13 Church Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large three-storey 19thC building, facing the Market House on W side of Church Square. Shop front and passage to rear on ground floor. Upper floors are five windows wide. Large modern rear return.

Pitched natural slate roof with brick skews. Red brick chimney (with projecting moulded brick copings) to each gable. Seven skylights to front pitch and 4 to rear. Three stage rendered eaves course supports ogee metal gutter with metal down pipes to either end. Walls are lined cement rendered.

At ground floor left is a vehicular passage to rear; it is enclosed by modern decorative metal gates. The remainder of ground floor is filled by a symmetrical reproduction painted timber shop front. Pair of modern glazed and panelled doors, with decorative geometrically glazed transoms over, form the entrance. These are centred between large display windows, each having three vertical divisions with three transoms (as those to entrance) over. Five broad fluted timber pilasters on advanced cement rendered bases provide vertical divisions - one to either side of shop doors, one between the vehicular entrance and the shop window to its right, and one at either end. These pilasters support a broad timber fascia with scrolled ends and moulded leaded cornice over.

There are five reproduction sliding sash windows (with horns) and granite cills to each upper floor. Those to first floor are horizontally divided 2/2, and those to second floor are diminished in height and are 2/1 horizontally divided sashes. Glazing bars are very heavy. Four modern attached up-lighters, level with first floor cills, illuminate the upper floors.

A lower building abuts the left gable; its exposed section is cement rendered and blank. Wall at right side slightly instepped.

The vehicular access to rear is smooth rendered, with a four panelled door (with plain transom) at rear of its right cheek.

Large modern return to rear is centrally located, abutting all but extreme left and right bays. The remaining walls of the main elevation are smooth cement rendered. At ground floor left on the main block is a modern four panelled timber door (bolection moulded), approached by steps and a modern handrail. There is a single window to each floor above. At ground floor right is the vehicular entrance, with a single window to each floor above. All these windows are identical to those on floors of front elevation.

The rear return is four storeys high and all modern. It has a hipped natural slate roof, cat sliding to left, no chimneys. Boxed timber eaves and plastic squared gutter and downpipe to right corner. Walls are smooth rendered with moulded platband between each floor on all faces. Its rear gable has a modern pair of uPVC casement windows to right side on each floor. All have thin concrete cills. Left cheek has four panel door to ground floor right, and a uPVC window to first floor and second floor (as end wall). Right cheek has a modern entrance door with glazed side lights to ground floor; remainder of wall is blank.

A lower building abuts the right gable of the main block; the wall above is rendered and blank.

Historical information

A building shown here on 1776 map. It appears to have been fairly substantial as it is valued at £12 in the 1835 Valuation. It is noted as 22ft x 25ft x 17ft 6in (i.e. three storeys). It is noted as 2.5 storeys high in the c.1862 valuation and is described as a house and shop. The 1860 Valuation map suggests a rebuild sometime afterwards, but there is no increase in valuation to confirm this or indeed when it was raised to its present three storeys (indeed the valuation drops by £4 in 1889).

During present century in use by John Crummie as Outfitters & General Draper. This building stood vacant for some years and was subject to a CRISP Scheme conversion to retail units and flats. A plaque in the shop vestibule notes the reopening of this building on 26 November 1998.

During the works the building was demolished, but for the façade, which was held in place with scaffolding.

The HMBB first survey slide shows a traditional asymmetrical shop front with no vehicular access to rear and a chimney aligned along the ridge to right of centre. Rankin refers to a “Good late-Victorian shop front occupying all the ground floor, pilasters supporting the fascia, excellently painted in dark green and white. Horizontal glazing bars to windows above”.

Primary Sources:
1. Meade Estate: A Map of the Town of Rathfriland (1776) Now in Norfolk and Norwich Record Office.
2. PRONI 1834 Valuation town map (1:1760), VAL 1D/3/3.
3. PRONI 1835 First Valuation book, VAL 1B/ 358A, p.121; /358B, p.49.
4. OS 1:500 scale town map, Rathfriland (1860), (PRONI OS 8/24/1/4)
5. PRONI c.1862 Second Valuation book, VAL 2B/3/60B, p.46.
6. Mr Davenport, local resident.
7. HMBB first survey slide (undated) in Archive at 5-33 Hill Street Belfast.

Secondary sources:
1. P.J.Rankin “Historic Buildings in Rathfriland and Hilltown” p.11. (UAHS Belfast 1978-9).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Demolished and rebuilt apart from façade and its original shop front removed, this building retains few features of architectural or historic interest.