10-12 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, 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 narrow pilasters which support a ‘broken’ pediment on moulded consul brackets. The timber four panelled door has glazing to the upper panels. The semi circular fan light has a distinctive ‘ogee’ lattice pattern.

To the left of the doorway are two windows now with modern frames made to resemble sash ones. To the right of the doorway is an enlarged window opening which has a modern bowed frame made to resemble tripartite sash. To the first floor are five equally spaced sash windows with Georgian panes (six over six). All windows have painted stone cills and random rubble flat arch heads.

An elliptical coach archway separates Nos. 8 & 10. The building extends over the arch. The archway and the left side of the main facade are finished with in / out stone painted dressings.

To the left between the ground and first floors is a sign made up of individual [?PVC] letters. To the right is a more traditional timber framed painted sign board. To the first floor is a small, traditional looking, projecting metal sign

The rear of the building may be accessed via an elliptical headed coach arch. To the rear of No. 10 (to the right) is a modern single storey flat roofed extension. This extension is finished in concrete grey facing brick.. To the of No 12 is a modern, irregular shaped single and two storey flat roofed extension. This extension is finished part in plain render and part in grey concrete facing brick. Both these extensions partly obscure the original ground floor of the rear façade, which was actually the ground floor of a large gabled return.

To the exposed (right hand) section of the first floor of the gable of the return there are two windows each with sash frames with Georgian panes (six over six). To the second (attic) floor is a similar centrally placed window. To the W side of the return is a single ground floor window with modern frame. There is a window to the first floor above the coach arch which now has a modern (PVC) frame. To the far left (to the E of the return) is another first floor window with similar frame.

The roof is finished in Bangor Blue slate. Cast iron rw goods. The building has a chimney stack separating the archway from the remainder of the facade. The second chimney stack is left of centre.; both are in brick and positioned on the ridge line.

The small yard area is largely tarmacadamed and is used for parking.

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 John Ridle [Riddel], with the (slightly crude) drawing of the front façade showing what appears to be the pedimented door surround.

The valuation returns of 1834 note that the house belonged to Dr. Jonathan Allen (who lived in the larger house to the east side of this). In the 1861 valuation returns the property was still in the ownership of the Allen family but was occupied by a Robert Davidson.

In the mid 20th century (c.1950s) part of the ground floor of No.12 was converted to a post office, with a crude ‘shop front’ inserted in the process. The ground floors of both No.10 and No.12 are now offices with the first floors of both amalgamated to serve as a restaurant.

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.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey rubble-faced terrace house of probable late 18th century origin, now occupied by two offices and a restaurant. Originally there were two windows to the right of the doorway to match those on the left, but both were replaced by a somewhat crude post office/shop front c.1960, which in turn was replaced by a slightly less disagreeable bowed window. At the rear there are two large modern extensions.