JKB Financial Partnership

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid terrace three-storey redbrick former townhouse, built c.1850. Rectangular on plan with modern shopfront inserted to ground floor and two-storey rendered return, forming part of a terrace of four similar houses lining the east side of Railway Street.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and redbrick chimneystacks to either end with clay pots. Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets to dentiled brick eaves course. Redbrick walling laid in Flemish bond with cement pointing, rubblestone walling to rear. Square-headed window openings with masonry sills and original 6/6 timber sash windows with cylinder glass.

Front elevation is three windows wide with replacement redbrick shopfront inserted to the ground floor. Further square-headed door opening to the right bay with timber panelled door.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.18 (HB19/13/026B).

Rear elevation abutted by gable-ended two-storey rendered return and flat-roofed single-storey extension. Original 6/6 timber sash windows to the rear elevation with uPVC to the return and extension.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.14.

Setting:
Forming part of a terrace of four similar former houses among a terrace of various housing types dating from the nineteenth century, lining the east side of Railway Street.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Redbrick
Windows Original timber sash

Historical information

This three-storey Georgian House first appears on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857 along with Nos. 16 to 22 Railway Street. This later terrace was constructed sometime after 1830 as it does not appear on a detailed map of the town centre by Thomas Pattison c.1830; field research would support a construction date of c.1850 when the extended terrace first appears on the Ordnance Survey maps.

In 1910 this building was used as Lisburn’s Dispensary and the private dwelling of the local Medical Officer; however, in 1901 it was occupied by a Mr. Robert Pedlow, a 33 year old Linen Merchant and a member of the Society of Friends, who lived at this address with his wife Martha (28) and their young daughter.

By 1910 the house had passed to Dr. James G. Jefferson who was employed as the chief Medical Officer in the town (Ulster Towns Directory, 1910). Dr. Jefferson’s will tells us that he died on 16 April 1910 and left effects of £2,760 4s. 4d. to his widow Eliza, his relative Redmond Jefferson (a local hardware and timber merchant) and John McHarg (a farmer) (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 16/04/1910). A year after her husband’s death Eliza Jefferson continued to occupy No. 16 Railway Street with her two daughters, the oldest of which was trained as a Teacher. The 1911 census building return describes No. 16 as a 1st class private dwelling which consisted of 13 rooms and possessed a slated roof.

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). No longer used as a private dwelling, No. 16 Railway Street has been converted into office space and now forms the premises of a local financial company.

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)
8. PRONI Wills Catalogue (1910)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, buildings of architectural importance in the Borough of Lisburn’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1969).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mid terrace three-storey redbrick former townhouse, built c.1850. Retaining some of its original late georgian/early victorian character the builidng forms part of a historic terrace in the heart of Lisburn. Although interesting,the building is not considered to meet the criteria for listing, as it has extensive alterations to the ground floor and shopfront.

General comments

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