30-32 Downpatrick Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Plain two storey terrace house, originally two separate dwellings of perhaps c.1830, amalgamated in 1986-87 with front elevation altered in the process. The property is set on the NE side of Downpatrick Street, in the centre of the small town of Crossgar.

The front façade faces roughly SW. To the right of centre is a partly glazed house door. To the left of this are two sash windows. The second window (to right) used to be a doorway. To the right of the house door is another (timber panelled) door, which leads into a passage allowing access to the rear. To the first floor are four windows arranged roughly symmetrically. The front façade is finished in rough cast, with smooth render surrounds to openings.

To the rear there is a large single storey gabled extension which was added 1986-87. To the left of the ground floor of the main rear façade is the passage opening (see front). To the immediate right of this there is a small plain sash window. To the first floor there are two windows of varying size to the centre-left. That to left is a sash window, as before, whilst that to its right is a squat window, (probably inserted 1986-87) with a modern top hung frame. The rear façade and extension are finished in plain cement render and painted.

The main gabled roof is covered in natural slate, with artificial slate to the extension. Rendered chimney stack to SE. There used to be another stack to the NW. Cast iron rw goods to front, PVC to rear.

Historical information

This property was originally two houses. Houses are shown on this site on the first valuation plan of Crossgar dating from c.1835-38, but as the terrace to which they belonged was under rateable value at the time, no details of the properties are recorded in the contemporary valuation book. However, it is likely that both were standing at this time, for they are both recorded in the second valuation of 1859 as relatively old (i.e. more than 20 years) at that point. Thus both could well have been built some time prior to c.1839, but probably not before c.1810 as Crossgar as a village only began to be seriously developed after this date.

The occupants of the houses in 1859 are listed as one Elizabeth Cleland (No.30) and David Casement (No.32), Cleland being followed by a James Stewart in 1881, John Duignan (1893), Rose Jennings (1896) and Mick Morrison (1898), with Casement succeeded by James Mulholland in 1871, Neill Campbell (1881), Thomas McLaughlin (1884), J. Shannon (1901), Henry Bassett (1927) and James Ferris in 1929. The relatives of Mick Morrison remained in possession of No.30 until the 1980s, whilst No.30 was last occupied by an Ann Bell.

In 1986-87 the present owner amalgamated both houses, creating one larger dwelling, altering the openings to the front in the process and adding a large extension to the rear.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1B/330 First valuation, Kilmore parish, 1835
2 PRONI VAL/1D/3/1 Valuation plan of Crossgar, c.1835-38
3 PRONI VAL/2B/28b Second valuation notebook, Kilmore parish, 1859
4 PRONI VAL/2D/3/14 Valuation plan of Crossgar, 1859
5 PRONI VAL/12B/18/6a-f Annual valuation revision notebooks, Crossgar (ED), 1864-1930
6 PRONI VAL/3G/68/1 Valuation plan of Crossgar, 1936-56
7 MBR Photograph of Downpatrick Street, Crossgar, 1966

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plain two storey terrace house, originally two separate dwellings of perhaps c.1830, amalgamated in 1986-87 with front elevation altered in the process.