8 Purdysburn Village

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Originally a one-and-a-half-storey, single-bay end terrace, built c.1830, located in Purdysburn Village to the north of Ballycoan Road, extended 2013 to include a second bay with gable. End terrace origianlly in a symmetrical group of four houses of similar style and detailing (two houses at centre are two-bay).

Roof is pitched natural slate with blue/black clay ridge tiles; deep overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends; painted bargeboards supported on exposed timber corbels. Single rectangular red brick chimneystacks with two plain clay pots to east gable, adjoining No.9 (HB19/23/023B). Rainwater goods are replacement u-profile uPVC. Walling is smooth rendered. Windows are replacement painted timber lattice casements within square headed openings with plastered reveals and painted projecting masonry sills, (replacement uPVC casement windows at rear). Original timber sheeted entrance door at north, replacement glazed timber sheeted door at south. New 2013 extension has new natural slate roof; new red-brick chimney; new painted timber lattice and uPVC windows and walls smooth rendered.

Principal north elevation contains principal entrance at right, flanked by window at left; dormer window with natural slate pitched roof and replacement lattice casement window. New gabled 2-storey extension at right with reproduction timber lattice ground floor and first floor window.

East gable is abutted by No.9 (HB19/23/023B).

Rear elevation is abutted at right by one-and-a-half storey return and at left new 2013 section extends from line of new red-brick chimney and has new double glazed doors at ground level and new rooflight at roof level, original wall section directly left of one-and-a-half storey return contains single window at ground level and 2 no. new rooflights at roof level .

West gable new 2013 extension with 3 no. new painted timber windows.

One-and-a-half-storey return is detailed as main block; south gable contains enlarged window at ground floor, diminished at first floor; west cheek contains replacement entrance door at left, window at right; left cheek is blank.

Setting:

The terrace is part of Purdysburn village, located to the north of Ballycoan Road. Vehicular access is at south through an area of modern development, pedestrian access is possible also at the east and west. Small enclosed garden at north, west and south enclosed by timber fence.

Roof Natural Slate
Walling Smooth render
Windows Replacement timber lattice glazed casements and uPVC.
RWG Replacement u-profile uPVC

Historical information

No. 8 Purdysburn Village first appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map for the Parish of Drumbo (1834) where it is depicted as one of a terrace of four cottages (HB 19/23/023A-D). The contemporary Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1833 record that Purdysburn Village was located at the south wall of the Purdysburn estate which was occupied by the Landlord Narcissus Batt at that time; the memoir state that this village was predominantly a protestant settlement in which 120 out of a population of 125 persons were of the protestant faith (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down II, Vol. 7, 1833, p. 60); the 1844 Parliamentary Gazetter records that Purdysburn Village originally consisted of 28 single-storey cottages. There was little alteration to the site over the later editions of the Ordnance Survey maps; in 1886 Bassett’s Co. Down Directory recorded the village in similar terms, consisting of ‘about 30 houses, occupied chiefly by farm labourers’ (Bassett). An unknown newspaper cutting, held in a collection of the Purdysburn Estate at Downpatrick Library, records that the village was originally constructed to house those servants and farm labourers that worked on the adjoining Purdysburn Estate.

Rankin states that the Purdysburn Estate had lain vacant for a number of years before it was purchased in 1811 by Narcissus Batt. Dean records that a Mr. Thomas Hopper constructed three gate lodges at the Purdysburn Estate c. 1825 and it is possible that the village may have been constructed at a similar time although this cannot be confirmed. Purdysburn House continued to be occupied by the Batt family until it was sold in 1895 and established as a ‘lunatic asylum’ (Rankin, p. 95; Dean, p. 90).

Together with nos 1 to 11, No. 8 Purdysburn Village is one of the original labourers cottages associated with the Purdysburn Estate; however in the mid-1970s the village came into the possession of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which expanded the site with the construction of 19 new cottages (Belfast Telegraph – 10 January 1977). No. 8 Purdysburn Village continues to be occupied and is in a good state of repair, maintaining its original plan layout and character despite minor alterations including the replacement of some glazing with uPVC windows.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/9/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/9/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/9/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1901-1902
4. PRONI OS/6/3/9/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1920-1921
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/25C – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
6. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down II, Vol. 7, 1833
7. Parliamentary Gazetter (1844)
8. Bassett’s County Down guide and directory (1886)
9. Belfast Telegraph (1977)

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Rankin, J. Fred, ‘The Heritage of Drumbo’ Ballycairn Presbyterian Church, 1982.

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
Z. Rarity
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Originally one-and-a-half-storey, single-bay end terrace, built c.1830, located in Purdysburn Village to the north of Ballycoan Road, extended 2013 to include gabled extension. Terrace house in a symmetrical group of four Purdysburn Estate worker's houses houses of similar style and detailing (two houses at centre are larger). The buildings retains some of its original features externally. Despite being extended to the west and having replacement windows and doors this house retains much architectural and historic interest contributing to the Area of Village Character. It has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.

General comments

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

These buildings were recorded as 7-11 Purdysburn Village during the 1st Survey.