6-8 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Almost symmetrical, greywacke rubble-faced, two storey terraced building of probable late 18th century origin, set on the N side of The Square.

The painted, semi circular arched, central doorway is flanked by plain pilasters which support a broken pediment on moulded consul brackets. The timber door has vertical sheeting.

To the left of the door is an enlarged window opening which has a modern top opener frame made to resemble tripartite sliding sash and case. The frame has been formed into a slight bow shape. To the right of the doorway are two much smaller equally spaced windows with (single) frames as before. The lower ‘sash’ of that to the left is blocked with a bronze night deposit box. To the first floor are five equally spaced windows with frames as previous. All windows have painted stone cills and random rubble flat arch heads. Modern PVC signage to left of façade all internally illuminated.

The window to the immediate right of the entrance was a similar doorway until the mid 1970s. The large window to the left of the entrance was a shop front-like large window with doorway until the mid 1970s.

The rear of the building may be accessed via an elliptical headed coach arch with painted in out stone dressings. At the rear there is a recent, full width, flat roofed, single storey extension with return to the rear. To the north face of the return are two equally spaced, two light windows with steel security bars. To the east face of the return is a plain door. The first floor of the original building are five equally spaced barred windows. To the west side is a small two flat roofed projection which arrears to contain the main stair. The small yard area is tarmacadamed and is used for parking.

The roof is finished in Bangor Blue slate. Cast iron rw goods. The building no longer has any chimney stacks.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on the 1722 map of Comber and all other maps thereafter. On David Geddas’s 1786 pictorial lease map of the north side of The Square, the building on the site is marked as the property of a Mr. James Ridle [Riddle], but the (slightly crude) drawing of the front façade shows only one doorway and a slightly different window arrangement, though the carriage entrance to the east side is indicated. This is not to say that the present building is a later rebuild, however, for its greywacke rubble construction points to a pre 1830, perhaps even 18th century, building- but one which may have had its openings altered, with the property sub-divided) at some point. The later presence of two pedimented doorcases suggests that these changes were probably carried out in the very late 1700s or early 1800s.

By 1834 there were indeed two properties on the site, both of them houses belonging to ‘the representatives of James Allen’. The house to the west side may have been a manse (or curate’s residence) at this stage as it is noted as the home of a Rev. Mr. Wilson. The other property, which was vacant at this point, also took in the room above the carriage arch (which now belongs to No.10). This property is also recorded as ‘unoccupied’ in the 1861 valuation, whilst that to the west was in the hands of a William Gillen.

By c.1910 at least the dwelling to the W incorporated a shop to the ground floor, but photographic evidence suggests that this shop had ceased trading by c.1955. The former shop front remained in position until 1976, when both No.6 and 8 were converted to a bank. In the process the doorway to No.8 was removed and replaced by a window with a large bowed window inserted in its place.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/M1B/2 Londonderry Papers- ‘Survey of the town, tenements and parks of Comber…1722’.
2 PRONI D.654/M54/1 Londonderry Papers- ‘A rough plan of the undermentioned tenements in the town of Comber, April 1786’ by David Geddas. [‘Pictorial lease map of the north side of The Square.]
3 PRONI D.654/M1B/18 Londonderry Papers- ‘A survey of the tenements out of lease in the town of Comber survey’d A.D. 1801’ by David Geddas
4 Linen Hall Library ‘Pigot & Co.’s Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory’ (Manchester 1824).
5 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.56 1st valuation, Comber, 1834.
6 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
7 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.442.
8 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.505.
9 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
10 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and in the Linen Hall Library.]
11 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870).
12 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.303-305.
13 MBR Photographs of The Square, Comber, c.1900-1950. [These photographs appear to be mainly copies of those belonging to the Laurence Collection (with original negatives held at the NLI in Dublin)].
14 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Secondary sources
1 ‘Archaeological Survey of Co. Down’ (Belfast HMSO 1966), p.395, plate 211.
2 William J. Knox ‘Decades of The Ulster Bank’ (Belfast, Ulster Bank Ltd., 1965), pp.29-30.
3 Lyn Gallagher ‘The Ulster Bank Story’ (Belfast, Ulster Bank Ltd., 1998), p.398.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey terrace building (now a bank) with rubble façade, of possible later 18th century origin.