51-53 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively plain two storey terrace house, built c.1840s as two dwellings, but amalgamated c.1980s. The property is situated on the south east side of Main Street, Greyabbey.

This house was two properties until recently and consequently the front (NW) elevation is asymmetrical. To the right of centre there is a timber panelled door with simple moulded surround with keystone. Sash window with ‘Georgian’ panes, and similar surround as door, to right of door. To immediate left of door is a similar window. This window used to be the doorway to No.53. To the left of this is a larger fixed window with many ‘Georgian’ panes. To the first floor are four evenly spaced windows, with ‘Georgian’ panes, made to resemble sash windows, but with a small upper opener. Front facade finished in plain render with chamfered quoins and painted.

NE gable blank and rendered, with modern garage (with mono pitched roof) attached.

Rear has two small sash windows, with ‘Georgian’ panes, to first floor, with French doors to right on ground floor. The left side of the ground floor has a large ‘porch’ attached, with corrugated transparent PVC (flat) roof. There is a glazed kitchen door on the main house within the ‘porch’ and a modern kitchen window to the left of this. Rear finished in plain render and painted. Remains of rubble built outbuildings in back garden.

The gabled roof is covered with asbestos slates to front and mixture of asbestos and asbestos free slates to rear. Rendered chimney stack. PVC rw goods.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS Map of 1834, which may correspond to that which we see today, however it is more likely that the building we see today is slightly later, perhaps 1840s. Until recently the block consisted of two properties, a house (No.51) and a shop (No.53), with the door of No.53 where the second window from the left now is. The moulding to the window and door openings is probably not original and may date from the early twentieth century.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/11/1 OS maps, Down 11, 1834
2 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.67-72 [1834]
3 PRONI VAL/1B/33 1st valuation, Greyabbey, c.1834-38
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/17 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, c.1838
5 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
6 PRONI VAL/2D/3/10 Second valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1859
7 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
8 PRONI VAL/2D/3/ Second valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1859
9 PRONI OS/6/3/11/2 OS maps, Down 11, 1860
10 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, Greyabbey, 1866-1930
11 PRONI VAL/12E/99/1 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1906-35
12 UFTM W.A. Green Collection WAG 3038 Photograph of Main Street Greyabbey looking south west

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively plain two storey terrace house, built c.1840s as two dwellings, but amalgamated c.1980s.