Victoria House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached asymmetrical two-storey three-bay house with attic and basement, built c.1810. Rectangular plan form with rear returns. Located on Newry Road south of Banbridge town centre, adjacent to the junction with Kenlis Street and Commercial Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles. Replacement heavy duty cast aluminium rainwater goods; masonry copings; cement rendered chimneys with moulded cornice and moulded clay pots. Cement rendered walling. Replacement 6/6 double-glazed timber sliding-sash windows; no horns; moulded surrounds; masonry cills. Six raised and pointed panelled timber front door with bolection mouldings; cast-iron ironmongery, set in elliptical recess and framed by granite Doric columns with entablature, surmounted by a bat-wing fan-light; set into an elliptical arched opening. The entrance is accessed by granite steps with perron over the basement trench, flanked by cast-iron railings.

The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrically arranged. The door is located left of centre with a single window to the left and two to the right. Four first floor windows directly over ground floor openings.

The left (north) gable is asymmetrically arranged. Two windows to the ground and first floor. Single window to basement at left.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Single window to the first floor with two windows to the second floor. The right is abutted by a two storey over basement pitched roof gable ended return with various diminished windows throughout. Basement level left is abutted by a single-storey lean-to extension. Small lean-to porch centrally located.

The right (south) gable is asymmetrically arranged. Single basement, ground and first floor window located right of centre.

Setting

The former outbuildings to the rear of the site were demolished c.2000 and replaced with a two-storey commercial building; pitched natural slate roof and timber casement windows. Beyond the site to the rear is a large car-park and supermarket. To the front is a small garden enclosed by a render wall with wrought-iron gate.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast aluminum

Historical information

Victoria House was constructed prior to 1833, first appearing as an uncaptioned building on Newry Street on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map in that year. The map depicted the house as a square building standing alone and situated to the south of Banbridge’s town centre; to the rear of the house was a large L shaped outbuilding (which was demolished sometime after 1969-70). In c.1830 Victoria House was occupied by James Mc. William and was valued at £16; McWilliam was a local linen manufacturer and operated a bleaching works in the area (Ulster Town Directories). Piggott’s Directory recorded that the house was known locally as ‘Ball Alley’ (this was due to the existence of a ball court to the rear of the house which can be seen on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map); however by 1852 the house had been renamed ‘Victoria House,’ most likely in respect to Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1837 (Ulster Street Directories).

By 1860 there had been no discernible alteration to Victoria House on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map; the contemporary Griffith’s Valuation noted that James McWilliam had vacated Victoria House by the 1860s and was residing in the Townland of Ballydown. His mother Johanna McWilliam resided in the house on Newry Street at this time. In 1863 Griffith’s Valuation noted that the L-shaped outbuilding located to the rear of Victoria House was let out by the McWilliam’s as an office which utilised as a thread dye-works for Messers Scott and Noble, local textile manufacturers; this store was valued at £14 whilst Victoria House was valued at £21. Scott and Noble vacated the outbuilding to the rear of the house c.1870, after which time it was utilised as an out office and was joined with the house in the valuation sources, increasing the value of the site to £37. This value was altered again in 1891 when the house and its outbuilding were split once more; the house was revalued at £28 whilst the outbuilding was valued at £5.

Johanna McWilliam continued to reside at Victoria House until 1901 when her daughter Lucinda McWilliam came into possession of the site (James McWilliam resided in Ballydown until his death in 1880). The 1901 Census records that Lucinda McWilliam (67, Unitarian) lived at Victoria House alone; the census building return described the house as a 1st class dwelling which consisted of nine rooms and possessed a number of out offices. These included a stable, cow house, dairy and a piggery which were situated in the L-shaped outbuilding to the rear of the house, however by 1911 the census recorded that the outbuilding was solely utilised as a store.

Lucinda McWilliam vacated Victoria House by 1916 when William McCaldin, a horse dealer, came into possession. In 1917 the Annual Revisions once more combined the house with the rear store increasing the value of the site to £50; this large increase suggests that McCaldin may have carried out some renovation work on the house at that time (the porch and the modified rear return cited in the First Survey record could date from this period), however the valuer did not detail why this valuation increase occurred.

Brett believed that Victoria House had been constructed c. 1810 (Brett, p. 18); the house was listed in 1977 and by the First Survey (1969) an entrance porch had been added to the front of the building. This porch concealed the original Doric granite doorcase and fanlight, however it has since been removed and the original doorcase can now be seen. Victoria House is no longer used as a private dwelling but has been converted into office premises currently occupied by a Solicitor’s firm. The former thread and dye works to the rear of Victoria House was demolished sometime after 1970 (the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map continued to depict the L-shaped outbuilding in that year).

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/1/B/348/A – Townland Valuations c. 1830
5. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/3 – Banbridge Town Plan c. 1830
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64B – Griffith’s Valuation 1863
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/8/A – Annual Revisions 1894-1898
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/8/B – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/8/C – Annual Revisions 1911-1922
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/8/D – Annual Revisions 1922-1930
14. Piggott’s Directory (1824)
15. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918)
16. PRONI Wills Catalogue (8 Oct 1880)
17. Census of Ireland (1901/1911)
18. Ordnance Survey map 220-8 (1969-70)
19. First Survey Record – HB17/07/027 (1969)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Borough of Banbridge’
Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1969.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A detached asymmetrical two-storey three-bay with attic and basement Georgian house with railings, built c.1810. The proportions and style have remained unaltered although following refurbishment some if its historic detailing and character have been lost. Although somewhat compromised by recent changes locally, It is a good example of the type representing the survival of earlier buildings as the town grew.