1-36 Damolly Row

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A terrace of 36 two-storey/ two-bay houses arranged as two contiguous blocks on north-east side of Damolly Row.

Nos 1-26, which are all identical, are divided into five sub-blocks which step down the hill towards the north-west as follows: 1-6 (at top), 7-12, 13-18, 19-24, 25-26 (at bottom). The orientation of the row changes slightly at no. 11. All have pitched natural slate roofs with plastic or metal rainwater goods, and a single brick chimney to right gable, most now rebuilt in red brick. The walls to street are random granite rubble, with stepped red brick dressings to doors and windows. Each house has a front door at left with plain transom light over. To right of door is a single window. At first floor is an identical window centred on façade. All windows have granite cills. With the exceptions noted below, none retain any original windows or doors. No.1 has had its brick dressings rendered in cement. Its right gable is wet dashed with a plastic window to ground floor and similar to first floor. Nos 7-12 have narrower transom lights than the others in the block. Nos 17 and 19 retain their 2/2 sliding sash windows (all with horns).

Nos 27-36 are divided into two sub-blocks - 27-31 and 32-33-35-36 (no no.34) which step down the hill as before. These houses are lower than the upper section, have similar openings to facade, but no brick dressings. All have modern windows. Nos 27 and 28 are now one property (with door to no. 28 now a window). Nos 32-36 are identical to nos 27-31 but are wet dashed, over a smooth rendered base course. None retains any original windows or doors.

The rear of all these properties have been much altered and most have gabled returns.

Historical information

The two blocks at the bottom of the row (no.27 onwards) are earlier than the blocks higher up. With the exception of nos. 32 and 33, they predate 1863, when they are cited in the Second Valuation book. At that time all were associated with a flour and corn mill belonging to Joseph Cowan. There were, at this time, a further five houses at the west end, now gone.

A row of houses is shown in the vicinity of the two existing blocks on the 1834 OS 6” map. At that time the corn mill was associated with a spade factory and belonged to John Boyd and Samuel Glenny. Whether the map depiction represents the present houses is uncertain. The 1836 valuation book makes no mention of them, implying that they were rated at less than £5. It is possible, therefore, that the row was originally single storeyed, but was cleared and rebuilt in its present form sometime before 1863.

Numbers 32 and 33 first appear in the 1908 valuation, and are explicitly described as “similar to nos 27-31 and 34-36”. These two houses occupy the gap site shown on the 1903 map.

The five blocks towards the top end were erected in the period 1891-1908. Houses 1-5 and 12 first appear in the 1891 valuation book, and nos 6-11 in 1893. These house groupings do not correspond exactly with the two blocks. Despite the two year gap between their appearances in the valuation book, it is therefore probable that the blocks were erected simultaneously in the early 1890s. By that time, the corn mill had long since been destroyed by fire and a weaving factory had been erected in its place by Alexander McNeill. This factory was acquired by the Bedford St Weaving Co (Belfast), and was subsequently purchased by William Gaffikin in the early 1890s. He erected a new weaving shed and installed a new water turbine. It was probably in connection with the factory’s expansion that Gaffikin built these houses.

Nos 13-21 first appear in the 1906 valuation, and nos.22-26 in 1908. Again, these house groupings do not correspond exactly with the three blocks; all were probably erected simultaneously from c.1905 onwards.

Sources:

1. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/1)
2. OS 6" map, 2nd edition (1858) Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/2)
3. OS 6" map, 3rd edition (1902) Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/3)
4. VAL 1B/389, pp.70, 278
6. VAL 12B/3/69B
5. VAL 12B/22/14A, p.50
7. VAL 12B/22/14C; p.59
8. VAL 12B/22/14F, p.61
9. VAL 12B/22/14J, p.65
10.VAL 12B/22/15A, p.68

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A terrace of 36 two-storey/ two-bay houses arranged as two contiguous blocks. Coherent 19th and early 20th century terraces of mill houses made interesting by their length and quality of the stonework and brick dressings. However, much of the original uniformity and plan forms are lost and the terrace’s overall character is thereby degraded.