19 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid-terrace three-bay two-storey over basement early-nineteenth-century rendered house, located on the west side of Main Street, Hillsborough. Rectangular on plan facing east with integral carriage arch to north bay and modern return, built c.1990.

Pitched artificial slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and pair of modern redbrick chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets to rendered projecting eaves course and cast-iron downpipe. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling, rubblestone to rear. Square-headed window openings with painted concrete sills and replacement tripartite timber sash windows.

Asymetrical front east elevation, three windows wide with off-centre square-headed door opening having replacement timber panelled door opening onto two concrete steps with rectangular overlight. Three-centred carriage arch opening with pair of original vertically-sheeted timber doors.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.21 (HB19/05/023).

Two-storey over basement west rear elevation, three windows wide abutted by modern unrendered two-storey concrete block return with a door on the ground floor and a large uPVC window to the first floor. Rubblestone walling with cement pointing and redbrick surrounds to all openings. Widened square-headed window openings with brick relieving arches, concrete lintels, concrete sills and uPVC windows. Elliptical-headed carriage arch opening to north bay formed in redbrick.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.17 (HB19/05/021B), with redbrick walling exposed to the carriage arch.

Setting:
A long rear plot contains a pair of rubblestone outbuildings, the larger of the two is two-storey with a partial natural slate roof having king-post trusses and a gabled loading bay.
Forming part of a terrace of various building types on the west side of Main Street in the centre of Hillsborough.

Roof Artificial slate
Walling Ruled and lined render
Windows Replacement tripartite timber sash
RWg Cast-iron

Historical information

No. 19 Main Street first appears on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map for Hillsborough as an oblong house with coach arch which formed part of a terrace extending from No. 23 to the bottom of Main Street. An early map of Hillsborough (c. 1800) shows that Nos. 13 to 19 Main Street were constructed between 1800 and 1833 on former ‘wasteland.’ The Townland Valuation plan of Hillsborough (1830s) depicted a large square out office building to the rear of the house. The occupant of the house at this time was a Mr. John Hatton; the valuer recorded the value of the house at £10. 10s.

In 1861 the house was occupied by a Mr. Thomas Scott who let the house from the Marquis of Downshire. At that time the house, a 1B class building measuring ten by eight yards and two storeys high, was valued at £15. The house may have been used as a bakery shop as the large out office at the rear of the house, still visible on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1858), was a bakery storeroom measuring 13 yards by 9 yards and two storeys high.

Thomas Scott bought the house from the Marquis of Downshire and occupied it until his death in 1890. Scott’s will tells us that he was a retired Merchant who died on 17 November 1890; he left the house and effects of £339. 15s. 6d. to Francis Scott (either his son or brother) (PRONI Wills – 03/12/1890). Francis Scott did not occupy the house which lay vacant until 1894 when a Mr. George [Murray] came into possession of the house. In 1896 the house was converted into a local post office. Between 1894 and 1912 a number of people were recorded as occupants of the post office; however, the 1901 Census tells that the post office was uninhabited in that year. By 1910 the post office on Main Street had been moved to No. 2 at the bottom of the hill. The 1911 Census records No. 19 as a private dwelling although it still remained vacant. In 1912 a Mr. William Lennon came into possession of the house and lived there until 1916 when he was replaced by a Mr. David Donaldson. In 1914 the valuation of the house was reduced to £12. taking into account the removal of the post office. In 1920 a Samuel Magee occupied the house and in 1929 a former Farmer, Mr. Thomas Baxter became the final occupant recorded in the Annual Revisions (Baxter had also occupied the adjoining No. 17 Main Street since 1924 – HB 19/05/021B). The valuer noted that the lessor, Francis Scott was living in Manchester during this period.

Field inspection supports an early nineteenth-century date of construction, likely to be at the same time as the adjoining Nos. 15 and 17; the large out office at the rear of the house depicted on the 1830s map which was used as a bakers store is currently in a state of disrepair. There are few original features remaining although the original timber staircase to the basement level still exists. In 1974 Brett described Nos. 15 to 19 Main Street as a ‘two-storey houses, probably of stone underneath’ the windows of which had been recently ‘unhappily altered’ (Brett, p. 22). This former post office and house was listed in 1976. Since that time the windows and front door of the house have been replaced with more appropriate ones. A two-storey return, with a kitchen extension on its upper storey, was built c.1990.

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 1856-64
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
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (1890).
16. Ulster Towns Directory (1910).

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the towns and villages of Mid Down: Hillsborough, Dromore, Dromara, Ballynahinch, the Spa, Drumaness and Saintfield’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1974.
2. NIEA File – HB19/05/022.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A mid-terrace three-bay two-storey over basement early nineteenth-century rendered house, located on the west side of Main Street, Hillsborough. A modest terraced house with integral carriage arch that conforms to the proportions of the remainder of the terrace. This house was substantially altered in the mid twentieth century, thus removing most of its historic detailing both externally and internally. Towards the end of the twentieth century more appropriate windows were installed in the front elevation and whilst the building now contributes significantly to the Hillsborough Conservation area but is not of special interest.