67 Bridge Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey five-bay end-of-terrace former town house built c.1870; rectangular plan with rear return. Located at the north end of Bridge Street on the east side forming part of a terrace opposite the junction with Downshire Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; cement rendered chimney; replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Ruled-and-lined painted rendered walling; raised flush quoins. 2/2 timber sliding sash windows with horizontal glazing bars and horns to right two bays, 1/1 to left three; moulded surrounds; painted masonry cills. Replacement timber front door with glazed upper portion, side lights with aprons and overlights; all glazing decorative colour leaded lights.

The principal elevation faces east. Ground floor shop front right, to former coach entrance. Door to the far left with two windows to the right. Five first floor windows and slightly diminished in height second floor windows directly over.

The left gable is abutted by the adjoining building (HB17/07/016B).

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Three-storey subservient gable-ended rear return to left bay; matching eaves level, lower ridge level. Full height glazing and doors to former coach entrance at ground floor left. Further replacement doors with full width slated timber framed canopy over. Varying first and second floor windows; appear original.

The right gable is blank.

Setting:

Three storey adjoining terrace to the north; the south site is vacant. The River Bann flows directly adjacent to the rear of the site. The surrounding buildings make up the commercial centre of the town comprising of two and three storey 19th and 20th century buildings.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast iron / uPVC

Historical information

No. 67 Bridge Street, a three-storey townhouse and commercial property, does not appear on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1860) which notes that a shambles used to be situated on the site; however the adjoining No. 69 and a building occupying the footprint of nos 71-75 Bridge Street were standing at this time (HB17/07/016B-D). No. 67 Bridge Street was constructed c.1870, as it is first recorded in the Annual Revisions in 1872, and as a planned structure on the contemporary valuation town plan; the building was constructed in a Georgian style to fit in with the adjoining terrace. The revisions noted that the house was initially valued at £35 and was let by Samuel Hill of Solitude House (see HB17/07/033) to Francis Hutchinson, a local cabinet maker (Ulster Street Directories).

In 1874 No. 67 Bridge Street had passed to Francis’s relative James Hutchinson who continued to operate the furniture business, which was named James Hutchinson & Sons Cabinet makers, from the premises. Hutchinson resided at No. 67 until his death in 1880 (PRONI Wills). Despite his death James Hutchinson was still recorded as occupant up until 1888 when a Mr. George [Bunting] came into possession. Ownership of the house passed to Louisa Hill after the death of her husband Samuel in 1891 (PRONI Wills); and in that year John Murphy occupied the house.

John Murphy was employed as a coal merchant and added a store to the rear of the house in 1904; in that year the value of No. 67 Bridge Street was split when Messers McWilliam & Wallace, a local solicitors firm, occupied the shop on the ground floor (valued at £7 10s.). At the same time the first and second floors of the building were converted into a public reading room and museum (also valued at £7 10s.). The Annual Revisions and 1901 Census note that despite the use of the building for a reading room, museum and offices John Murphy also resided there with his family; the value of the house was reduced to £25 in 1904 because of the split.

The Census Building Return described No. 67 Bridge Street as a 2nd class commercial dwelling that consisted of six rooms and possessed a number of out offices located to the rear of the building including two stables and three stores which were used for his coal supplying business. By 1915 McWilliam & Wallace had vacated the ground floor office which was then occupied by John Murphy; as a result the Annual Revisions rejoined the residence and the shop and revalued the site at £32. The reading room and museum which occupied the first and second floors continued to be valued separately from the rest of the building although they were decreased in value to £6 in 1912 for unknown reason. It is not known when the upper floors ceased to be used as a Museum and Reading room; however it continued at this site until at least 1930.

John Murphy continued to reside at No. 67 Bridge Street until the mid-1920s; his Will records that at the time of his death in 1926 Murphy was a Justice of the Peace for Banbridge and was residing in Ballyvally House which he had only recently acquired (PRONI Wills; for Ballyvally House see HB17/04/009). Upon Murphy’s death No. 67 Bridge Street was occupied by a Mr. Richard Crozier who continued to reside at the site until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930.

Photographs of No. 67 Bridge Street from c.1910 show that the house formerly possessed a coach arch on its south elevation and this can still be seen on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1969-70 (photos in Quail & Young). No. 67 Bridge Street was listed in 1977 and continues to be used as commercial premises although at the time of writing the building was vacant.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/B – Griffith’s Valuation 1863
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/B – Annual Revisions 1911-1922
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/C – Annual Revisions 1921-1930
11. PRONI VAL/12/E/119/4 + 6 – Annual Revisions Banbridge Town Plan c. 1864-c. 1902
12. PRONI Wills Catalogue (15 Apr 1880; 31 Dec 1891)
13. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
14. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918)
15. Ordnance Survey map 220-8 (1969-70)
16. First Survey Record – HB17/07/016A (1977)

Secondary Sources

1. Quail, D; Young, A. F, ‘Old Banbridge’ Catrine: Stenlake Publishing, 2002.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A three-storey five-bay end-of-terrace former town house built c.1870. Much of its proportions and character survive although the ground floor has been altered. There is some evidence that significant historic fabric and detailing survive. It also forms part of a group of buildings (HB17/07/016A-D) representing the ongoing stages of development at this end of the town.