23 COLLEGE SQUARE EAST

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey two-bay late-Victorian end-of-terrace house, built c.1883 to designs by an unknown architect, although possibly the work of civil engineer Mr John Hardy (see History). L-plan form facing southwest having a two storey extension to rear, added in c.2003. No. 23 College Square East is one of twenty-three similar houses which, together with Bessbrook Town Hall to the SE (HB16/22/009), form the eastern side of College Square: a formally designed late-Victorian square consisting of 53 dwellings in total, arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the Southeast.

Generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with stepped red brick dressings to jambs, painted stone cills and square-headed gauged-brick door and window opes.

Pitched fibre cement tile roof with roll top black clay ridge tiles. Replacement rectangular-section red brick chimney to NW, rebuilt in rustic red brick, has two terracotta clay pots. Flush eaves with separate red and buff brick eaves courses with an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. Generally uPVC RWGs with half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

Principal elevation
The front elevation is near symmetrical and faces SW being flush with the rest of the terrace. Modest paved front yard is enclosed by replacement dwarf rustic red brick walling, with a painted metal scrollwork foot gate hung on slim posts to SE. A concrete path from the gate leads to a panelled painted timber door at the SE end of the facade; single segmental arched glazed panel to upper half and square headed fanlight above. Window to NW side.

Facade has a regular fenestration pattern; two windows to FF level in line with GF openings, all having top opening timber casement windows.

Northwest elevation
Rough cast cement rendered finish to elevation with chimney to roof apex and painted timber bargeboard. Top opening timber casement window to both FF and GF levels and a single window to GF of rear return.

Northeast elevation
Limited access to rear NE facing elevation but, where visible, consists of rock-faced random-coursed stone walling to boundary of yard which is accessed through a painted timber door leading from rear access route. From NW end of facade a two-storey pitched roof rear return projects NE into rear yard being abutted on its SE by a single storey monopitched roofed covered area of the rear yard. The rear yard is a single reduced bay in width at its SE extent there being a single window visible to FF level of elevation facing NE; rear return has a three part casement window to its NE gable. Flat roofed outbuilding to northern corner of rear yard.

Generally rear elevation has rough cast cement rendered finish, slim concrete cills and timber casement windows.

Southeast
To the SE the building is attached to No. 22 College Square East (HB16/22/013V).

Setting
No. 23 forms part of College Square East; being part of a planned arrangement of 53 mill workers dwellings comprising a formal square composed of East, North and West terraces arranged around a central bowling green, playground and lawn; each house being set back from the perimeter public road and footpath with a modest sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. Terrace to East is initially stepped in groups of six dwellings respecting the subtle relief of the site. Terrace to West being composed of paired dwellings although in a similar style. Rear yard to each dwelling is enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling, having a square-headed door opening onto wide rear access route. Rear facades are generally much altered.

Front facades are nearly uniform along the eastern terrace with the village ‘Town Hall’ (the old Institute building HB16/22/009) being located to SE. The northern terrace (HB16/22/003A-H) is the shortest being only 12 houses in width; although similar they are distinctly larger two-and-a-half storey buildings.

Central area of square is now divided into three sections each laid to lawn; area to NW has a bowling pavilion and green which is enclosed by painted hooped metal railings with some established trees at its NW boundary. A lawn enclosed by hooped metal railings is located to SE and an open children's playground, which includes three granite monuments (HB16/22/034), is located in the centre of the square. One monument records: ‘erected A.D. 1911 in respectful memory of George Wright, Head Mason. John McClelland, Head Millwright. Michael Boyle, Flax Buyer. Who each faithfully served the Bessbrook firm for nearly 50 years. Also Robert Ross, Mill Manager. Austin Kennedy, Rougher'. The other records 'The garden in memory of James N. Richardson is arranged by his wife as a playground for the children of Bessbrook whom he loved November 1927'; inscription to opposite side records this was the last stone cut from Bessbrook quarry. A third monument formerly stood in the grounds of Bessbrook Mill. Recently moved to its current location, it details the mill's history from its ownership by the Pollock family in 1760 to Bessbrook Spinning Co Ltd in 1878.

Materials:

Roof: Fibre cement
RWGs: uPVC
Walling: Newry Granodiorite
Windows: Timber casements

Historical information

College Square, a late-Victorian village square comprising 53 dwellings arranged along its north, west and eastern sides, was established in c. 1883. The square was constructed as part of the industrial development of the village of Bessbrook which had been undertaken by the Richardson family from 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 the 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).

College Square was laid out in c. 1883 due to the expansion of Richardson’s business and the consequential increase in his local workforce. The Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide noted that the mid-1880s were a ‘period of intense building activity in the village [and that] the earlier ideals of the plan were re-established with the building of College Square.’ Richardson’s factory was greatly extended and modernised in 1884-85 as part of these developments. The two-storey houses at College Square were constructed along the north, west and eastern sides of an open green which was intended to be used as a recreational space (the bowling green at the southern end of the square was added in 1911); College Square was named after the Primary School on its west side which had been erected in 1849 (HB16/22/016). The architect of the houses is not known with certainty, although a likely candidate is John Hardy, a civil engineer who was appointed company architect in 1881 and was responsible for the extension of the factory. The terraces along College Square were built by masons and joiners employed by the Bessbrook Spinning Company. The Natural Stone Database records that the houses along the neighbouring Charlemont Square had been built of Newry Granodiorite. This granite was utilised in the masonry of most buildings at Bessbrook and was produced locally at a quarry opened on the former Charlemont Estate (granite from the Bessbrook Quarry is of a high quality and was used to build Manchester Town Hall and the great steps of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool). The houses along College Square were erected in c. 1883 having been first recorded by the Annual Revisions in that year (Brett, p. 243; NSD; Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide).

Each house at Bessbrook was owned by the Bessbrook Spinning Company and possessed between three and five rooms. The occupants of the houses were required to adhere to a number of clauses regarding their lease. Bassett states that each house in Bessbrook possessed ‘a garden [or yard] containing an eighth of an acre, and when the tenant enters into possession he is required to sign an agreement which contains certain stipulations in regard to the keeping of fowl and pigs, so that they may not be found in the quarters occupied by the family or in the yard. He can have a pig-style and fowl-run in the garden if he pleases. Another binding clause places him under obligation to send his children to school until they are old enough for mill work’ (Bassett; Harrison, p. 16).

No. 23 College Square East, a two-storey end-terrace dwelling, was constructed in c. 1883. The Annual Revisions record that the building was initially let by the Bessbrook Spinning Co. to a Ms. Hannah Seaver and was valued at £5 and 10 shillings (at which it remained until the 1950s). The occupants of the house changed with frequency over the following decades. In 1911 the Census of Ireland noted that No. 23 College Square East was occupied by James Bradley, a local farmer whose family were employed at Richardson’s factory. The accompanying census building return described the building as a 2nd class dwelling that consisted of five rooms. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the building remained valued at £5 and 10 shillings and, by the 1940s, was occupied by a Mr. Hugh McConnell. During the 20th century the mill at Bessbrook continued to expand gaining the Bessbrook Spinning Co. international fame. During 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 dwellings along College Square began to be sold to private individuals and firms (the majority of the houses along the square were purchased by a Mr. George Preston in c. 1969). 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. 23 College Square East was purchased outright by George Preston in 1969. The house continued to be occupied by the McConnell family by the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time its value had been increased to £8.

No. 23 College Square East 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 the two-storey modern return was constructed to the rear of No. 23 College Square East in c. 2003 (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/12/B/15/22C-F – Annual Revisions (1883-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/3/C/2/15 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
7. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/24 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
8. George Bassett: The Book of County Armagh (1888)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
10. Census of Ireland (1901: 1911)
11. First Survey Record – HB16/22/013 (1969)
12. NIEA HB Record – HB16/22/013W

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. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com/
2. Dictionary of Ulster Biography - http://www.ulsterbiography.co.uk/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
Z. Rarity
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A modest two-storey two-bay late-Victorian end-terrace house, built c. 1883 to designs by an unknown architect, although possibly the work of Mr John Hardy, civil engineer and architect for the Bessbrook Spinning Company. Well proportioned end-terrace house in Newry granite with brick surrounds; the building retains its character, despite replacement of original natural roof slates, front door, windows and front railings and the addition of a large extension to rear.

One of 23 similar houses which form the eastern terrace of College Square (HB16/22/013A-W): a formally designed and planned late-Victorian square, itself a rare occurrence in the province, consisting of 53 mill workers dwellings in total (also HB16/22/014A-L & HB16/22/015A-R). Arranged on three sides around a central green the square is primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast. The building and its neighbouring terrace houses form an important group in the village.

College Square represents the historical development of Bessbrook Village with the expansion of trade and industry in the late 19th century; the earlier Charlemont Square (1862-1866) is situated to its West. The local historical and social importance of the Bessbrook squares is well recognised; both as a model village based on Quaker ideological beliefs and also with their connection to general industry and trade surrounding Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/39). Internationally significant as part of an early planned mill village 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'.