9 Downpatrick Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Narrow two-storey / single bay 19thC shop, part of a terrace on the W side of Downpatrick Street.

Pitched artificial slate roof tied into those of the adjoining buildings. No chimney. Half-round plastic gutter. Coursed finely dressed granite block wall with cement strap pointing.

Ground floor has a reproduction shop front (copy of the previous one) with narrow blank wall exposed to left. Shop front is in stained timber. T+g framed door with 4-paned transom is set to right. To its left is a fixed 6-paned (3x2) window with a timber cill.

Panelled timber pilasters with decorative pointed heads provide the vertical divisions between the door and window and at either end. These rest on original painted granite blocks and support a fascia with a lead flashed dentilled cornice above. Two first floor windows, both stained timber 2/2 vertically divided (with horns) exposed boxes and granite cills.

Left and right gables are completely abutted by buildings of similar height.

The rear elevation retains no features of interest. Its wall is cement rendered with modern glazed and panelled mahogany door to right end. Top hung casement window to left of door with similar window to first floor.

Historical information

Buildings are shown here on the 1776 Meade Estate map. However, they are exempted from valuation in 1834, indicating that they were probably one-storey and thatched. The 1860 Valuation map shows the terrace in its present form and this building is noted as 4yds x 9yds x 2 storeys.

This shop front is depicted on the rear of Rankin’s book. Then it had moulded timber astragals forming a head on each pilaster, and its fascia was not dentilled. A similar photograph from the UAHS collection is in the Architectural Archive.

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/ 358B, p.42.
4. PRONI 1860 Valuation map (1:500), VAL 12E/114/1/2.
5. PRONI c.1862 Second Valuation book, VAL 2B/3/60B, p.20.
6. Photograph in Architectural Archive, Environment and Heritage Service, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast.

Secondary Sources:
1. P.J.Rankin “Hilltown and Rathfriland List” (UAHS) Belfast 1978-9

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This has a good replica of the original timber shopfront, but the building has not sufficient interest to merit statutory protection.