20 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey (+ attic) commercial premises on N side of Main Street.

Pitched natural slate roof with cement skews and modern red brick chimney to W gable. Three cast iron skylights on rear pitch. Semicircular metal rainwater goods.

Front elevation is lined cement rendered and painted with two stage moulded rendered eaves and alternating pairs of V-channelled stucco quoins (gone at ground floor left). Shop front consists of two large modern picture windows to either side of a modern door (with sidelights and transoms). At extreme left is a former doorway with transom, now glazed as a window. Modern individual wall mounted letters state ‘‘Stewart & James”. Marks in the render, the missing quoins and a lead flashing set in render between ground and first floors suggest that an original timber shop front has been removed.

First and second floors are identical. To central bay is a 2/2 exposed box sliding sash (with horns), moulded stucco architrave and painted granite cill. Left and right bays each have larger tripartite windows consisting of 2/2 sashes flanked by narrower 1/1 sashes, (all with horns), architraves and cills as before. The heads of the second floor tripartite windows break the eaves mouldings suggesting that they have been enlarged at some time.

A lower building abuts the left gable. Exposed gable is painted and smooth rendered.
Rear elevation is much altered and extended. To right is a two storey return, with pitched roof, which has been extended to left filling the rest of the elevation. Of no interest. Large rear yard.

A lower building abuts the right gable with the exposed gable smooth rendered and unpainted.

Historical information

Buildings are shown on this plot on the 1776 Meade Estate map. The 1834 Valuation book describes two buildings here, each 25ft high and with 15ft and 17ft frontages (both extending back 28ft 6in). However, the c.1862 Second Valuation describes the two buildings occupying this site as having 16ft 6in and 24ft frontages (both extending back 28ft 6in as before) and both 3.5 storeys high; the accompanying Valuation map shows a coach arch between them.

To what extent these particular buildings relate to the previous ones and to the present ones is unclear. It is possible that the earlier ones were raised; equally they could have been rebuilt and made wider over all. There is no change in valuation after the Second Valuation, which suggests that the present structure is a later refurbishment rather than a complete rebuild.

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.141-2; /358B, p.41.
4. PRONI 1860 Valuation revision map (1:500), VAL 12E/114/1/2.
5. PRONI c.1862 Second Valuation book, VAL 2B/3/60B, p.6-7.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This building has an attractive front elevation, and retains much original fabric on its upper floors, including a good timber staircase. However, its modern shop front, stripped ground floor and large rear extensions detract from its overall character.