1 LAKEVIEW

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey three-bay stone-built semi-detached dwelling with painted lined render walling and a projecting porch to front, built prior to 1861 to designs by an unknown architect. Rectangular plan form facing SE with a single storey monopitched rear return, No. 1 Lakeview is attached to the similar Spar shop (HB16/22/007) to the rear NW and to No. 2 Lakeview (HB16/22/10B) on its SW side. No.1 forms part of 'Lakeview' this being the collective name for two pairs of semi-detached dwellings, each pair with significant differences in detailing and all facing SE towards individual gardens and Bessbrook Lake, a former mill pond associated with Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/039).

Hipped natural slate roof with angled black clay ridge tiles and a rectangular section chimney to SW (shared with No.2) and an L-plan chimney to NE, both with a painted smooth render finish. Chimney to SW has five buff clay pots; chimney to NE has three buff clay pots and a single black clay pot. Projecting eaves with paired decorative moulded timber corbels. Generally cast iron RWGs; half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes. There is a rectangular hopper to front shared with No.2 and aluminium ogee guttering to rear elevation.

Typically painted lined render walling with raised quoins and painted stone window cills; square-headed opes with double hung 6/6 sliding timber sash windows with horns (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation
Front elevation faces SE and consists of a two storey three bay block with wide rectangular GF windows, each having three casements to top with 6 small panes, flanking a single storey hipped roof side entry porch to centre bay; double hung 1/1 sliding timber sash windows to SE and SW sides of porch. Six panel painted timber door on NE side of porch opens onto three granite steps which are returned to SE, having brass furniture to door and a square-headed fanlight with four glazed central panes and margin glazing. FF opes are reduced height.

Front elevation faces Bessbrook Lake and is fronted by a modest sized front garden laid to lawn at SW; gravelled to NE. There is a shared gravelled access road running from Prospect Place to the NE to the front elevation of No.4 at its SW end.

Southwest elevation
Building is attached on its SW to No. 2 Lakeview (HB16/22/010B).

Northwest elevation
Rear elevation faces NW and is attached to the Spar shop building at NE. Two bays to SW face into enclosed rear yard; two windows to FF and a single window to GF in-line below SW window. Single storey monopitched rear return is attached below NE window, to NE side of yard, and abuts Spar Shop building to NE and NW. Monopitched rear return has uPVC RWGs, a painted smooth cement render finish and two painted flush timber doors to its SW side, both doors having a glazed top and a window to their NW side; back door to SE and door to NW leads to outbuilding.

Two storey block has ogee guttering and consists of random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite stone walling with stepped red brick jambs and flat arch gauged brick heads to window opes. Walling is abutted by later walling of No. 2 Lakeview to the SW which has a similar but blocked window ope visible at GF facing into yard of No. 1.

Yard has quarry tiles and is bound on the SW by stone walling of single storey rear return to No.2. Painted sheeted timber door in walling to NW end of yard leads to rear yard of Spar Shop.

Northeast elevation
Side elevation faces NE consisting of a two bay elevation with a regular fenestration attached to the similarly detailed four bay Shop (HB16/22/007) to NW. Entrance gates to NW site boundary extend NE and provide access from Prospect Place to the NW to a gravelled access route leading to Lakeview dwellings; painted metal vehicular gates composed of vertical irons with pointed ball finials, hung on slim dressed granite pillars with pyramidal caps, and flanked by similar foot gates, and railings with spearhead finials. Generally painted lined cement render walling to elevation and reduced height FF windows.

Setting
No. 1 is attached to the later but similar No.2 Lakeview (HB16/22/010B) to the SW and forms part of 'Lakeview' this being the collective name for two pairs of separate semi-detached dwellings. No.3 (HB16/22/010C) and No. 4 (HB16/22/010D) are similar but two-and-a-half-storey dwellings with gables and some significant differences in detailing. Each house shares access from Prospect Place to the NE; a tarmaced area which fronts the Spar Supermarket (HB16/22/007) and is accessed from Church Road to the NW. Each dwelling faces SE towards their respective gardens, which generally have areas set to lawn and mature shrubs and trees. Gardens are enclosed by stone walling at their SE extent and run down towards Bessbrook Lake, a former mill pond associated with Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/039).

Materials:

Roof: Natural slate
RWGs: Metal
Walling: Newry Granodiorite with some painted lined cement render
Windows: Timber sash

Historical information

No. 1 Lakeview, a two-storey three-bay mid-Victorian dwelling located between No. 2 Lakeview and No. 2 Church Road, was constructed prior to 1861. The building was the first house to be erected along Lakeview, predating nos 3-4 Lakeview (which were constructed between 1861 and 1866) and No. 2 Lakeview (c. 1875). The terrace of four buildings was erected as part of the expansion and industrial development of Bessbrook, which had been undertaken by the Richardson family as early as the 1840s.

The development of industry in the area dates from 1761 when the first woollen mill and bleach green were opened by a Mr. John Pollock. The site was simply known as ‘The Green’ but was renamed Bessbrook after Pollock’s wife Elizabeth (Bess) and the nearby Camlough River (Brook). The first edition Ordnance Survey map records that few buildings had been erected at Bessbrook by the 1830s. The only significant structures to be depicted upon that map were Mount Caulfield House (the residence of the Nicholson family – see HB16/22/024) and a number of thread manufactories and bleach mills. The village of Bessbrook was effectively founded in 1845 when John Grubb Richardson (1813-1891), a linen merchant from Lambeg, purchased one of the derelict mills at the site and began to build housing for his factory workers in the immediate vicinity. Richardson, in his own words, ‘had a great aversion to be responsible for a factory population in a large town, so on looking around, fixed upon a place near Newry … with water power and a thick population around, and in a country district where flax was cultivated in considerable quantities’ (Harrison, p. 50).

Bessbrook was established as a ‘model village’ in a number of phases beginning with the laying out of Fountain Street in the 1840s. The architect of the majority of the housing in Bessbrook is not known, however Richardson’s layout of the village was influenced by the work of William Penn, an American Quaker who had been responsible for the planning and development of Philadelphia in the late-17th century. Richardson was also a member of the Religious Society of Friends and, according to Harrison, possessed a ‘typical Quaker mix of pragmatic and altruistic expectation to provide jobs and good working conditions for his employees.’ By providing his workers with good standards of living Richardson hoped to ensure good relationships between employers and those they employed. He therefore established the village as a social experiment where his workers could both live and work in contentment. Harrison states that Richardson’s philanthropic spirit led him to bring the poor, the unqualified and beggars from the surrounding countryside to work and live at Bessbrook, hoping that he could encourage them to improve themselves and excise old habits. Bessbrook is often referred to as a village without the ‘Three P’s’ due to Richardson’s stipulation that there would be no ‘Public House’ or ‘Pawn Shop’ in the settlement and therefore no need for ‘Police’ to be stationed there. In exchange for keeping the village free of alcohol Richardson provided recreational and educational facilities at the Institute (HB16/22/009), a number of well-stocked shops (located at nos 1-5 Charlemont Square East) and also had milk, tea and cocoa distributed to his mill workers. The strategy was effective as the majority of the population voted to preserve the ordinance in the 1870s and, to this day, there remains no public house at Bessbrook. Police were not stationed at the village until the turn of the 20th century (Harrison; Brett, p. 243).

In 1863 Richardson became the sole owner of the Bessbrook Spinning Company following the purchase of his brother’s shares in the company. The local linen industry experienced a boom during the American Civil War (1861-65) as access to American cotton was cut off. Richardson took advantage of this opportunity by greatly enlarging his factory at Bessbrook whilst also increasing the size of his workforce. Lord Charlemont sold the remainder of the Camlough Estate to Richardson in 1865 and so by the mid-1860s Richardson was the main employer and the principal landowner at Bessbrook. Richardson had Charlemont Square laid out between 1862 and 1866 to accommodate the influx of new workers to the factory; between 1861 and 1871 the population of Bessbrook rose from 637 to 2,215 with the number of houses rising from 73 to 296 (Harrison, pp 100-101).

Whereas the majority of housing constructed in the village during this period was built for Richardson’s factory workers, the four houses along Lakeview were occupied by members of Bessbrook’s professional classes as several of the recorded occupants were employed as linen merchants, doctors or as senior managers in Richardson’s mill. The architects of the row is not known with certainty. Brett suggests that John Hardy, a civil engineer who was appointed company architect in 1881, may have carried out some work in Bessbrook in the 1860s, although his role may have been limited to the expansion of the mill buildings (Brett, p. 243).

No. 1 Lakeview was constructed prior to 1861 as it was first recorded in that year on the second edition Ordnance Survey map which depicted the building along its current layout. The map shows that No. 1 Lakeview and the adjoining No. 2 Church Road were constructed before the rest of Lakeview and it is likely that they are amongst the earliest buildings in the village. Griffith’s Valuation (1862) set the initial value of No. 1 Lakeview at £11 and 10 shillings and noted that the building was leased by John. Richardson to a Ms. Hannah Marsh. The Annual Revisions notes that the value of the building was increased to £16 and 10 shillings in 1866; at this time the neighbouring nos 3-4 Lakeview had been constructed (although No. 3 was not added until c. 1875). The valuer recorded that the house was occupied by a large number of tenants over the following four decades. The 1911 Census of Ireland notes that No. 1 Lakeview was occupied by John W. Orr, a factory manager at Richardson’s mill. The census building return described the house as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 14 rooms. The contemporary Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1906) depicted the building along its current layout. The next notable inhabitant of the house was Martin Hamilton, manager of the Newry and Bessbrook Tramway, who occupied No. 1 Lakeview between c. 1923 and 1936. The value of the house was increased to £27 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) which noted that the Bessbrook Spinning Co. leased the house to a Mr. (or Mrs.) Lilley.

During the 20th century the mill at Bessbrook continued to expand gaining the Bessbrook Spinning Co. international fame. Throughout the Second World War the mill workers were tasked with supplying cloth for uniforms. The Bessbrook Spinning Co. continued to retain ownership of housing in Bessbrook until the 1960s when the majority of its holdings in the village began to be sold off to private individuals and firms. The sale of property at Bessbrook was necessitated by the post-war downturn in the local textile market which foreshadowed the closure of the mill in 1972 (the building was subsequently occupied by the British Army – see HB16/22/039). No. 1 Lakeview was purchased outright by George Preston, a local property owner, in c. 1970, however the building lay vacant by the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time its total rateable value stood at £35.

No. 1 Lakeview was listed in 1981 and was included in the Bessbrook Conservation Area which was designated in 1983 in recognition of Bessbrook’s ‘historical significance as a planned mill village and its distinct form and character.’ The Conservation Area Guide notes that the carefully planned development of Bessbrook, including the uniform terraces at Charlemont Square and College Square, influenced the design of the famous English model villages at Saltaire (1852), Port Sunlight (1888) and Bourneville (developed by the Cadbury family in 1895) ‘which have directly influenced town and country planning all over the world’ (Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide). The NIEA HB Records note that No. 1 Lakeview underwent a renovation in c. 1998 which included the replacement of its entrance doors and the installation of new sliding sash window frames (NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/2/26/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1834-35)
2. PRONI OS/6/2/26/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1861)
3. PRONI OS/6/2/26/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1906)
4. PRONI OS/8/31/3 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1906)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/2/37D – Griffith’s Valuation (1862)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/6A-6J – Annual Revisions (1866-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/5A – Annual Revisions (1924-29)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/2/12 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/20 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
10. George Bassett: The Book of County Armagh (1888)
11. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1918)
12. Census of Ireland (1901: 1911)
13. First Survey Record – HB16/22/010
14. NIEA HB Record – HB16/22/010A

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Bessbrook: A record of industry in a Northern Ireland village community and of a social experiment, 1845-1945’ Belfast: Nicholson & Bass Ltd., 1945.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Armagh’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999.
3. Harrison, R., ‘The Richardson’s of Bessbrook: Ulster Quakers in the linen industry (1845-1921)’ Dublin: Original Writing Ltd., 2008.
4. ‘Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide’ Belfast: Department of the Environment (N. I.), 1983.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Ulster Biography - http://www. ulsterbiography.co.uk/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
X. Local Interest
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

Two-storey three-bay stone-built semi-detached dwelling with painted lined render walling and projecting porch, built prior to 1861 to designs by an unknown architect. Rectangular plan form with a single storey return to rear yard, facing SE towards a private garden and the former mill pond, associated with Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/39). The building has well designed proportions and detailing, retaining its internal plan and some internal joinery. The houses are of significant historical and social interest as part of the early planned mill village of Bessbrook, begun in the 1840s by the prominent linen merchant John Grubb Richardson (1813-1891) from Lambeg and contemporary to the other English model villages of Port Sunlight (1888) and Bourneville (1895), which latterly went on to contribute to 'town and country planning all over the world'. As part of a terrace of 4 no. houses, the building forms an important group with the former shop and Quaker meeting house (HB16/22/007), in the centre of the village. No. 1 Lakeview pre-dates the industrial development of Bessbrook by Richardson and was the first of the four middling size houses to be built, typically for Mill Managers and the professional classes in the village.