24 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid-terrace two-bay two-storey rendered eighteenth century former pair of houses, located on the east side of Main Street Hillsborough with front railed platform. Rectangular on plan facing west with single and two-storey flat-roofed extension to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and rendered chimneystack shared with adjoining house No.22 (HB19/05/12A). Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets to rendered eaves. Painted pebble-dash rendered walling with smooth render plinth course to ground floor sill level. Square-headed window openings with smooth render surrounds, concrete sills and replacement timber sash windows.

Front elevation is four windows wide abutted by rendered platform, providing level access from the sloping street and bounded by a wrought-iron railing and gate. Tripartite and bipartite timber sash windows to the ground floor and square-headed door opening with replacement timber panelled door and rectangular leaded overlight, opening onto tiled step and tiled platform.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining house No.22 (HB19/05/012A).

Rear elevation abutted by single and two-storey flat-roofed extension with felt-covered roof, pebble-dash rendered walling and replacement timber casement windows. Timber glazed door opens onto three tiled steps to rear patio.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.28 (HB19/05/013A).

Setting:
Formerly two houses among a terrace of varied terraced housing lining the east side of Main Street on a sloping site as it meets The Square. The rear plot has been sold off to neighbouring properties with a pair of paved patios remaining to the rear.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Pebble-dash render
Windows Replacement timber sash

Historical information

No. 24 Main Street appears on a map of Hillsborough dating from c.1800 as a single building with No. 22 (HB19/05/012A). At that time the house was depicted as a rectangular building (with a large out office on the No. 22 side of the yard) in the possession of a Mr. James Henderson. The Townland Valuation records that Henderson still occupied the house in the 1830s when it was valued at £10.

Griffith's Valuation recorded that a Mr. John McClune owned the house in 1861 when it was let to a Mr John Levingston at 2/6 weekly rent. By 1861 the house had been split into the current Nos. 22 and 24 Main Street and at this time No. 24 Main Street was split further and converted into two dwellings. The northern-most house was let to a Mr. Alexander Patterson at 2/6 weekly rent and was valued at £4 measuring 4.5 yds by 7 yds. The second house was valued at £6. 10s. and was occupied by a Mr. James Henn at £8. rent. This house also measured 4 by 7 yds, but possessed a number of small out offices which no longer exist and may have contributed to its higher value.

In 1864 James Steel took over ownership of Nos. 22 and 24 Main Street as well as acquiring a number of smaller seperate dwellings built before 1861 in the rear yard (renamed McClunes Court and accessed by the coach arch of No.22). James Steel let the two dwellings at No. 24 Main Street to a large number of tenants over the next decades; however there was no change in the valuation until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930. The longest residing occupant of the north-most house was a Mr Francis Hogg who lived there between 1882 and 1901 before moving into the neighbouring house where he lived until 1919. Census records tell us that Hogg, a fifty year old Roman Catholic Carpenter, lived in the second house with his wife Eliza Mary (47) and his three children. The building return tells us that the second house was a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of four inhabited rooms. The northernmost house was much the same and was occupied by a Mr. Samuel Gibson (recorded as a 40 year old labourer in 1901) until his death in 1919 when his widow came into possession and resided in the house until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930. At some time in the mid-twentieth century the two small houses were converted into one large dwelling.

Field inspection supports a late eighteenth century date of construction, although it is clear from the fenestration that some remodelling has taken place in the merging of the two buildings. The current owners of No. 22 Main Street possess the original indenture (dated 1773) between James Henderson and the Marquis of Downshire for this plot of land on Main Street; Henderon built the current building shortly after and resided there until at least the 1830s. No. 24 was listed in 1976 and since that time renovations have been carried out in 1979 and in 1984 when a kitchen extension was added (NIEA File). The house was recently renovated c.2000 resulting in the loss of most of the original interior features.

During the period 1770-1830 many of the 17th century thatched buildings on Main Street were replaced by Georgian Townhouses (Walker). Nos. 22 and 24 Main Street are notable as two of the earlier Townhouses built on the street; the existence of the original indenture making this house one of very few early buildings on Main Street for which we have a definite origin.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI D671/M/8/25 – Hillsborough Map c.1800
2. PRONI D671/M/8/57/1 – Hillsborough Illustrated Map 1803
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/344 A-B – Townland Valuations 1834
4. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/5 – Town Plan 1834
5. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
6. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1858
7. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902-1903
8. PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-1920
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14A – Annual Revisions 1864-1879
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14B – Annual Revisions 1880-1889
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14C – Annual Revisions 1890-1908
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14D – Annual Revisions 1909-1928
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14E – Annual Revisions 1928-1930

Secondary Sources

1. Walker, S., ‘Hillsborough: An illustrated history and companion’ Belfast: Cottage Publications, 1994).
2. NIEA File – HB19/05/012B.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mid-terrace two-storey eighteenth century rendered former pair of houses, located on the east side of Main Street Hillsborough. This terraced house has been substantially altered from its original configuration including the addition of flat roofed extensions to the rear and substantial internal alterations. The front elevation however retains some of its eighteenth century proportions and contributes positively to the Hillsborough Conservation Area.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered it was previously recorded as HB19/05/012