7 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.

These two houses had been completed by 1866 and the tenants were James Cunningham and James Stewart. Subsequent tenants were Anne Storey (1867) and from 1882 Alexander McKeown who was later to live in other houses in the terrace. At the time of the 1901 census the tenants appear to have been James Thompson and Thomas Cunningham. Thompson was a yarn bundler living with his wife and six children, the five older children ranging in age from 12 to 20 working at the mill at a variety of trades including spinner and flax sorter. Thomas Cunningham, was a flax rougher and also the head of a family of six children, ranging in age from 3 to 13. Cunningham later lived at other addresses in the terrace. Unusually Cunningham’s wife was employed outside the home and worked at the mill as a spinner. It was Cunningham’s 69-year-old sister who kept house, and is described as a ‘general domestic servant’. Various changes of tenant ensued and by 1911 the tenants were Joseph Boyce and Richard Brown. Boyce, a widower, lived with his three children and three grandchildren. He was a tow sorter at the mill and one of his daughters kept house, the remaining two children worked as a flax sorter and a spinner. Richard Brown was a general labourer and lived with his adult children, both of whom worked in the mill as a spinner and a rougher. Various changes of tenant ensued in the period up to 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 been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB17/01/027 K & L

This record incorporates house numbers 11 & 12 and is now known as 7 Bannview Terrace.