Tyrella House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-storey three-bay late-Georgian terraced house, now in use as an office, built c.1800 and located to the north side of Church Street in Banbridge town centre. Square on plan with a single-storey flat-roof extension and a two-storey return to rear, abutted at a 90 degree angle by a two-storey former stable block with square-headed carriage-arch.

Pitched natural slate roof with raised verges and rendered chimneystacks having tall terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is ruled-and-lined render on a smooth rendered plinth. Windows are 9/3 timber sliding sash to second floor and 3/9 timber sliding sash to first and ground floor, all with horns and projecting sills.

The principal elevation faces southwest and is symmetrically arranged with three openings to each floor. To centre at ground floor is an open porch with square panelled piers having plain entablature surmounted by a parapet with balustrade. The doorcase is a replacement four-panelled timber door flanked by four paned sidelights and surmounted by a timber fanlight.

The northwest elevation is abutted by adjoining building (HB17/04/010C).

The northeast (rear) elevation has a 6/6 casement window to centre at second floor and two windows to right at first floor; abutted at left by a two-storey return with modern glazing to northwest elevation. Abutted to ground floor right by the single-storey flat-roof extension with two multi-paned timber casement windows.

The southeast elevation is blank and is partially abutted by the adjoining building (HB17/04/010A).

Setting

Street-fronted and forming part of an early-nineteenth century terrace opposite Seapatrick Parish Church (HB17/04/001). The rear return is abutted at a 90 degree angle by a former stable-block with square-headed carriage-arch, forming a central yard. The stables have been converted and the fenestration replaced. To the rear of the former stable block is a yard, enclosed by a masonry wall topped by a modern timber fence. Yard is overlooked by a large three-storey modern apartment block.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The house, built c.1800, is part of a terrace in Church Street which dates from between c.1800 and c.1865. Primary evidence suggests that the terrace was built up around a core of simpler buildings dating from the earliest days of the establishment of the town. As Banbridge has grown, the terrace has been rebuilt and improved, reflecting the boom in the town’s fortunes brought by the growth of a worldwide linen trade. By the early nineteenth century, these Church Street houses were desirable addresses and the terrace could lay a fair claim to be Banbridge’s ‘Harley Street’ providing a series of consulting rooms and surgeries for doctors, dentists and even a vet. Several houses in the terrace continue in this tradition today by providing office accommodation for professional people.

Early maps of Banbridge are often crudely executed and open to a degree of interpretation but a 1703 map of the ‘Bann Crossing’ shows a single-storey three-bay dwelling in the vicinity of the current terrace which may well have been the first building on the site. A new bridge was erected across the Bann in 1712 and in subsequent years the town began to grow as a centre of the linen industry, holding the largest fairs for linen cloth in the County of Down by 1744. By this time the town was the property of Wills Hill, Earl of Hillsborough who laid out the streets and encouraged people to build by granting sections of land at nominal rents in perpetuity added to which were ‘town parks’ or small farms in the neighbourhood of the town. (Linn; Magennis) Maps of 1755 and 1771 show buildings on the site as does the first edition OS map of 1833 but there are gaps in the terrace at this stage and valuation records show that some of the buildings were subsequently rebuilt/remodelled. The current house is shown as rectangular on plan with outbuildings to the rear and field inspection suggests that the house, although remodelled, dates from c.1800.

‘Tyrella House’ was so named after the Tyrrell family who were its early owners and remained resident for upwards of a century. The Townland Valuation of 1828-40 gives the house a valuation of £18 and dimensions are for a house 22 feet high with a two-storey return and three outbuildings. The occupier is George Tyrrell who remains resident at the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) when he is described as a medical doctor. The house is leased from the Marquess of Downshire and is valued at £30.10s. Dimensions are given for the three-storey house and a number of outbuildings, both single and two-storey. The house is stone finished and oil painted. Griffith’s Valuation does not record the porch and this would appear to have been a later Victorian addition. George Tyrrell, doctor of medicine, died on 5th May 1868 leaving money to his three married daughters and having ‘advanced... in their professions’ his two sons. His three unmarried daughters were left all the remainder of his estate. Tyrrell is listed in the 1843 Post Office Directory as the County Coroner and in 1831 he became the unfortunate victim of a satirical poem by Joseph Carson. The poem was addressed to ‘some of the doctors of B-b-ge’ and alluded to Doctor ‘T-r-l’ who was thought ‘too proud and surly, To fill your present situation’. The poet offered to ‘point some other occupation, Which will, no doubt , with little pains, Far better suit your addle brains.’ (Carson)

In 1870 the house passed to ‘The Misses’ Tyrrell, later named as Maria Tyrrell and her sisters. The 1901 census shows that 84-year-old Maria Tyrrell lived with her two sisters Jane and Anna, their niece from Wexford and a general domestic servant who had been born in Liverpool. Astonishingly, in 1911 all three sisters were still living, at the ages of 95, 90 and 80 and the niece, Beata Wahab Sutherland, and a servant were also in residence. Beata Sutherland died in 1916 but there is no record of the passing of the three sisters. A photograph of 1911 shows the house with three young women standing outside it, perhaps one of whom is the servant girl. There has been little change to the facade in the past century, other than the removal of the railings in front of the house and a slight change to the ground floor windows, which were formerly 6/6. (Young and Quail)

By 1920 the house had passed out of the Tyrrell family and the next occupier was William A Potts, veterinary surgeon. (Will of William Potts) The First General Revaluation of the early 1930s records William Potts as the occupier of the house which is revalued at £39. Accommodation comprises, on the ground floor, a square hall, surgery and reception at the front, a back sitting room, kitchen, scullery and store room. On the first floor, a bathroom with bath, lavatory and WC, two front bedrooms and a small dressing room, with a further bedroom over the kitchen. On the top floor are three bedrooms and a dressing room. The extensive outbuildings in the yard were ‘not much used’ and there was an outside WC. A garden was at the rear. The valuer commented that the house was old and ‘in poor condition of repair generally’. A plan is given showing the house, return and a large number of outbuildings to the rear including a washhouse, a three-stall stable and garage and a large rabbit house (now gone).

Subsequent occupants were John W Harshaw (1940) and Kathleen McShane (43). The building is now in use as offices.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 Third Edition OS Map (c1900)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/27/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL /1/B/348A Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64C Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7A-C Annual Revisions (1899-1930)
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/4 First General Revaluation (1936-57)
10. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/2/A/5 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
11. PRONI Will of George Tyrell, died 5th May 1868
12. PRONI Will of Beata Sutherland died 8th July 1916
13. PRONI Will of William A Potts died 20th July 1938
14. PRONI D695/M/1 Banbridge 1703
15. PRONI D695/M/2 County Down 1755
16. PRONI D671/M/1/7 Banbridge 1771
17. Pigot & Co Directory 1824
18. Belfast Directory 1841/2
19. Post Office Directory 1843

Secondary Sources

1. Carson, Joseph “Poems, odes, songs and satires” 1831
2. Linn, Captain R “A History of Banbridge” (edited by W S Kerr) Banbridge Chronicle Press, 1935
3. Magennis, P “Banbridge, An Illustrated History and Companion” Donaghadee, Cottage Publications, 1996
4. Rankin, K “The Linen Houses of the Bann Valley, The story of their families” Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007
5. Young, A F and Quail, D “Old Banbridge” Stenlake Publishing, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical three-storey three-bay late-Georgian terrace house, built c.1800. Symmetrically arranged around a central porch, the Georgian proportions and architectural detailing are largely intact although there has been some loss of historic fabric as a result of change of use to offices. Located on an early street and forming a terrace with Nos 6 & 7(HB17/04/010C) comprising some of the earliest development for the professional classes that is also part of a group (HB17/04/010A-G) demonstrating changes reflecting the boom in the town’s fortunes brought by the growth of a worldwide linen trade.

General comments

Previously HB17/04/010