McAlpine Estate Agents

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid terrace two-bay three-storey rendered former house, built c.1830, with shopfront inserted to ground floor, integral carriage arch and two-storey redbrick return.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, rebuilt redbrick chimneystack to south, rendered chimneystack to north, both having clay pots. Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets with cast-iron hopper and downpipe. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling, rubblestone to rear. Square-headed window openings with painted masonry sills and original timber sash windows with some cylinder glass.

Front elevation is three windows wide with modern hardwood shopfront to ground floor, 6/3 timber sash windows to the second floor, 6/6 to the first floor. Central square-headed door opening giving access to the upper floors and having original flat-panelled timber door, rectangular overlight and opening onto two stone steps. Segmental-headed carriage arch opening to the left bay with original vertically-sheeted timber doors and pair of wheel-guard stones.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.12 (HB19/13/25D).

Rear elevation has rubblestone walling with redbrick linings to window openings, original timber sash windows and cast-iron downpipes with decorative brackets. Rear abutted by two-storey redbrick gable-ended return. First half-landing lit by timber sash window to return having coloured glass to margin lights.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.8 (HB19/13/025B).

Setting:
Forming part of a terrace of four similar former houses lining the east side of Railway Street with small rear yard enclosed by redbrick wall. Former rear plot converted to a car park.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Ruled and lined render / rubblestone
Windows Original timber sash

Historical information

This building is one of a terrace of three-storey Georgian buildings located on Railway Street which have appeared on the Ordnance Survey maps from the first edition in 1833. This street was formerly known as Jackson’s Lane; however it was renamed Railway Street c. 1840 with the arrival of the first railway line between Lisburn and Belfast (Neill). A detailed map of the town centre by Thomas Pattison c. 1830 indicates that Nos. 4 to 12 were the earliest of the current terrace to be constructed along this street to the Railway line; field research would support a construction date of c. 1830 indicated by the Georgian design of the building.

In 1901 the house was occupied by a Mr. William Drake, a local Butcher who occupied the house until 1914. The 1901 Census tells us that William Drake (born c. 1851) was a Roman Catholic and lived at No. 10 Railway Street with his wife Elizabeth and his four sons and two daughters. The 1910 Ulster Towns Directory records No. 10 as Drake’s residence but does not disclose whether he also had a shop at this address (Ulster Towns Directory, 1910). The 1911 Census simply describes the house as a ‘private dwelling’ which was occupied by Drake and his family; at that time his four sons were also employed in their father’s trade.

The census building return described No. 10 Railway Street as a 1st class dwelling which consisted of nine rooms and possessed a slate roof.
Bass tells us that Dr. James G. Jefferson ‘commenced his long and distinguished medical career’ in 1914 and occupied No. 10 Railway Street, however the writer may or may not be mistaken as a Dr. James G. Jefferson occupied No. 16 Railway Street previous to 1910 where he operated Lisburn’s Dispensary (HB 19/13/026A); it is possible that the Dr. James G. Jefferson Bass refers to was his son, however, without access to the valuation records this cannot be confirmed. Bass continues by stating that No. 10 passed to a Mr. H. B. Williamson, a merchant tailor, in 1920; whether this was a further error is unclear (Bass).

Brett described the houses on this terrace (Nos. 4 to 24) as ‘good three-storey Georgian brick or stucco houses with glazing bars intact ... the backs of [which] are of stone’ (Brett, p. 13). Field research has found that the Georgian window glazing survives while an original interior Georgian staircase still exists. The upper floors of the house have now been converted into office premises.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI MIC/664/1 – Picture of Lisburn by Thomas Pattison c. 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/1/68/1 – First edition OS map 1833
3. PRONI OS/6/1/68/2 – Second edition OS map 1857
4. PRONI OS/6/1/68/3 – Third edition OS map c.1900
5. PRONI OS/6/1/68/4 – Fourth edition OS map 1920
6. 1901 / 1911 Census
7. Ulster Towns Directory (1910)

Secondary Sources

1. Bass, H. G., ‘A short history of an old family firm: Records and recollections of Alexander Boyd & Co. Ltd’ Lisburn: 1977 (Pamphlet).
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, buildings of architectural importance in the Borough of Lisburn’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1969).
3. Neill, T., ‘Lisburn: an illustrated history and companion’ Lisburn: Cottage Publications, 1996.

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

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Mid terrace three-storey rendered former house, built c.1830, with integrated carriage arch and shopfront inserted to ground floor. Despite the insertion of the shopfront, the remainder of the former house retains most original fabric both internally and externally adding to the integrity of this relatively intact Georgian former house in the historic heart of Lisburn. It has group value with numbers 4 - 6, 8, and 12 Railway Street and is one of the earliest buildings constructed in Railway Street.

General comments

This record was completed without access to original source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.