112 Irish Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey Georgian terrace townhouse of c.1790 with rubble façade and high level elliptical arch headed door surround. The house is set within the terrace at the S end of the E side of Irish Street.

The front façade faces W and is asymmetrical. A double flight of stone steps rise to the front entrance. The entrance door is panelled and set within an elliptical arch headed opening, along with a fanlight, sidelights and timber pilaster jambs. The fanlight has ‘petal’ tracery and the sidelights have three panes.

Either side of the double stair is a crudely blocked basement window. To the left of the door is a sash window with Georgian panes (6/6). To the right of the door is a further 6/6 window and to the far right is a short single stair which leads to a sheeted side door. This door gives access to a side entry which leads to the rear yard. To the first floor are four evenly spaced windows, as ground floor only slightly shorter. To the second floor are four similar windows, only shorter again. At eaves level there is a small parapet wall with projecting cope stone.. To the centre of the parapet is a cast iron rw pipe which drops down the centre of the façade to first floor window sill level. It then angles to the right and drops awkwardly to the side of the window on the right.

The stone stairs each have wrought iron railings. The front façade is constructed of rubble field stone with brick dressings to the openings.

The rear façade has two returns. The larger is gabled, is set to the right and is three storied. It has an opening to the centre of each level. That to the roof space is small and has the remains of timber louvers. That to the second floor is blocked with concrete blocks while that to the first floor is semicircular arch headed and sports a modern window frame. That to the ground floor is obscured by rampant plant growth. The ground and first floors of the S face are mainly obscured by the second return. At second floor level there is a small window with horizontal astragals. The sill is cut by an adjoining roof.

To the left, and slightly set back, is the second return. It is mainly two storey. The centre portion has a small ‘sentry box’ (third level) extension perched on top of the corrugated iron lean-to roof which sits over the main portion of this return. The ‘sentry box’ has a segmental arch headed window to the centre of the E face. The secondary area to the left, is lower and has a further lean-to roof which rises to the side of the first portion. The E face of this return is much obscured by rampant plant growth but there appears to be a window opening to the ground floor

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on Michael Wills’ 1708 town plan of Downpatrick and all others thereafter. The building’s appearance suggests it may date from c.1790-1800, though the look of the staircase (with thick moulded handrail) is more mid 18th century. The property is recorded in the valuation returns of 1838 as the home of one William Smith, possessing the substantial rateable value of £26.

The building most recently served as the office for the local RC church, but has been vacant since c.1995.

References- Primary sources
1 Down County Museum ‘A plan of Downpatrick’ by Michael Wills (c.1708)
2 PRONI D.477A ‘A survey of the town of Downpatrick in the county of Down and province of Ulster in Ireland’ by James Maguire (c.1708)
3 British Library, Addit. MS 9750, ff.71b-72 ‘A plan of the town of Downpatrick (c.1720)
4 British Library, Addit. MS 21, 131, f.90 ‘A plan of the town of Downpatrick 1729’
5 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the County of Down’ (Dublin 1744)
6 PRONI OS/6/3/37/1 OS map, Down sh 37, 1834
7 Ordnance Survey memoirs of Co Down (IV), ed Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992), pp.38-61 [Dec. 1836]
8 PRONI VAL/1B/378 First valuation, Down, c.1838 [*Unfortunately this valuation does not supply either dimensions of buildings within Downpatrick or any indication of their age / condition; it merely gives a list of the occupants names and the rateable value of each property.]
9 PRONI VAL/1D/3/7 First valuation town plan of Downpatrick, c.1838
10 PRONI OS/8/9/1/1-24 OS town plans of Downpatrick, 1859
11 PRONI Second valuation, Down, 1863 (in print). [The map to accompany this valuation is missing.]
12 PRONI VAL/12E/120/1 Revaluation manuscript books, Downpatrick, 1864-1901
13 PRONI VAL/12E/120/1/1-24 Revaluation town plans of Downpatrick, 1864-1901 [12 sheets missing]
14 PRONI OS/8/9/2/1-3 OS town plans of Downpatrick, 1901
15 PRONI VAL/12E/120/2/1-3 Revaluation town plans of Downpatrick, 1906-35

Secondary sources
1 Lady Dunleath, P.J. Rankin, A Rowan, ‘Historic buildings…Downpatrick’ (Belfast 1970), p.15-16, 18-19
2 Anthony M. Wilson, ‘Saint Patrick’s town’ (Belfast 1995)
3 R.H. Buchanan and Anthony Wilson, ‘Irish historic towns atlas no.8: Downpatrick’ (Royal Irish Academy 1996)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Fine three storey (plus basement) Georgian terrace townhouse of c.1790 with rubble façade double and high level elliptical arch headed door case.