4-6 Lisburn Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid-terrace three-bay three-storey rendered former house, built c.1780. Rectangular on plan facing north with pair of shopfronts to the ground floor and central stairhall projection to the rear.

Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and a single rendered chimneystack to the west end. Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets and cast-iron hopper and downpipe. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling. Square-headed window openings with bipartite timber sash windows and painted masonry sills.

Front elevation is three windows wide with replacement multi-pane timber casement windows to the second floor (horizontal emphasis) and replacement pairs of 6/6 timber sash windows to the first floor. To the centre is a neo-classical stucco doorcase with replacement timber glazed door and sidelights flanked by pair of Doric pilasters supporting plain architrave and oversized dentilled cornice. Tripartite traditional timber shopfront to the east bay with central replacement timber glazed door flanked by two bipartite fixed-pane display windows with all openings flanked by slender pilasters to replacement fascia and dentilled cornice spanning entire shopfront. Smaller traditional timber shopfront to west bay with fixed-pane bipartite display window flanked by slender pilasters to modern fascia and dentilated cornice above.

East side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.2.

Rear elevation abutted by three-storey gabled stairwing and flat-roofed two-storey return. Single early 6/6 timber sash window to ground floor.

West side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.8.

Setting:
Set among a terrace of varying house types lining the south side of Lisburn Street with two-storey flat-roofed return and large gabled shed to rear and extensive rear plot used for car parking.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Ruled and lined render
Windows Replacement timber sash / replacement timber casement

Historical information

Nos. 4 to 6 Lisburn Street appears on a town map of Hillsborough dating from c.1800. It is shown as a single oblong building at the end of the terrace on Lisburn Street. At that time the house was occupied by a Mr. H. Leathem. The house possessed a large L-shaped out office at the rear of the building; however, by the 1830s this out office no longer appears on the Townland Valuation map when the house was valued at £9. 2s. and occupied by a Mr. John Reid. Reid was a grocer who perhaps ran a business at Nos. 4-6; he lived there until his death in 1853 (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 06/06/1853).

In 1861 Griffith’s Valuation depicts the building as two properties, both being owned by a Mr. Frances Mulligan. An Annual Revisions map of 1864 depicts the two properties, No. 4 as a large square building possessing a number of out offices, whilst No. 6 is shown as an oblong building. Griffiths Valuation records that Frances Mulligan let No. 4 to a Mr. John Mulligan; at that time No. 4 was valued at £19 and described as a 1B+ class dwelling measuring 10.5 yds by 7 yds and three-storeys tall. The valuer tells us that No. 6 Lisburn Street measured 4 yds by 6 yds; it was valued at £6. 10s. and lay vacant in 1861. In 1864 John Mulligan purchased the lease to No. 6 and occupied both buildings until his death in 1870. At that time the properties came into the possession of George Bell, a Presbyterian grocer who occupied both buildings until his own death in 1913. From 1900 his nephew, Mr. Henry Bell, was recorded as a co-occupant. The 1910 Ulster Town’s Directory tells us that George and Henry Bell were ham curers and egg merchants who operated their business from their premises on Lisburn Street. The 1901 census tells us that George (58) occupied Nos. 4-6 Lisburn Street with his two sisters and his nephew. The building was recorded as a 1st class dwelling, at that time consisting of 13 inhabited rooms and 14 out offices, the majority of which were sheds and stores and have since been taken down. George Bell died in 1913 and left a large sum of £20,785. 4s. 10d to his nephew who became the sole recorded occupant of the house until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930.

Writing in 1974 Brett wrote that the former shop and house was still named ‘G. & H. Bell’s,’ a ‘dingy but rather good three-bay three-storey house, Georgian glazed, roughcast; wide pilastered doorcase’ with an old shopfront which contrasted sharply with a modern shop window then installed in No. 4 (Brett, p. 23) Nos. 4 and 6 Lisburn Street were listed in 1976 and since that time there have been numerous renovations to both buildings. In 1990 a videoshop and a health and beauty clinic occupied No. 6 Lisburn Street; however in 2009 further renovations were carried out and in that year Nos 4 and 6 were occupied by a juicebar, hairdressers and insurance offices (NIEA File). During its recent history Nos 4 and 6 Lisburn Street have been converted a number of times to suit particular businesses and as a result very few original features still remain within the house. The only remarkable aspect of the building now is its Georgian façade and its long history as a shop spanning a period of at least 150 years; with the Bell family running a business there for over a century.

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
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue 1853
16. Ulster Town’s 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 – HB19/05/082.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Mid-terrace three-bay three-storey rendered former house, built c.1780. Rectangular on plan facing north as part of a terrace of varying house types lining the south side of Lisburn Street, Hillsborough. While the interior has been significantly altered, the exterior retains its original appearance. Retaining elements of its late Georgian early Victorian shopfront, it constitutes one of the largest and oldest buildings on the street and is of local interest.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity also apply.