Dunbarton

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached five-bay two-storey dwelling house, built c.1850, located to the west side of Dunbarton Street. Rectangular-on-plan with attached single-storey garage to south elevation.

Roof is pitched natural slate over corbelled eaves; smooth rendered chimneys with corbelled coping and clay pots to north and south gables. Walls are roughcast rendered with smooth quoins over smooth rendered plinth. Windows are square-headed timber 6/6 sliding sashes with exposed sash boxes; painted stone sills.

Principal elevation faces north-east and contains five openings at each floor, about central square-headed entrance (openings now blocked due to fire damage).

South-east gable is ruled-and-lined rendered, abutted at ground floor by flat roofed garage of no interest.

South-west (rear) elevation not surveyed (see Surveyors Comments).

North-west gable is ruled-and-lined rendered.

Setting:

House set within grounds below level of Dunbarton Street, bounded by replacement stone walling with access from south-east; recent single storey outbuilding/workshop directly to north.

Roof: Natural slate
Walls: Rendered
Windows: Timber
RWG: None seen

Historical information

The building dates from the mid-nineteenth century and initially served as Gilford police station and court house. When the police station was moved to Main Street, the court house remained for some years and was still operational during the Second World War.

The house first appears on the second edition OS map of 1858, captioned ‘Constabulary B[arrac]k’ and is mid-nineteenth century in date. The building is listed in Griffith’s Valuation (c.1861) as a Police Barrack, Sessions House and yard valued at £20. A rent of £25 a year was paid to the landlords, Dunbar McMaster & Co, owners of the local mill.

In 1879 the police barrack moved to 28 Main Street, Gilford but the sessions house remained in part of the building, now valued at £5. The remainder of the building became a domestic dwelling valued at £15 and occupied by William Wright (1880), Andrew Gregg (1885) and Thomas C Rogers (1896).

From 1920 the occupier was John H Gough and he and his wife were resident at the time of the outbreak of World War II. Local people recall that Mrs Gough was responsible for the distribution of orange juice, cod-liver oil and national dried-milk which was handed out from the courthouse as part of the rationing system. (Higgins)

The building has been damaged by fire and is currently vacant.

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/26/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/26/2 Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/26/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/26/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-21
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/350 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/48A Griffith’s Valuation (1861)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/25A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1930)

Secondary Sources
1. Higgins, Beryl "Gilford During The Second World War"

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached five-bay two-storey police barracks and courtroom, built c.1850, located to the west side of Dunbarton Street. Despite recent fire damage to the property, the original structure survives, and original features are still seen, such as timber sliding sash. This building represents developments in local administration and justice and is an unusual example of the type, accommodating police functions and court services on the same premises.