24 Lisburn Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A modified asymmetrical two-bay two-storey end-terrace house; built c.1800 originally incorporating HB19/05/049A&B, and located west of Lisburn Street in Hillsborough town centre. Square on plan with full-height return and two-storey extension on slope to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and rendered chimneystack. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods. Walling is painted smooth render on plinth with raised quoins to north corner; roughcast render to gable and rear elevation. Windows are replacement 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash with horns in smooth rendered surrounds with projecting masonry sills.

The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrically arranged with a window to centre at first floor; to ground floor is a blind entrance at left and a window to right of centre.

The south elevation is abutted by adjoining building; HB19/05/049B.

The west (rear) elevation is entirely abutted by the full-height return, set on a slope with two windows to second floor; modern timber casement window to ground and first floor at north elevation. The return is fully abutted by a two-storey extension with modern fully-glazed panel window to first floor; ground floor is concealed; north elevation has a modern six-panelled timber door with multi-paned sidelights.

The north gable is blank.

Setting:
Forming part of an eighteenth-century /early nineteenth-century terrace, on the approach to Hillsborough town centre. End of terrace with laned access to north having car-park and attached garage to rear. Lane terminates in an early rubble stone wall enclosing a lake on the Hillsborough Castle Estate.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Smooth & roughcast render
Windows: Replacement 6/6 timber-framed sash
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

No. 24 Lisburn Street first appears on a c. 1800 map of the Town of Hillsborough where it is depicted, incorporating nos 20 and 22, as a single oblong building on the west side of Lisburn Street; the map shows that the building possessed a large outbuilding which extended from the rear of No. 24. Lisburn Street is the oldest part of Hillsborough and witnessed a period of development between c. 1800 and c. 1830 when the majority of buildings on the northern half of the street were constructed; at this time Lisburn Street was known as ‘Great Newport Street in reference to the construction of the Lagan Canal in the late eighteenth century (Barry, p. 39). Nos 20 to 24 Lisburn Street are amongst the earlier houses which date from the mid to late 18th century before the later development of the street. The first edition Ordnance Survey map (1834) and the Townland Valuation map of c. 1830 continued to depict nos 20 to 24 as a single property; the Townland Valuations recorded that a Mr. Allan Weir occupied the site, which at that time was valued at £6.

Between 1834 and 1858 the large outbuilding at the rear of the building had been taken down. The second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1858) shows that two returns had been constructed to the rear of nos 20 and 24 Lisburn Street (one of these appearing to extend from the rear of No. 24). The single building depicted on the earlier sources is first recorded as three properties from the 1861 Griffith’s Valuation which tells us that a Mr. John Mulligan owned all three houses and that No. 24 was occupied by a Mr. Henry McDowell who let the house from Mulligan at weekly rent of 4 shillings. The valuer described the house as a 1a- class two-storey dwelling which measured 4 1/3 by 4yds and possessed a similar sized rear return; the house was valued at £8.

By 1864 the house had come into the possession of Robert Thorton who resided there until 1882 when it passed to a Mr. William McNally. In 1889 No. 24 Lisburn Street was occupied by Sarah McNally (likely the wife or daughter of William McNally) who vacated the house in 1890, after which a number of occupants briefly resided at the address until a Mr. Thomas Baxter came into possession in 1898. The 1901 Census tells us that Baxter (45), a retired Presbyterian farmer, resided at the house with his wife Selena (45) and their four children. The Census Building Return described No. 24 Lisburn Street as a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of five rooms and possessed a stable as its sole out office; by 1911 Baxter and his family operated a Grocers shop from the premises although this is not recorded on the valuation records. Thomas Baxter resided at this address until 1923 when a Mr. Joshua Steele came into possession. Later occupants include Thomas Patterson (1926) and Walter Elliot, who occupied the house in 1927 and lived there until at least 1930 when the Annual Revisions ended.

There was little change to the site between 1858 and the fourth edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1919 20, although since the 1966 Ordnance Survey map (184-5) a single-storey modern garage can be seen at the rear of the house. Since the First Survey in 1973 the original front door to the house on Lisburn Street has been blocked up and a new entrance opened at the north gable of the two-storey rear return of the house.

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 1833
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
15. Census of Ireland 1901 / 1911
16. Ordnance Survey Map 184-5 (1966)
17. First Survey Record - HB 19/05/049C

Secondary Sources
1. Barry, J., ‘Hillsborough: A parish in the Ulster plantation’ (3rd ed.), Belfast, Universities Press., 1982.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An asymmetrical two-bay two-storey end-terrace house originally incorporating number 20-22 (HB19/05/049A&B); built c.1800 and located west of Lisburn Street in Hillsborough town centre. The entrance has been moved to the north gable and a large return and extension added to the rear, altering the original proportions and internal layout. Forming part of a relatively intact eighteenth/early nineteenth-century terrace, number 24 makes a contribution to the character of the historic street. Although of interest, as the building has been significantly altered, it is not considered to meet the criteria for listing.

General comments

The record has been renumbered from HB19/05/049.