RUC STATION

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical attached double-pile three-bay two-storey-over-basement former police station, originally built as a house c.1790, refurbished c.1855, located on the SE side of Irish Street. Rectangular plan, abutted by lower two-storey eighteenth century terraced houses, on either side, all contained within a sangar barrier at the time of writing (April 2016).

No.43 (Main building):
M-profile pitched slated roof, valley gutter, profiled cast iron gutters to front. Gable chimneystacks, some with terracotta pots, some pots missing. Walls are painted ruled and lined render to façade with vermiculated quoins, band rusticated to ground floor, loop motif to string course over ground floor; parapet with floriate and dentil mouldings over moulded string. Plain unpainted cement render to side and rear elevations. Windows are covered with metal security grilles or timber boards throughout; internal inspection reveals intact timber sashes throughout, generally 6/6. Stone sills to ground floor, continous cills to upper floor windows; vermiculated long and short surrounds with exaggerated keyblocks over ground floor windows; triangular pediments over first floor windows; other detailing concealed behind the security grilles.

Principal elevation faces NW and has three openings to each floor, symmetrically arranged about a central square-headed door within a taller round-headed opening set into a classical doorcase comprising modillioned broken-bed triangular pediment on Doric columns with tall triglyph mouldings over. The door is a modern replacement, accessed by three concrete steps. The basement well is enclosed by a balustraded dwarf wall with square panelled piers at the corners.

SE elevation is abutted by No.47 (see later). There are two windows to ground floor and two at second floor.

Rear elevation is abutted by a modern sandlime brick cellblock to left side of exposed basement level, surmounted by a full height enclosed metal fire escape; the remainder is covered with scaffolding at the time time writing. Single opening to first and second floor.

NW elevation is as SE, abutted at first floor only by Building 2 (see plan) No.41A (HB18/20/069), vehicular entry to ground floor.

Building 3 (see plan) No. 45-47
Building 3 abuts to the SE of the main building. It is a three-storey two-bay block with slate roof and pebbledashed walls. Windows have been resized and partially infilled, and there are no features of interest remaining.

Building 4 (see plan) No. 49
Building 4 is a corner-sited two-storey three-bay house with ground floor shop and two-storey return, located at the extreme SE end of the group. It has a pantiled roof, plastic rainwater goods and painted rendered walling. Timber 1/1 sashes remain to upper floor; ground floor has two replacement timber doors and the remains of a timber shopfront partially obscured by the return wall of the sangar.

Setting:
All buildings were originally street fronted, but at the time of writing are contained within a compound bounded on Irish Street by a semi-permanent metal and reinforced concrete security sangar. Original long narrow rear plots are generally now undivided, and have tarmac surfaces. The precinct is bounded to NW and SW by a tall rubble stone boundary wall; a portion of this original boundary wall survives between the main building and building 3. To rear of building 2 (Nos.41 HB18/20/069 & adj. 41A HB18/20/070) is an eighteenth-century L-shaped two-storey outbuilding with rubble stone walls and slate roof.

Roof: Slate
Walls: Render
RWG: Metal
Windows: Timber

Historical information

Built sometime between 1780-1820 and extensively remodelled c.1855, the former house at No.43 is first shown on the first edition OS map (1832-33), set back from the main street-line, with a linear range of outbuildings and a large garden to the rear plot. The date of construction remains unclear; the description contained in UAHS (1970) notes that it was built in the late 18th century, based on the style of the main doorcase, which is very similar to those featured in English pattern books of the period. Field evidence suggests the building was constructed during early decades of the 19th century, however no archival information can be found to support this.

The Townland Valuation records (c.1834) show that the property was valued at £50 and occupied by a William Thompson, who was one of the two brothers who bought the property, c.1799, from a Charles Hawthorne. Wilson (1995) notes that Thompson brothers, William and James Thompson were an ambitious pair from Rademon, Crossgar. After completing his apprenticeship at the age of 24 (c.1790), William obtained a £50 loan and established a grocer’s shop in a thatched house in Irish Street, which was located opposite James Sweeny’s Inn. Later joined by his younger brother James, the pair lived a frugal existence but their money saving-ways paid off, as within a few years they began to purchase property within the town. Wilson (1995) notes that their first purchase was a large brick house in Irish Street (thought to be the present No.43), located opposite the public crane, which they bought for £1,950 from Charles Stewart Hawthorne, who was MP for Downpatrick in 1802-06 and 1812-15. The exact date of this purchase is unclear, however it would appear to be the late 1790s as their lease for No.43 (then No.22) was renewed in 1818, from that originally drawn up between them and Lord de Clifford in 1799 (PRONI D1167/1/156).

At the rear of the property, within the long line of outbuildings which are shown from the first edition OS map (1832-33), the brothers carried out a brewing and malting business. With the fruits of their various labours they proceeded to purchase some 20 townlands in the Ards and Lecale, and c.1830, bought Tober Mhuire in Crossgar from the MP, E.S. Ruthven for £20,000 (Wilson).

Although William did marry, neither of the brothers had children. Following their deaths (James in 1847 and William in 1850), their estate passed to their sister, Elizabeth Cleland’s children; James, John, Hugh Jnr and Anne. Hugh went abroad, John lived in Vianstown and in 1846, at the age of 17, was responsible for compiling the first ever history of the town, entitled ‘The Annals of Downpatrick’ (Lockhart). James, the eldest son, inherited a substantial estate from his uncles, which included No.43 Irish Street, 3,544 acres of land in County Down, the town of Crossgar and Tober Mhuire house, which burnt down c.1860 and he had rebuilt four years later.

Chairman of the Town Commissioners, James resided for a while at No.43 Irish Street and was likely responsible for the extensive remodelling of the house, c.1855, which produced the present Victorian frontage. The changes were noted by a substantial rise in valuation in Griffith’s Valuation (1863), from £50 in 1834 to £80 in 1863. The valuer was particularly disparaging of the alterations, commenting that the former corn stores and outbuildings were vacant and in bad repair, while the house was “…finished in the most expensive style – and is totally unsuited for such a situation.” The elaborate interior décor featured the Cleland coat of arms and motto ‘SI JE POUVOIS’ to the stained glass of the main stair. The adjoining three-bay property to the west of No.43, which features an integral carriage arch, appears to have been part of the main house at No.43, since at least the mid 19th century, as the pair are shown as one property on the Annual Revision map (1864-1906).

James moved to Crossgar House (now Tobar Mhuire Passionist Monastery), c.1867 and his brother John Thompson Cleland then took up residence of No.43. By 1895 the outbuildings and stores to the rear had fallen into partial ruins, which decreased the rateable value in the Annual Revisions of 1895, and their condition continued to decline into the early 20th century (as shown on a historic photograph, c.1910). Listed as a Justice of the Peace in the Census Records (1901 & 1911), John remained unmarried and lived at No.43 until his death in 1913. The following year, the Cleland family (a Mrs Florence Stirling and Mrs Annie Black) leased the property to the Royal Irish Constabulary.

Since becoming a police barracks, the building has undergone a succession of alterations and during the latter half of the 20th century, with the constabulary further expanding into the neighbouring properties (Nos.41-49). Contemporary maps show that the former outbuildings to No.43 were removed by the latter half of the 20th century, and a number of various modern extensions added to the rear of the main building. Some remnants of the original rubblestone outbuilding wall (or former boundary wall) survive, abutting to the south-east of the rear elevation. The rubblestone return and abutting outbuildings to the western proportion of No.43 are all retained, and along with similar outbuildings to the rear of Nos.41 and No.41A, they form an enclosed courtyard to the rear of No.41.

Although having moved to Crossgar House c.1866, James Cleland continued to lease two small properties to the east of No.43, (Nos. 45-47), both of which are shown on the first edition OS map (1834) and are thought to date from at least the early 19th century. Each were given a rateable value of £9 in Griffith’s Valuation (1863) but by the Annual Revisions of 1904 both had decreased to £6 10s. The 1901 Census Records show that No.45 was a shop and house inhabited by a hairdresser William McCartan, while No.47 was a lodging house operated by a Patrick Trainor. For a short period between 1910-12 a Sergeant Rookes of the local Constabulary, occupied No.47 (Annual Revisions 1908-20). During the mid to late 20th century this pair of buildings had their main elevation refaced, the openings reconfigured and the former outbuilding to the rear of No.47 was removed. These alterations likely took place when the buildings become part of the Constabulary Barracks, however the exact date of their amalgamation remains unclear.

The Ulster Town Directory (1824-43) and the Townland Valuations (1834) show that No.41 was occupied by John and James’ father and mother, Hugh and Elizabeth Cleland (Townland Valuations 1834). At the age of 40, Elizabeth (nee Thompson) had married Hugh Cleland, a man who was brought up in the Dublin workhouse and had been her servant. Hugh Cleland had a grocery business in Irish Street and for a period of four years, was the first manager of the Ulster Bank, also in Irish Street, but was forced to stand down due to ill health. By Griffith’s Valuation they had been replaced by a William G. McBride, followed by a number of other occupants until John and Rose Campbell, took over in 1890, operating a china merchants within the premises until 1930 (Annual Revisions). A historic photograph, c.1910 shows the central bays of the ground floor had been shopped by this time, flanked to the east by a domestic sash window and entrance door, and to the west by a doorway providing access to the rear; the display window to west-of-centre featured a simple signage fascia over, reading ‘JOHN CAMPBELL’, and an incorporated entrance door leading into the shop. This arrangement of the ground floor was later removed or replaced with modern shopfronts and in more recent decades the openings have largely been filled in. During the latter half of the 20th century the property became amalgamated with the constabulary barracks at No.43, although the exact date remains unclear. As previously discussed, the outbuilding and courtyard to the rear are retained, enclosed to east and west by the historic outbuildings and returns of No.43 and No.39.

No.49 to the far-east of the former barracks group, comprised a house, outoffice and yard, which were occupied by a Hugh McVoy(?) in the 1830s and was given a rateable value of £14 in the Townland Valuations (1834). Vacant and having fallen into poor repair by Griffith’s Valuation (1863), the value was subsequently reduced to £12. In 1890 a public house was opened on the premises, run by a Mary Anne Carr, which operated until 1903. Following a year of vacancy, the house was then taken over by a Bridget Mullan, who resided there until at least 1930. At some point during the latter 20th century, the building was amalgamated with the police barracks at No.43. The footprint of the building has remained largely unchanged since the first edition OS map (1834), except for the removal of a detached outbuilding to the rear. Remnants of the original rubblestone boundary wall survive to the east, with a modern palisade fence mounted over.

Provincial constabulary forces were formed under the Irish Constabulary Act of 1822, however they were not established in the town of Downpatrick until 1825. County Down was one of the last counties in Ireland to accept their authority, as local magistrates were reluctant to see their influence reduced (Lockhart). The first barracks within the town had been initially located within an army horse barracks, which was then followed by that which was established on Fountain Street, in part of the old Down Infirmary. The barracks later moved to Saul Street and then Church Street, until being relocated to No.43 Irish Street in 1914. In 1836 the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) had been established from the reorganisation of the earlier provincial constabularies. Following partition in 1922 the RIC was then disbanded and replaced by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the north of Ireland (RUC).

In 1870 the policing headquarters for County Down was relocated from Hillsborough to Downpatrick, and it remained in the town until 1970, when it became part of the RUC’s G-Division (Lockhart). In 1940 the RUC purchased the property at No.43, from the descendents of the Cleland family but from as early as 1937 the premises were thought to be insufficient for a county headquarters. Other potential sites were earmarked in 1947 and the 1960s, however progress was halted by a lack of funds following the Second World War and the violent events of the late 20th century.

During the latter 20th century the police took over the entirety of Nos.41-49 Irish Street. The interior and exterior of the buildings were subsequently altered and outbuildings were removed and remodelled. A perimeter wall was built to enclose the whole site (including the principal elevations and footpath on Irish Street), while a the creation of a new housing development and access street saw the demolition of Nos.51-53 and the encroachment of the rear plot of Nos.45-49.

Decommissioned in 2015, the PSNI since have relocated to a new purpose-built station in the grounds of the Downshire Hospital. Until its closure, the constabulary at Irish Street was one of only two stations remaining in operation within Northern Ireland, which predated the formation of the RUC in 1922. The other is in Edward Street in Portadown, which remains in use by the PSNI (Lockhart).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/37/1 First edition OS map (18)
2. PRONI OS/6/37/2 Second edition OS map (18)
3. PRONI OS/6/37/3 Third edition OS map (19)
4. PRONI OS/6/37/4 Fourth edition OS map (19)
5. PRONI OS/8/9/14 Town Plan (1859)
6. PRONI OS/8/9/2 Town Plan (1901)
7. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/7 Townland Valuation Map (c.1834)
8. PRONI VAL/1/B/378 Townland Valuation (c.1834)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/78C Griffith’s Valuation (c.1863)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/18/7A-K Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
11. PRONI VAL/12/E/120/1/14 Annual Revision Map (1864-1906)
12. PRONI VAL/12/E/120/2/2 Annual Revision Map (1906-35)
13. PRONI D1167/1/156 Renewal Lease (1818)
14. PRONI D1167/1/152 Renewal Lease (1802)
15. Census Records (1901 & 1911)
16. Ulster Town Directories (1824-1943)
17. HB File HB18/LQ133

Secondary Sources
1. Lockhart, David ‘New Era After 191 Years of Downpatrick Policing’ Down Recorder, 13th April 2016
2. Wilson, Anthony ‘Saint Patrick’s Town; A History of Downpatrick and the Barony of Lecale’ Isabella Press, Downpatrick, 1995
3. Dunleath, Lady. Rankin, P. Rowan, A. ‘List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in the Town of Downpatrick’ UAHS, 1970

Online Sources
1. Crossgar House / Tobar Mhuire
http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/crossgar-house.html
2. Photograph of Downpatrick from the Lawrence Collection (1860-1920), showing the double-pile upper storey of No.43 Irish Street
http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000317592
3. Photograph of Irish Street from the Lawrence Collection (c.1910), showing No.41
http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000321125
4. Photograph of Downpatrick from the Lawrence Collection (1860-1920), showing the rear of Nos.41-49 Irish Street, including the substantial range of linear outbuildings to the rear of No.43.
http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000324741

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

43 Irish Street is a fine three-bay three-storey over basement former townhouse, built c.1790 and remodelled later in the nineteenth century, around 1855. Proportions and original detailing indicate an eighteenth-century shell, but the building is now largely defined in character by ornate detailing and embellishments of mid-nineteenth century character. The exuberant plasterwork detail is particularly notable both in execution and concentration, adorning almost every room, and a purposeful reflection of the social status of its owners, the Cleland family, who figured prominently within the local business community. Historically, the building is notable as having served as a police barracks since 1914, and until its recent decommissioning was one of only two pre-partition stations remaining in use in Northern Ireland. It also served for a time as the police headquarters for County Down, reflecting Downpatrick's status as the county town. The compound also includes a number of adjoining buildings which are more representative of the general late-eighteenth-century urban vernacular of Irish Street in terms of proportion and scale, with, to the immediate north, nos 41 and 41A also listed. On removal of the security installations, the former station will be one of the most prominent buildings in the conservation area, and will make a significant contribution to the variety of the streetscape. It is enhanced by retention of original boundary walls.

General comments

Planning Ref LA07/2015/1195

no lq ref see trim ref DO1/16/243412