47-53 Killyleagh Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long two storey terrace block of 1865 with four original looking Victorian shop fronts and an (almost) central carriage arch. The property is set within the terrace on the S side of Killyleagh Street, close to the centre of the small town of Crossgar, and now contains one large furniture shop.

The front (N) façade is asymmetrical, with two identical shop fronts to each side of a slightly left of centre carriage arch. Between the shop fronts, to the right of the arch, is a timber panelled ‘house’ door with (almost) semicircular arched fanlight with radial tracery.

The shop fronts to either side of this are largely identical, having a central panelled timber double door with fanlight with vertical margin panes. The door is flanked by large six light shop windows with segmental arch heads to the upper lights. The door and windows have panelled pilaster jambs and a slim panelled signboard above. The windows rest on rendered aprons and above three of the original signboards is a smaller timber signboard, all of which appear to be fairly recent. The shop front to the immediate right of the carriage arch has a traditional projecting sign above the original signboard.

The carriage arch has timber sheeted doors. Directly above the arch is a small inscribed panel which reads, ‘Built by John Dunwoody 1865’. To the first floor are ten, largely evenly spaced, sash windows with Georgian panes.

The rear façade has witnessed much alteration over the years. To the left (W) of the archway is a large two storey flat roofed extension the upper level of which is entirely clad in corrugated iron. To the right of the arch is a larger, part single, part two storey extension, part of this extension (to the far right) appears to have been an original two storey gabled return, but little can be discerned of it now apart from its slated gabled roof. The only opening to the rear façade of the main building appears to be a now boarded over first floor window to the right of the archway.

The front façade is finished in painted render with in/out quoins. The rear is finished in rough cast rendered and painted (as are much of the extensions). The main roof is covered in natural slate and there are six rendered chimney stacks. The rw goods appear to be mainly metal.

The drive into the carriage arch has two squat granite piers, undoubtedly placed there to prevent vehicles from mounting the pavement.

Historical information

As the plaque above the doorway suggests this block was built in 1865 by one John Dunwoody. The valuation town plan of c.1863 (which contains later annotations), indicates that the whole block was built as a piece. The uniformity of the shop windows (which all appear to be original), indicates this also. The block replaced a group of small (possibly single storey) houses recorded in the 1863 valuation as belonging to one William Dunwodie- undoubtedly a relative of John mentioned above.

The street numbering suggests the block at one stage contained five properties, presumably the four shops and a first floor apartment. The block has now been amalgamated internally to form one large shop.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/2D/3/14 Valuation town plan of Crossgar, 1859
2 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Kilmore, 1863
3 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 OS map, 1901, Down 30
4 PRONI OS/6/3/30/4 OS map, 1920, Down 30

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Long two storey terrace block of 1865 with four original looking Victorian shop fronts and an (almost) central carriage arch. To the rear there are two large modern extensions. The whole block now contains a single furniture shop