Old Market House (& Court House)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The Old Market House is a sturdy looking free standing, cement rendered, rectangular block set on the SE side of New Street, built c.1819. like many other market house of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the largely open market hall was to the ground floor which the upstairs room serving as a court room as well as fulfilling other local social functions

The SE front facade has a large central bay which projects marginally. To the ground floor of the bay are three semicircular headed arch openings. That to the centre is an entrance and has decorative curving wrought iron gates and a large ‘fanlight’ with mildly ‘gothick’ tracery. The opening has a similar architrave with keystone and ‘Gibbian’ blocking stones. The two outer openings have similar ‘fanlights’ with a large six pane window filling the rest of the opening and architrave’s as previous. To the first floor of the bay are three sliding sash windows, with Georgian panes, set on a cill course. The bay is topped with a pediment.

To either side of the central bay is a similar arched opening to bay, but with central panelled door and large three pane sidelights, in place of windows. To the first floor above each outer arch is a sliding sash window as before.

The SW facade has two semicircular headed arch recesses to the ground floor (similar is size to arched openings at front), with inner arched recesses. To the first floor are two rectangular recesses, same size as windows to front and set on cill course.

The NE facade repeats this arrangement but with windows (similar in style to windows at front) to the inner arch recesses.

The rear is finished in rough cast. In the centre of the ground floor are three semicircular headed shallow arch recesses. Those to the centre and left each have an inner semicircular headed sliding sash window with Georgian glazing bars, sections of which appear to have been removed. The arch to the right has a high level semicircular window with tracery similar to fanlight at front. To the far left and far right on the ground floor is a squat sash window with Georgian panes.

To the first floor far left is sash window as front. To the right of this are four evenly spaced window-like recesses which may once have been actual window openings.

The front, SW and NE facades are all topped with a parapet, set on a cornice, behind which is the shallow, slated, hipped roof. Cast iron rw goods.

The building rests on a chamfered plinth with chamfered quoins to the ground floor front.

Historical information

This market house is said to have been built around 1819 by Daniel De la Cherois (the then proprietor of most of the town), who is also believed to have been responsible for its design. It was constructed as the centre piece to New Street, which was developed by Daniel in the early 1800s to link The Parade and harbour with High Street, with the ultimate aim of a more speedy transportation of goods to places such as Newtownards and Belfast. Like many other market house built in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the upper floor also served as a court room for local legal business.

The 1837 OS Memoirs noted that there were no markets held within Donaghadee and though six fairs were held each year ‘very little business is transacted at them’, suggesting that the market space to the ground level was under utilised at this time. The petty sessions, however, were held in the court room section every Wednesday at this time, the manor court every three weeks and the court leet held each May to elect ‘officers for the town and manor’.

Little appears clear about the later history of the building. Fairs ceased to be held in the town altogether at some point prior to c.1880, but presumably the building was still used to exact some business, as well as housing administrative and legal functions, into the twentieth century.

Some time just prior to 1949 two of the three central arches, which had previously lead into the market hall, were blocked. In 1990 the property was completely renovated with the ground floor sympathetically converted to shops and offices. The upper court room floor, which was also renovated, now houses the ‘Elim Christian Centre’.

*A handicap encountered during investigations of the history of many buildings with Donaghadee is the fact that the bulk of the De la Cherois estate papers are still within family hands and not available for consultation. A catalogue of the papers is currently being undertaken by Anthony Malcomson of PRONI, but it is unclear whether permission will be given for the transcription of documents.

References- Primary sources

1. PRONI VAL 1B/32 p.3 1st valuation, Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee., c.1836. [See also accompanying town plan.]
2. PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 3.
3. PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee, 1863.

Secondary sources

1. Hugh Dixon et al Historic buildings, groups of buildings, buildings of architectural importance in Donaghadee and Portpatrick (UAHS 1977), pp.19-20.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Substantially intact two storey market house of c.1819, with simple classical details. The interior of the former market hall to the ground floor has recently been sympathetically converted to shops and offices. A locally important historic and social building