1 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two and half storey bank at junction of Church Street and the Square. Main entrance is on the canted corner.

Pitched natural slate roof with canted corner. There are four cement rendered chimneys - two on the ridge of the elevation facing to he Square and two on the ridge facing Church Street. Decorative corbels support plain overhanging timber boxed eaves. Three wall head dormers – one to right bay of Church Street elevation and one to each of the two bays on the Square elevation. All have pitched natural roofs with decorative fretted bargeboards and contain two segmental-headed 1/1 sash windows with horns and painted cills. Their cheeks are blank.

Walls are painted smooth rendered with banded rustication to ground floor and first floor and chamfered basecourse. Attic storey is smooth rendered. There are moulded cill courses to ground and first floors, and moulded cornice between first floor and attic level. All ground floor and first floor openings have channelled voussoir lines over.

1. Church Street elevation

This elevation is two bays wide. The left bay is four windows wide (at first floor). The right one is five windows wide. The bays are separated by plain pilasters which rise to the first floor cornice. Ground floor of left bay has two large fixed modern windows with top-hung casements. The right bay has three similar windows to ground floor – the middle one set to left of centre to accommodate a night safe. At first floor, left bay has four evenly spaced segmental headed windows – 1/1 sash with no horns. Right bay has five similar windows, but with horns and larger pier between third and fourth windows (centred on dormer above).

2. Canted corner

This elevation is flanked by pilasters that rise to the first floor cornice. Main entrance at ground floor consists of a pair of modern three panelled doors with an external security roller shutter. Over entrance, at first floor level, is a blind window with “1922” and a crest of interlocking letters P B I (representing Provincial Bank of Ireland).

3. The Square elevation

This elevation is two bays wide. Each bay is four windows wide at first floor. Ground floor left bay has two openings with modern fixed windows with top-hung casements set to left. To their right is a six panelled door with plain transom over. Right bay has a similar window set to left and a modern ATM machine at right.

4. Adjoining properties on the Square

This elevation continues to right as three properties of a similar design. Each is four windows wide with a dormer window. Beyond these are two properties which are two windows wide but which have similar dormers. Each has a modern shop front, to ground floor. Right-hand property is unrendered brick.

Both elevations have modern banking logos and individual applied letters “FIRST TRUST” at top of ground floor.

Rear elevation is cement rendered and of little interest, with single storey return to the block facing Church Street.

Historical information

The block which now comprises the bank and the adjoining building both date from 1891; the Valuation book entry of this date notes them as costing £800 each. The corner house was taken over by the Provincial Bank of Ireland in 1922. In the more recent past, the adjoining house was acquired by the Bank and given an external make-over in the same style as that of the bank.

The dormer buildings which comprise the remainder of this block along the E side of the Square all date from 1882-85, being a redevelopment of a site formerly occupied by Glenny's mill, of which the windmill (at rear) is now the only survival.

Primary sources
1. Valuation Revision books (PRONI, VAL/12B/22/23E, p.130; /23G, p.21).
2. HMBB photographs, c.1969.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Although of some streetscape value and the most visually important structure on the Square, this building retains no interior features of interest, and is of insufficient merit to warrant protection.