5 Bannview Terrace

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey four-bay end-of-terrace house built c1980; in a block replicating a former terrace c1865. Located directly on Dunbar Street northwest of the centre of Gilford.

Historical information

The current house was rebuilt c1980 but was a former mill worker’s dwelling, situated in a terrace of eight houses. Gilford town had begun an extremely rapid growth in population following the opening of the Dunbar McMaster spinning mill in the late 1830s. Between 1841 and 1851 the population more than quadrupled, from 643 to 2,814. By 1870 the mill was employing over 2,000 workers and built 200 houses between 1836 and 1862. (Logan) The current houses were not built by Dunbar McMaster & Co but nevertheless formed part of the town’s expansion in the wake of the success of the linen industry and over the years were often inhabited by mill workers.

The original terrace was built between 1864 and 1868 and first appears on the third edition OS map of 1901-2. The terrace was originally built from the north to the south, with the earliest houses dating from c1865 and the last to be built added by 1868. The houses were all valued at £4.10s with the exception of the dwelling over the gateway, which, being smaller, was valued at £2.5s.

The last dwellings in the row to be completed, these two houses entered valuation records in 1868, the larger of the two valued at £4.10s and the smaller, which also comprised a gateway leading to the rear of the terrace, at £2.5s. The larger house was occupied by James Craig and the smaller was vacant. The smaller house is not clearly identifiable in the 1901 census but the larger would appear to be the residence of Robert Kirk, a flax dresser, who was living with his wife and three young children. The houses were vacant at the time of the 1911 census but by 1919 the two dwellings had been added together for valuation purposes and were valued at £4, the weekly rent was stated to be 3s. Thomas Cunningham, a flax rougher and head of a large family, who had formerly lived further up the terrace, was the tenant. In 1926 James McKeown took over the house and was resident until at least 1935. The houses were rebuilt by the Housing Executive c1980.

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/2/B/3/48F Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/21/8A-F Annual Revisions (1866-1923)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/21/3A-B Annual Revisions (1923-29)
8. PRONI VAL/12/F/4/12/2 Annual Revisions (1929-30)

Secondary Sources
1. Logan, R A “A Window on the Past, A History of Gilford County Down” Banbridge Chronicle, (n.d.)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A terrace comprising four two-storey four-bay houses built c1980; replicating a former terrace block c1865. As a modern structure it is of no historic interest.

General comments

Please note this record has had an address change from No 8 to No 5 Bannview Terrace.