2 COLLEGE SQUARE WEST

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey two-bay late-Victorian mill workers terraced dwelling, built of local stone in c.1874 to designs by an unknown architect, although possibly the work of civil engineer Mr John Hardy (see History). Rectangular plan form facing northeast having a single storey rear return and a covered extension to yard. No. 2 College Square West is part of a terrace row of 18 similar houses which form the western side of College Square (HB16/22/015A-R): 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, stone cills and square-headed gauged-brick door and window opes. Dwellings are grouped into pairs along the terrace; each pair is symmetrical having doors grouped to centre flanked on opposite sides by single windows at GF level and are set between raised roof verges, in red brick with clay tile coping, which rise to rectangular section chimneys at apex level. The line of the verge is continued vertically down each front NE facade with stepped red brick quoins, and recessed downpipes, flanking each paired set of dwellings. Single dwellings at each end of the terrace are unpaired.

Pitched natural slate roof with roll-top black clay ridge tiles. Rectangular-section red brick chimney to SE (rebuilt in rustic brick) has six terracotta clay pots.

Flush eaves with a double red brick course, a single buff brick course and an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. Generally uPVC RWGs; half-round guttering discharging to a circular section downpipes. Downpipe to front NE is cast iron and recessed into walling of stepped red brick quoins.

Principal elevation
The front elevation faces NE being flush with the rest of the terrace. It is near symmetrical having a regular fenestration pattern; two windows to FF level in line with GF openings, all windows being top opening timber casements. GF has a stepped red brick surround and gauged brick arches with flush keystone detail to head of door; window to SE side of door has flush red brick detailing beneath cill.

Modest sized front garden is set to lawn and is enclosed dwarf red brick walling topped with hooped painted metal railings. There is a similar foot gate hung on slim posts to the NW. A concrete path from the gate leads to a painted sheeted timber door with brass furniture and a square headed fanlight above with a single vertical glazing bar.

Southeast elevation
To SE building is attached to No.1 College Square West (HB16/22/015A).

Southwest elevation
Limited access to rear SW facing elevation but, where visible, consists of a single storey flat roofed return at SE with a narrower monopitched covered yard extension to NW, both extend SW to rear yard boundary. Covered yard extension has a corrugated Perspex roof and flat roofed return has felt. Two uPVC casement windows visible in original stone walling at FF level. Yard boundary wall has a smooth cement render finish and a painted sheeted timber door leading from rear access route to covered yard extension.

Northwest
To the NW the building is attached to No. 3 College Square West (HB16/22/015C).

Setting

No. 2 forms part of College Square West; 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. Rear yard to each dwelling is typically enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling, having a square-headed door opening onto wide rear access route. Rear facades are generally much altered.

Terrace to east is composed of 23 dwellings built in a similar style, but with some significant differences in detailing, they are initially stepped in groups of six respecting the subtle relief of the site and terminate at its south-eastern end with the village ‘Town Hall’ (the old Institute building HB16/22/009). The northern terrace is the shortest in the square being only 12 houses in width; although similar to the other terrace dwellings these are distinctly larger two storey buildings. The former school building (HB16/22/16) is located to the SE end of the western terrace.

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: Natural slate
RWGs: Cast iron and uPVC
Walling: Newry Granodiorite
Windows: Timber casements and uPVC casements

Historical information

College Square, a late-Victorian village square comprising 53 dwellings arranged along its north, west and eastern sides, was established in stages between c. 1874 and c. 1890. The square was constructed as part of the continuous industrial development of the village of Bessbrook which had been undertaken by the Richardson family from 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 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 stages between c. 1874 and c. 1890 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). 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 West were constructed between c. 1874 and c. 1877. The Annual Revisions first recorded nos 1-12 College Square West in 1874 whilst the adjoining nos 13-18 were added to the row by 1877 (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-stye 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. 2 College Square West, a two-storey two-bay dwelling, was constructed in c. 1874. The Annual Revisions record that the building was initially let by the Bessbrook Spinning Co. to a Mr. Houston and was valued at £6. The occupants of the house changed with great frequency over the following decades. During the 1911 Census of Ireland No. 2 College Square West was occupied by James McGaffin, a local labourer whose children worked as weavers at Richardson’s mill. The accompanying census building return described the house as a 2nd class dwelling that consisted of six inhabited rooms. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the building was valued at £7 and 10 shillings and was occupied by a Mr. Stanley McMinn. 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 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). A Mr. Thomas Sterritt occupied No. 2 College Square West in c. 1955 and purchased the house outright in c. 1968. By the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of the building had been increased to £10.

No. 2 College Square West 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).

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/15/22A-F – Annual Revisions (1866-1929)
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 – HB16/22/015 (1969)
12. NIEA HB Record – HB16/22/015B

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

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

Evaluation

A stone-built two-storey two-bay late-Victorian mill workers terrace dwelling, built c. 1874 to designs by an unknown architect, although possibly the work of Mr John Hardy, civil engineer and architect for the Bessbrook Spinning Company. Rectangular plan form facing northeast having a single storey rear return and a coverd yard extension also to rear. No. 2 College Square West has substantial group value with many other historic buildings adding to its setting, being one of 18 similar houses which form the western terrace of College Square (HB16/22/015A-R): a formally designed and planned late-Victorian square, itself a rare occurrence in the province, consisting of 53 mill workers dwellings in total (also HB16/22/013A-W & HB16/22/014A-L). Arranged on three sides around a central green, the square is primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast.

The local historical and social importance of the Bessbrook squares is well recognised both as the development of a model village based on Quaker ideological beliefs and also with their connection to general industry and trade surrounding Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/39). College Square itself represents the historical development of Bessbrook Village with the expansion of trade and industry in the late 19th century. Both College Square and the earlier Charlemont Square (1862-1866) to its West could be considered as internationally important, being part of an early planned mill village begun in the 1840s, later influencing the similar English model villages of Port Sunlight (1888) and Cadbury's Bourneville (1895) which went on to contribute to 'town and country planning all over the world'.

No. 2 College Square West forms part of the Bessbrook Conservation Area and, like many other buildings in the square, exhibits much character externally with well designed proportions and modest detailing. A modest extension to rear maintains original stone walling at FF level yet some modern finishes including casement windows detract from the building's character and heritage value. The use of locally quarried stone with good quality external walling to the front NE facade helps to create a unique sense of identity and place for Bessbrook which is desirable to maintain for the future and each building, including No. 2 College Square West, has a significant role in the overall composition of the Square and its planned architectural effect.