98 Halfway Rd

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two- and three-storey former mid-19th century linen factory aligned N-S in the middle of a farmyard belonging to an adjoining house (HB17/13/003A); associated freestanding chimney on W side of yard.
The factory comprises two buildings, 1 and 2. Building 1 the earlier and comprises a three-storey section (1A) at the S end of the block and two-storey section (1B) in the middle.

Building 1A

A three-storey, single-bay unit, the E and W elevations of which are four opes wide and the S elevation two opes wide respectively. According to the owner, this was apparently the factory office.

Hipped natural slate roof with skylights to both pitches, all with 3x2-pane metal frames. Formerly a chimney on apex of S gable, now removed and slated over. Galvanised steel half-round rainwater goods on advanced brick eaves course. Walls of GF to S and W elevations incorporate random rubble blackstone from a previous building and have dark red brick quoins; the upper floors and E elevation are of dark red brick. According to the owner, the bricks were manufactured here. All openings are trimmed with brick and have flat heads with shallow segmental relieving arches over. Windows have ashlar stone cills (where still existing) and most are now infilled with concrete blocks.

The principal elevation of 1A faces E towards the adjoining house. GF has a window at left and doorways at middle and right. The window is a 6/6 sliding timber sash with security bars over (possibly original). The doorway at middle has a beaded t&g door with slit vents. The right-hand door is vee t&g and sits within a semi-elliptical brick arched opening partly infilled with brick. Although this infill brick is the same as the rest of the building, it has probably been recycled from a now-demolished building elsewhere in the yard as the door’s head is of concrete, indicating a later insert.

Loading door and three 6/6 timber sash windows to FF and four 3x4-pane top-opening timber windows to SF, in line with FF opes.
S elevation is partly abutted by a small single-storey, single-bay lean-to contemporary with it (no wall break on W elevation). See below for details. The exposed GF wall at right contains upper half of 6/6 sash window. Two windows to each of the upper floors, all in line.

W elevation has four now-infilled window openings to all floors, all in line with each other. A steel fuel tank on concrete block piers abuts the right-hand end.

The N elevation is largely abutted by building 1B; exposed walling is blank.

The lean-to has a monopitched natural slate roof, no rainwater goods, dark red brick walls with advanced eaves. E gable is cement-rendered and contains vee t&g door. S elevation is blank and W gable contains a small infilled window.

Roof: Natural slate.
Rainwater goods: Metal.
Walls: Brick and random rubble blackstone.
Windows: Timber and steel.

Building 1B

Section 1A continues as a two-storey, single-bay (to FF) section, erected at the same time (no wall breaks). The hemstitching works were located therein in the late 1800s.

Pitched natural slate roof with steel rainwater goods. GF walling to W elevation is rubble blackstone, but FF and all of E elevation are dark red brick (as 1A) with advanced eaves.

E elevation has six openings to each floor. GF has four doors (one per internal room), one of which is double-leaf with a semi-elliptical relieving arch over. Small 2x2 timber window at right-hand end. First floor has four windows (three are 6/6 sliding timber sashes) and two loading doors, one of which is beaded t&g with sandstone footstep.

S gable is abutted by section 1A and N gable by section 2.

W elevation is abutted at left to both floors by a modern high single-storey, single-bay lean-to cattle byre with monopitched corrugated metal roof and cement-rendered concrete block walls, erected on the site of a now-demolished steam engine house. Infilled window at GF right. FF has six openings, the two at left end being obscured by modern lean-to. Exposed section has t&g door at left (possibly in an enlarged original window ope), then two window opes, and door inserted into window ope at right. To immediate right of left-hand door is small galvanised metal ventilation cowl, probably in a later ope.

Roof: Natural slate.
Rainwater goods: Metal.
Walls: Brick and random rubble blackstone.
Windows: Timber and steel.

Building 2

This two-storey, two-bay building abuts N end of 1B and is slightly higher. It is a later addition as evidenced by the clear wall break between them. According to owner, it was formerly (and still is) used for stabling.

Pitched natural slate roof with steel rainwater goods. W elevation and N gable of GF are of rubble blackstone, but otherwise all of dark red brick, with brick quoins. All openings have flat heads with shallow relieving arches over.

E elevation is six opes wide to GF. Three are window opes; that at right-hand end has a 1x3-pane metal frame; all probably shuttered originally. All doors are t&g sheeted and the one at left is sliding. Five windows and a loading door to FF. One of the window opes is shuttered and one at right is 1x3-pane metal.

S gable abuts 1B; its exposed section is blank.

W elevation is seven openings wide to GF. Six are small rectangular openings; the seventh, at right-hand end, is now blocked by the modern lean-to. Three windows to FF (including one at right-hand end blocked by modern lean-to) and a half-door sheeted with t&g ) and now accessed by a (later) vertical steel ladder.

N gable has three narrow slit vents to GF but is otherwise blank.

Roof: Natural slate.
Rainwater goods: Metal.
Walls: Brick and random rubble blackstone.
Windows: Timber and steel.

Chimney

On W side of farmyard is a freestanding slightly tapered dark red brick chimney of square cross section. Probably contemporary with buildings 1 and 2.

Advanced instepping brick crown. Small segmental-headed flue (from steam engine boiler) at ground level on S side, and a draught flue higher up on W wide. Brickwork repointed by present owner Abutted to all sides by corrugated iron farm outbuildings

Setting

The block sits in the middle of a farmyard adjoining the owner’s house (HB17/13/003A) and is surrounded to all sides by modern corrugated metal agricultural sheds. Approached by long avenue from main Dromore-Banbridge road.

Historical information

Although a block seemingly matching the footprint of the present one is shown on both the 1833 and 1860 OS maps, an analysis of its dimensions as given in the 1861 Valuation book indicates that it is a lightly smaller single-storey random rubble building measuring approximately 75ft x 18ft in plan. Its owner at that time was John Johnston and his dwelling house and two outbuildings were rated at £8.

Building 1, comprising sections 1A and 1B, is first cited in the Valuation Revision Book for the period 1864-68. It is described as a yarn store, the measurements of which are 7yds x 10yds x 3 storeys, and 13yds x 10yds x 2 storeys. These compare with footprint measurements taken in 2012 of 32ft 4in x 22ft 9in for 1A, and 46ft 3in x 22ft 9in for 1B and are undoubtedly one and the same building. During this period, the site’s rateable valuation increases from £8 to £14, and then to £25.10s.0d. A five (or eight) horse-power engine is also cited in the valuation for this period. The yarn store was probably used for the storage of yarn which was then distributed to handloom weavers working in their own homes. The finished cloth may also have been stored here as well.

A hemstitching factory appears along with the yarn store in the Valuation Revision entry for 1897. A sketch plan in the valuation officer’s field book for this year shows the existence of all three sections of this block, together with what is presumed to have been an engine house abutting its W side where buildings 1B and 2 meet. The premises were still under the ownership of John Johnston and are noted as having 50 sewing machines and a 3hp oil engine.

Despite the fact that building 2 now existed in 1897, the site’s rateable valuation does not exceed £25.10s.0d, its valuation in 1868. This suggests either that building 2 was built in the intervening period but not spotted by the Valuation Office, or that it already existed in 1868 but was not explicitly noted in the valuation entry for that year. Moreover, the mention of the 5 (or 8) hp engine in 1868 and proximity of the chimney suggest that steam power was then being used; this engine would appear to have been superseded by an oil engine by 1897. All the available evidence suggests building 2 is probably of mid-1860s date as well.

A hemstitching factory is explicitly captioned on the 1903 map.

Although Rodney Green notes that hemstitching did not continue beyond the First World War, both the yarn store and hemstitching factory continue to be recorded in the Valuations. Moreover, the factory is explicitly cited in the 1918 OS map.
In 1926, John Johnston disappears from the valuations, having presumably died on or shortly before then. Joseph Johnston is cited as the owner of the yarn store and hemstitching factory in 1929.

All operations had certainly ceased by 1935 as no industrial heraldments are noted in Mr Johnston’s property for the valuation revision of that year.

Various owners succeeded Joseph: Elizabeth Johnston (1948 entry), Mary and Agnes Johnston (1954), George Mitchell (1967), and Hans Johnston (1968).

References – Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/3/27/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 27 (1833).
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/342. First Valuation Book, p.113 (1835).
3. PRONI OS/3/27/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 27 (1860).
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/38D. Second Valuation Book, p.56, entry 29A (1861).
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/21A-E Valuation Revision Books (1864-1930).
6. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/4, p.40. Valuation Revision notebook 4, p.40 (1898).
7. PRONI OS/3/27/3. Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 27 (1903).
8. PRONI OS/3/27/4. Fourth edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 27 (1918).
9. PRONI VAL/3/B/4/2. Valuation Revision Book (1935).
10. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/3. Valuation revisions (1936-57).
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/3/4. Valuation revisions (1956-72).

References – Secondary Sources:
1. E.R.R. Green, Industrial Archaeology of Co Down, p.20, entry 24 (Belfast: HMSO, 1963).
2. Information from site owner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two- and three-storey mid-1860s brick yarn store and chimney. The former incorporates an earlier masonry building which became a hemstitching factory in the late 1890s and which operated into the first quarter of 1900s. The extensive use of brick at this time for these buildings is of note as it was usually confined to minor elements such as quoins, trim around openings and eaves courses. The fact that it was also hand-made and fired using local clay is of particular interest as, generally speaking, brick buildings only became commonplace with the advent of mass-produced machine-made brick in the later 1800s. Although the engine house no longer survives, the chimney recalls its former presence and is a distinctive landmark hereabouts. Both it and the factory block also have group value with the adjoining dwelling (HB17/13/003A).The premises are also of historical interest in reflecting the economic importance of the linen industry, specifically handloom weaving (being a yarn store) and hemstitching (handkerchiefs, napkins etc), in this area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

General comments

This record was previously known as HB17/13/003