile two-storey return with a single-storey flat-roofed addition to the rear (SW) of this

FRONT (NE) ELEVATION Symmetrical. Three openings wide and finished in painted lined render with raised ‘in-out’ quoins. Central timber doorway with applied ‘panelling’ (possibly a recent replacement), and large boarded up overlight (with extractor fan.) Standard ratio window either side, each with a 2 /2 timber sash frame, painted stone cill and decorative wrought-iron security railings. Three similar windows to the upper floor (without railings). All openings set in typically late Victorian bevelled reveals. Tall flagpole attached to wall to immediate left of central upper level window.

SE ELEVATION Asymmetrical. To right is the gable of the main block which has two windows to each floor, as front but with replacement four-pane frames. Between these is a central ‘reducing’ chimneybreast. To left of the gable is the S side of the return which has a plain sheeted door set within a projecting porch to right at ground level, with a window to left of this and two windows to the upper floor, all as previous. The porch has a narrow window to its W-facing side. The (blank) side of the addition is to far left of this elevation. The gable and the return are finished as the front elevation, but without quoins to the addition. There is a small area to this side of the building enclosed wrought-iron railings.

SW ELEVATION The ground level (the addition) has a left of centre doorway with plain sheeted double door. The upper level consists largely of the double gable of the return and here there is an upper level doorway - with plain sheeted door - to left of centre.

ROOF The roof is covered in natural slate and has an overhang with replacement PVC bargeboards. There are three replacement brick chimneystacks which would appear to be much in the style of the originals. The roof of the addition could not be seen. The RW goods appear to be a mixture of cast-iron and PVC.

Historical information

This building was constructed as a Royal Irish Constabulary barrack and is located on a site previously part occupied by two small dwelling houses. It is first recorded in the valuation book for this area in 1881, so we must assume that it was completed in that year or shortly before this. The identity of the architect is not known. The barrack replaced an earlier one that was located in what is now no.5 Bridge Street (see HB16/06/043).

The building was vacated by the police in September 1919, and in April 1920 was ‘destroyed’ by a fire started by ‘six or eight armed and masked men’ who ‘arrived by motor car and took possession of the village, isolating it by cutting the [telephone] wires at either end’. A later report suggests that it was only partially damaged, however, and it is recorded as being ‘dilapidated’ by the valuers in 1921.

At some point in or just before 1929 it was repaired / refurbished, for in that year it is noted as a ‘house, office and yard’ leased by William Lyons to Dr. McLaughlin (probably Dr. Henry McLaughlin who moved to the present 21 Cloughmore Rd in c.1935 – see HB16/06/083). As such it is possible that it may also have acted as a surgery during this period. The property is recorded as vacant in 1937, with Leo O'Callaghan noted as the tenant in 1939.

Sometime around 1945 the lease was acquired by the Rostrevor branch of the Irish National Foresters and the building converted to its current use as a hall.

The rear return appears to have been enlarged at some point between 1950 and 1979.

References – Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL12B/19/21A-F Annual valuation revision books, Rostrevor ED - 1865-1929
2 OS map, County series, Down sheet 54 – 1902; 1919; 1950
3 ‘Frontier Sentinel’ – 20 September 1919, p.3; 29 May 1920, p.2; 5 April 1947, p.2
4 ‘Belfast News-Letter’ – 5 April 1920, p.5
5 PRONI VAL3C/4/23 First generaluation revaluation of Northern Ireland, Rostrevor ED - 1936-57
6 PRONI VAL4B/3/81 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Rostrevor ED - 1956-72
7 OS map IG series, sheet 277-11 - 1979

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two-storey end of terrace hall of domestic appearance, built in 1881 as an RIC station, but seemingly repurposed as a dwelling house in the 1920s following fire damage, before being converted to its current use as a hall c.1946-47 . This building appears to have undergone extensive internal changes (on several occasions) and this coupled with the loss of some original external fabric means that it does not meet the criteria for listing.