114-116 Comber Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long single storey vernacular building of pre 1834 origin containing two properties. The building is set within the tiny hamlet Toye, on the W side of the Comber Road next to the junction with Clay Road, c.2 miles N of Killyleagh. No.114 is a former post office and part of No.116 used to be a forge.

No.114 (HB18/02/027A) is at the S end of the building. Its front (E) façade has a timber sheeted door to the far right with two pairs of windows, with PVC frames, to its left. These windows are recent insertions as this section of the façade originally had only two very small windows. There is a built in (King George VI) post box between the door and the window to its immediate left.

The S gable is blank. To the rear (which is now the de facto front) a large extension has recently been added. This is also single storey with a part hipped part gabled roof , PVC windows of various sizes and a gabled entrance porch.

The façade of No.114 is covered in rough cast with smooth render surrounds to the openings. All sections of the roof are covered in natural slate with two rendered chimneys to the roof of the original section and one to the extension. Cast iron and PVC rw goods.

The original section of No.116 (HB18/02/027B) is much longer than its neighbour and incorporates much of what was a forge (now used as a store room). To the left of centre on the front façade is a sheeted door. To the left and to the right of this is as sash window with horizontal glazing bars. Further to the right is a small six pane (fixed light) window and to the immediate right of this is a large timber sheeted double door.

The N gable (which is blank) sits right on what might be termed a Y junction. As a consequence of this its W corner is chamfered.

To the rear there is a single storey gabled return. To the S face of this return there is a sash window as front, with another to the N face. To the main façade to the right of the return there is a flat roofed extension with two squat modern windows either side of a recent looking partly glazed door.

The façade is finished in rough cast with smooth render surrounds to most openings to front. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate except for the very N end of the rear which has asbestos slates. There is a rendered chimney stack to the N of centre and two small cast iron skylights to the N side of the rear of the roof. Cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the 1834 OS map which probably corresponds (for the most part) to that we see today. The building was not of sufficient value to be noted in the first valuation of c.1837, but it is noted in that of 1861 when the houses were in the possession of a Hamil McQuiney and a William Woodrow, with the forge worked by a John Anderson. At this stage all of the properties within the row were leased from a James Moore and the ‘Misses Moore’. The current resident of No.116 (1999) stated that he had been told that the Moore family had actually been responsible for the building of the block in the first place.

No.114 (to the south) was a post office until 1996 and the forge to the north was still operating until the 1950s at least (according to the present owner).

The large extension to the rear of No.114 was added after 1996, at which stage the front windows were altered also.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/24 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 24.
2 PRONI OS/6/3/24/2 OS map, 1st rev., 1859, Co. Down 24.
3 PRONI Second valuation, Killyleagh, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and Linen Hall Library.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Long single storey vernacular block containing two dwellings and a former forge. No.114 (to the south end) was greatly extended at the rear c.1996/7 and has had its window openings to the front altered.