34 Main St

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey single-bay mid-terrace townhouse pre-dating 1830; square plan form with rear return. Located centrally in the village on the east side of Main Street.

Pitched natural slate roofing (artificial slate to rear) with clay ridge tiles; uPVC rainwater goods; replacement red brick chimney with corbelled courses, and clay pots. Ruled-and-lined render, rough cast to first floor with plain platband. Replacement uPVC windows throughout. Replacement timber front door.

The principal elevation faces west and is asymmetrically arranged. Front door is located to the left; single window to right. The first floor window has been repositioned from the left to the right.

The left gable is abutted by a coal stores dating from mid 20th century (HB17/03/028).

The rear elevation is abutted by a subservient two-storey return to the right. Replacement uPVC windows throughout.

The right gable is abutted by 36 Main Street (HB17/03/029B).

Setting

The building is part of a continuous terrace running the full length of the east side of Main Street. Heavily vegetated embankment to the rear. Opposite the house is a landscaped public area, beyond which runs the Newry Canal.

Roofing: Natural slate / artificial slate
Walling: Render
Windows: uPVC
RWG: uPVC

Historical information

The building is of late eighteenth/early nineteenth century date, originally lime-rendered and likely to be one of the earlier buildings in Scarva. The building, which for some years was treated as part of the neighbouring drapery and boot and shoe warehouse (HB17/03/029B), now presents an appearance typical of nineteenth century village tenements.

The village of Scarva was founded, beside the newly-opened Newry Canal, in 1746 by John Reilly of Scarva House and the earliest buildings in the town are likely to be those nearest the bridge, the town extending northwards from this point during the course of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The impetus for building the town came from the opening of the Newry Canal in 1742 to connect Carlingford Lough with Lough Neagh, principally as a means to bring coal from east Tyrone to Dublin speedily and inexpensively. (McCutcheon) John Reilly, the founder of the town, procured a patent for holding fairs and markets, in anticipation of building the town, and to build a small dock and quay. Taylor and Skinner’s 1777 map of Scarva shows that the early development of the town was concentrated around the bridge over the canal.

The 1797 Topographica Hibernica describes Scarva as a ‘small neat village’ with a large ‘salt work’. Fairs were held four times a year. Capper’s Topographical Dictionary gives the population of Scarva in 1829 as 170 living in 33 houses. By 1875 traffic along the Newry Canal was bringing cargoes of turf to Scarva, using the dock and quay for lighters but the market was no longer being held. (Knox) The population remained reasonably steady over the course of the nineteenth century and in 1910 was 157. (Street Directory)

Houses are shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1834. The property is listed with its neighbour in the Townland Valuation as a single house, offices and yard occupied by George White and valued at £8. Griffith’s valuation initially lists the house as the property of JT Reilly and the tenant as Jane Carson. Jane Carson later takes over as landlady and lets the house to David Boyle. The house, office yard and garden are valued at £7.15s and are said to be a ‘shop’ although ‘not well finished’. Dimensions are given for the house and an outbuilding. Subsequent occupiers are William Cloughey (1868) Thomas Hudson (1871) William Courtney (1890) John Hanna (1896) Jacob Hanna (1899) Robert Darragh (1921). In 1922 the building begins to be listed as two dwellings, a house and garden (HB17/03/029B) valued at £9.17s occupied by Constable W McCarthy and then Mrs McAteer (1927) and a house valued at £4.13s occupied by Margaret B Clarke, then Constantine Martin (1927 and Josephine Martin (1929).

The 1901 census shows that the premises is a draper’s shop occupied by 22-year-old Jacob J Hanna, who describes himself as a boot and shoe merchant. He lives with his three sisters who are all drapers. The 1911 census describes the premises as a drapery, boot and shoe warehouse and Jacob J Hanna continues to live in the seven-room house with his sisters. At the time of the First General Revaluation (1933/4) the building was revalued at £4, had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a scullery and the rent was 3s a week plus taxes. The building continues in domestic use.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/33/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/33/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/33/3 Third Edition OS Map 1903
4. PRONI OS/6/3/33/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/55D Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/22A-D Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/3 First General Revaluation (1936-57)
8. Taylor and Skinner’s Map of the Roads of Ireland, 1777
9. Capper, B.P. “A Topographical Dictionary of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland” London: Sir Richard Phillips and Co, 1829
10. Seward, W W “Topographica Hibernica” Dublin, 1797
11. Young, A F and Quail, D “Old Gilford, Scarva, Loughbrickland and Lawrencetown” Stenlake Publishing, 2002
12. Street Directory, 1910
13. Banbridge Chronicle 26th July 1978

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Down III, 1833-8, Vol. 12.” Belfast: Institute of
Irish Studies, 1992.
2. Knox, Alexander, M.D. “A History of the County of Down” Dublin: Hodges, Foster & Co, 1875
3. McCutcheon, W.A. “The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland,” London: HMSO, 1980.
4. Shaffrey, P and M “Buildings of Irish Towns – Treasures of Everyday Architecture” Dublin: O’Brien, 1983
5. Young, A F and Quail, D “Old Gilford, Scarva, Loughbrickland and Lawrencetown” Stenlake Publishing, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey single-bay mid-terrace townhouse pre-dating 1830. The external proportions have remained largely unaltered although its style has been compromised by the insertion of a modern door and modern windows . As a whole, its historic character has been degraded, with only a minimal level of surviving historic fabric. It is not of special architectural or historic interest.