18-22 Stream Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey, stone faced terrace block of perhaps c.1790-1800, containing three former dwelling houses, amalgamated internally in c.1990 and now used as a church hall with offices. The block is set on the sloping E side of Stream Street.

The front façade faces W, with the openings to each former house identically arranged. To the ground floor left (on each) is a timber sheeted door with four pane rectangular fanlight and brick dressings (all openings to front are similarly dressed). To the right of this is a sash window with Georgian panes (6/6). To the first floor are two similar windows, and, to the second floor are two, similar, but much shorter, windows (3/6). There are stone steps to the doorway of the central and right (S) doorways.

The S gable of the block is blank. To the rear of the block the ground level rises, (the graveyard surrounding the NS Presbyterian church), and the ground floor to the rear is almost basement like. Each former property still retains its enclosed yard, each flanked to the N and S by high rubble walls with retaining wall to the E. The rear elevation has been altered in recent years. The ground floor façade to the rear is rendered with a timber sheeted door and a very small window (with modern frame) to what was the centre and southernmost houses. Each of these former houses also has one small four pane fixed light window to both the first and the second floor. The ground floor of the northernmost former dwelling is now obscured due to the fact that two modern metal walkways span over the enclosed yard from the higher ground to the E. These walkways allow access to two doorways which have been inserted to the first floor and the second floor of the rear façade of the former northernmost house. To the left of the second floor doorway there is a small fixed light window, as former properties to centre and S.

The façade is largely rubble finished with sandstone quoins. The gabled roof is slated and there are two brick chimney stacks. Metal rw goods.

Historical information

The south-eastern end of what is now Stream Street appears to have been developed in the years following the building of the Presbyterian Church (now NS Presbyterian), to the south end of the street in c.1710-11. On a town plan of 1720 plots for dwellings a marked out and on one for 1729 houses had been erected. The present terrace probably dates from the later 18th century, perhaps c.1780-1800 and is undoubtedly that shown on the valuation map of 1838 (with the houses recorded as ‘exempt’).*

All three dwellings appear to have remained in occupation until the 1980s, but in 1990 the block was converted to a hall (with offices) for the neighbouring Non-subscribing Presbyterian church.

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 Anthony M. Wilson, ‘Saint Patrick’s town’ (Belfast 1995)
2 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
C. Ornamentation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Three storey, stone faced terrace block of perhaps c.1790-1800, containing three former dwelling houses, amalgamated internally in c.1990 and now used as a church hall with offices. The hall has group value with its neighbours.

General comments

In the first survey, this building was recorded as three units under the numbers HB18/19/015A, /015B and /015C.