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The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A terraced four-bay two-storey-with-attic office and flat, previously two separate buildings, now one, predating 1750 and located north of Bridge Street in Lisburn city centre. Rectangular on plan with single-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with brick chimneystacks. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods. Walling is smooth rendered with raised quoins, chamfered plinth and plat-band under eaves. Windows are replacement 2/2 timber-framed sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars to first floor; 1/1 to attic; all with moulded sills. Shop-front fenestration to ground floor; replacement windows to rear.

The principal elevation faces south and is four openings wide to upper floors comprising what was originally two buildings. Number 5 has, from ground floor left; four-panelled timber door with fluted pilasters and transom light, and a large tripartite window; both under a corbelled canopy; to right is another four-panelled timber door with fluted pilasters and transom light. Number 7 comprises four-panelled timber door with fluted pilasters and a transom light, and large plate glass window with vertical glazing bars under a corbelled canopy.

The west elevation is abutted by adjoining building.

The south (rear) elevation has two small skylights to roof; diminutive window openings to attic at far left and right; replacement window to left and right of centre at first floor. Ground floor is concealed;

The east elevation is abutted by adjoining building.

Setting:
At the west end of Bridge Street, near Market Square, backing onto the cemetery of Lisburn Cathedral.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Smooth render
Windows: Timber-framed sliding sash and replacements
RWG: Cast-iron.

Historical information

The town of Lisnagarvey, as it was known until the 1660s, was first established in the early seventeenth century when James I granted Sir Fulke Conway the south Antrim manor of Killultagh. Sir Fulke established the headquarters of his Killultagh estates at Lisburn and one of his first building projects was a timber bridge which formerly stood at the foot of Bridge Street. Bridge Street is shown stretching down to this river-crossing on an early map of Lisburn dating from 1640 which also shows both sides of the street lined with buildings. (Mackey, p.1) After a disastrous fire in 1707, the town was quickly rebuilt to its former street plan using improved materials, brick replacing wood and slates and tiles replacing shingles. (Ulster Star 20/04/2007) Oak beams taken from 34 Bridge Street have been dated by the School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s University Belfast who give an estimated felling date of c1710, suggesting that buildings in Bridge Street were among the earliest to be constructed following the fire. (Turner, p.17)

Little is known of the current building’s early history. A building on the site is shown on Thomas Pattison’s map of 1833 and by 1901 the premises is known to have been in use as a grocer’s shop run by Samuel Greene. In 1901 Greene lived above the shop with his wife and their young daughter Emily. By 1911 Emily had sadly died, as had two other children born to the couple, but they had three children still living, two daughters and a son. The census of 1911 records the building as having seven rooms and five windows to the front façade.

In the mid-1930s the building was the home of Mr and Mrs Ferris and their daughter Clare who ran a laundry shop on the premises. (Turner, p.36) Today the shop is in use as an employment agency.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/68/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/1/68/2 – Second Edition OS map 1857
3. PRONI OS/6/1/68/3 – Third Edition OS Map c1900
4. PRONI OS/6/1/68/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1921
5. PRONI OS/6/1/68/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
6. 1901 census online
7. 1911 census online

Secondary Sources

1. Mackey, Brian “Lisburn, the Town and its People, 1873-1973” Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2000
2. Turner, Brian S “Voices from the Street - Bridge Street and the Quay of Lisburn” Lisburn City Centre Management, 2006
3. Ulster Star 20/04/2007

Mr and Mrs Ferris and their daughter Clare ran a laundry shop (Turner, p.36) Most shops had families living above.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A four-bay two-storey-with-attic terraced office and flat, previously two separate buildings, built c. 1780 and located north of Bridge Street in Lisburn city centre. As part of the most important trading street in the city during the 17th and 18th centuries, numbers 5-7 still display some of their early character. The original roof structure and chimneys have been replaced, but some original fenestration to the principal elevation remains. Bridge Street was part of a regeneration and development scheme under the Lisburn Historic Quarter Initiative (2001). Whilst interesting, the building has been significantly altered over the years resulting in the loss of much of the internal historic character and does not meet the criteria for listing.