20 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey terrace house which was originally three separate properties, probably all dating from c.1840, but completely amalgamated by c.1920-25. The house is set on the slope of Church Street to the S of Ballynahinch town centre.

The front façade faces W. To the left is the entrance doorway which is set within a large elliptical arch recess. The door itself is a board four panel timber example flanked by Doric columns which support an entablature with spider web elliptical fanlight above. To the left of the doorway is a sash window with simulated margin panes (the glazing bars are actually stuck on the inside of a plain single pane), and a moulded surround with keystone (probably added c.1920-25). To the right of the doorway are two windows, as before, and elliptical carriage arch with timber sheeted double doors and simple surround with keystone, with further two windows, as before but shorter. To the first floor are seven, unevenly spaced windows- as ground floor far right but without ‘margin panes’. The front façade is finished in lined render and painted.

The rear elevation is complex. To the left of the carriage arch there is a two storey gabled return (return A). To the S face of this return (and joined to the rear façade of the main building), there is a single storey flat roofed extension. The E face of this extension has a single window with modern frame. The first floor of the S face of the return has two small sash windows and the first floor of the main house façade (to the left of the return) has a tall window with late Victorian fixed light frame with arched tracery. Authors have been informed that this window used to belong to near by St. Patrick’s church. The gable of the return has a timber sheeted door to the left on the ground floor, with two small windows to the right and another, slightly larger to the first floor, all with modern frames as that to flat roofed extension. The N face of the return is blank.

To the right (N) of the carriage arch is another two storey return (return B). To the S face of this return there are two ground floor sash windows, with Georgian panes (6 over 6) and a similar window to the right on the first floor. The gable of this return has a similar window to the right on the first floor and a twelve pane window (with Georgian-like panes) to the right on the ground floor. At ground floor left, a single storey gabled section extends eastwards. To the N this section has two small nine pane windows. The S face is blank. The roof of this section extends further to the E where it abuts a large two storey outbuilding.

The N face of return B is blank, but is abutted at ground floor level by a large, single storey L-shaped extension with a hipped roof. The short E face of this extension (close to return B) has a timber sheeted doorway with multi-pane sidelight. The main S face has two nine pane windows (with Georgian-like panes). The short E end face has a pair of French-like doors with multi-pane sidelights. The long N face appears to be blank.

Above the carriage arch, to the rear façade of the main house, there is a first floor sash window with Georgian panes (6 over 6). To the first floor main house to right of return B there are two semicircular headed windows. That to the left is broader and has margin panes, whilst that to the right is narrower and taller and has Georgian style panes. To the more southerly (N facing) wall of the carriage arch there is a large six pane window with a timber sheeted panel beneath.

Most of the sections to the rear are finished in unpainted rough cast, but the facades of all sections from the S face of return B southwards, are finished in fine rough cast and painted.

The roof of the main house is gabled and covered in natural slate. To the very N end, the roof line is slightly lower as this section was once a separate property. Four rendered chimney stacks. Three Velux windows to the rear. The returns and extensions to the rear all have natural slate also, except, of course, for the flat roofed extension to the far S. The single storey L-shaped extension has a Velux window. Cast iron and aluminium rw goods.

The large two storey outbuilding to the rear is rendered and painted and has a hipped slated roof. It has a variety of windows including some set into gabled half dormers. To the E the building is single storey because of the dramatic rise in ground level.

Historical information

Much of what is now Church Street was undeveloped when the first OS map of this area was drawn up in 1833-34. A house is shown on the site (or part of the site) of this property, which the contemporary valuation records tell us was a low two storey dwelling belonging to a Michael Nugent. The stretch of terrace we see today, however, appears to have been constructed around c.1840, with the present No.20 originally two houses (one each side of the carriage arch), with a much smaller property to the very north (where the roof line drops). The buildings may have been constructed by a local surgeon named White, for he appears to have been the original occupant of the house to the north of the carriage arch, with the smaller property to the north of this acting as his dispensary. Around 1855, however, White sold the lease of the whole group to James Dickson, another doctor, who maintained the dispensary.

The Dickson family, and some relatives by the name of Earl, remained in possession of both houses and the dispensary until 1902, when the lease was sold to a John Coulter. Coulter is believed to have largely amalgamated the three properties in c.1920-25, creating one large house. The current owner acquired the house in 1977 and since then has added the L-shaped extension to the rear.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940.
2 PRONI OS/1/3/22 OS map 1st ed., 1834, Co. Down 22.
3 PRONI VAL/1B/388A-B Valuation records, Magherdrool, 1834-1838.
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation town plan, Ballynahinch, 1838.
5 Title deeds in possession of current owner.
6 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.442.
7 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
8 PRONI OS/9/41/1 OS Town plan of Ballynahinch, 1860
9 PRONI and Linen Hall Library Second (Griffith’s) valuation, Magherdrool, c.1863 [in print].
10 PRONI VAL/12E/83/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1864-1905.
11 PRONI VAL/12E/83/2 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1905-35.
12 PRONI OS/8/3/2 OS town plan of Ballynahinch, 1920.
13 PRONI VAL/3G/59/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1937-53.

Secondary sources
1 S. McCullough ‘Ballynahinch: centre of Down’ (Ballynahinch Chamber of Commerce 1968).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large two storey terrace house which began life in c.1840 as three separate properties but which were amalgamated c.1920-25. Despite this change the house still maintains its late Georgian / early Victorian appearance. To the rear there are two large gabled returns and a single storey hipped roof extension which was added in recent years.