20 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively small, two storey house and shop, of possible pre 1834 origin. The building is set at the end of a short terrace on the E side of Main Street in the centre of the small village of Clough.

The front (W) façade is asymmetrical and has a slight vernacular feel. To the left of centre on the front facade is a door opening with a plain door. To the left is a shop window. This has eight panes (4/4) with segmental heads to the upper portion of the frames. To the right is a small sash window with a plain sash to the top and one horizontal astragal to the bottom. To the far right is a timber sheeted coach arch.

To the first floor are three evenly spaced sash windows each with horizontal astragals (2/2). Each window has a cement window band. The upper portion is finished with dry pebbledash while the lower portion is in lined render. A fine projecting stringcourse separates the dry dash and the lined render. To the left and right of the ground floor portion are moulded in/out quoins.

The S gable is blank and is finished in roughcast. The top right corned of the gable is covered with ivy.

The roof is covered with natural slate and rw goods are a mixture of PVC and cast iron. The roof to the building has a slightly steeper pitch and the roofs join over a tapering lead flashing. There is a small rendered chimney stack to either end of the ridge.

Access to the rear was not possible.

Historical information

Two storey buildings are recorded along this stretch of Main Street in the valuation of c.1836. It is possible that this property was one of these buildings, though (given the slight crudeness of the accompanying valuation plan of the village), it is difficult to match the ground plots with those of today. The somewhat ‘vernacular’ feel to the façade also suggests pre mid 19th century construction.

The presence of a large late 19th century-looking shop window indicates that the building was partly given over to commercial use at this period at least.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1B/387 1st valuation, Loughinisland, 1836-38
2 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 valuation plan of Clough, 1838
3 PRONI VAL/2D/3/2 valuation plan of Clough, c.1860 [with annotations of c.1905]
4 PRONI 2nd valuation, Loughinisland, c.1860 [in print]
5 PRONI OS/8/78/1 OS plan of Clough, 1901
6 PRONI VAL/3G/64/1 valuation plan of Clough, 1935-1956

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively small, two storey end of terrace house and shop of possible pre 1834 origin, with general vernacular feel. The building has lost much original fabric and doesn't merit listing.