11-13 Market Square East

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two three-storey, two-bay mid-terrace Georgian townhouses (now single commercial premises) probably originating in the late 18th or early 19th century; rectangular plan form extended to the rear with a two storey cat-slide extension. Located east of the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum in the city centre; north of the junction between Bridge Street and Market Square.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; rendered chimneys with terracotta pots. uPVC replacement rainwater goods. Ruled-and-lined cement-rendered walling; dentilled corbel course at eaves level. 6/6 timber sliding sash windows; no horns; continuous cill to first floor; individual second floor cills. Timber panelled and glazed door incorporated into Victorian-style shop front.

The principal elevation faces east; the ground floor comprises two matching timber/glazed classically arranged Victorian-style reproduction shop fronts with pilasters and dentilled entablature; main entrance is centrally located to number 11; flanked by two large single paned windows with two rows of square paned rolled glass (alternating colours); non illuminated individually fixed lettering at frieze level. Matching style to number 13 with double-leaf timber panelled door right of glazed portion. Awning fixed full width across between ground and first floor. The first and second floors are symmetrically arranged, four windows wide; diminished second floor windows.

The left gable is abutted by 9 Market Square (HB19/16/024)

The rear elevation is completely abutted by a two storey, cat slide extension, comprising a variety of modern windows sizes.

The right gable is abutted by 15 Market Square (HB19/16/026)

Setting:

The building is prominently situated in the centre of the city, forming part of a terrace of similar styled three-storey buildings facing directly onto the market house. To the rear of the site is a large graveyard belonging to Lisburn Cathedral (HB19/16/001).

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: Ruled-and-lined render
Windows: Timber sliding-sash (replacement)
RWG: uPVC

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 began to lay out its foundations in the early 1620s (Mackey, p.1) By 1640 the town had been laid out very much along its present lines, with a central market place and streets radiating from it. (Mackey, p.x) 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. Rebuilding was encouraged in the aftermath of the fire by Lord Conway who granted forty-one year leases on the waste holdings. (Ulster Star 20/04/2007; Mackey, p.4)

A building on the site is shown on Pattison’s 1833 map of the area but an exact date for the current premises could not be established. Nothing is known of its early history and the building could not be identified in Griffith’s Valuation or census records.
The building is currently in use as a menswear shop.

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

Secondary Sources

1. Mackey, Brian “Lisburn, the Town and its People, 1873-1973” Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2000
2. Ulster Star 20/04/2007

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two three-storey, two-bay mid-terrace Georgian townhouses (now singular commercial premises) probably originating in the late 18th/early 19th century. The external façade has retained some of its historical character on the upper floors with the later addition of a Victorian-style shop front. Internally it appears that significant alteration has occurred, particularly to the ground floor and rear of the building. The building makes a contribution to the adjoining terrace and to the historic character of the overall Georgian street but is not considered of sufficient quality to meet the criteria for listing.

General comments

This record was completed without access to the primary source material held by PRONI