9-13 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey house probably dating from 1826, now divided into five apartments. The property is set at the S end of the terrace on the W side of The Square.

The front façade faces E. The main entrance is situated roughly to the centre and is contained within a small projecting flat roofed gable supported on Ionic columns and antea with blocking course and cornice. This porch was probably originally an open portico but at some stage in the past [?c.1910], the three sides of the porch have been infilled with part glazed and part timber panelled screens, with double doors to the front. The fixed light above the double doors has the name of the house inscribed. Contained within the porch is the original entrance, consisting of a six panel door flanked by attached doric columns and with outer square section antae supporting an elliptical fan light with a radial (or sunburst) pattern.

To the left of the porch are three evenly spaced sash windows without astrigals. To the right are two similar windows. To the far right is a recessed entrance (to one of the flats) which was originally a coach arch (probably originally elliptical). This was filled in in the 1960s, and the recessed porch installed with its modern glazed door and sidelights. To the first floor are six evenly spaced windows as before. Above the porch is a seventh window which is more widely spaced. The front facade rests on a shallow moulded plinth. First floor window cills are incorporated in a continuous cill course. The façade is topped with a parapet which rests on a small projecting cornice. The parapet has square moulded panels to each corner, both of which are surmounted by carved vases. The façade is finished in a Tyrolean render with chamfered quoins.

To the far left of the (S) gable is a sash window as before but with a horizontal astragal to each sash. To the first floor is a left of centre semicircular arched window with modern five pane frame. To the left of this is a recent looking small square window opening with a two pane casement window. To the second floor is a left of centre two pane top hung window. Between the front section of the building and the return is a c.2 metre high rendered screen wall with a door opening to the right. The gable is rendered and a moulded verge course rises to the base of the chimney stack.

To the rear are two long two storey lined rendered returns. To the W end of the returns is a further two storey wing which forms the fourth side of a courtyard. The inner faces of the court yard the windows are generally sash with horizontal astragals. The inner face of the south return is partly supported on cast iron columns giving a slight colonnaded effect. To the rear of the first floor of the main building is a small balcony which is accessed by French windows and which overlooks the courtyard. The outer face of the returns have many modern steel window frames and to the S face of the S return is a small external stair giving access to a further flat.

The external walls are generally finished in lined render, however the front façade now has a tyrolean finish and parts of the returns are roughcast. The main roof is finished in Bangor Blue slate to the front and in asbestos-free ‘slate’ to the rear. The returns also have a mixture of Bangor Blue and asbestos-free slate. Three rendered chimney stacks to the main roof all have matching octagonal chimney pots. The S return has three tall chimney stacks.all with matching pots. There is a Velux window to the rear of the main house roof. Cast iron rw goods.

This property is now subdivided into five apartments. The main house appears to contain a single property though some rooms to the N end (on both floors) appear to belong the two apartments to the N. These particular apartment are entered from the doorway in the former coach arch and take in the N return. The S return and the wing to the rear (W) of the yard contain another two apartments, accessed from the S side of the return and the W face of the wing to the rear.

Historical information

Though this site is shown occupied on the 1722 map of Comber, the present house may date from c.1825-26. It was probably built for John Miller, who moved to Comber in 1825 and who, along with George Johnston, converted the near by brewery in Killinchy Street to a distillery. Miller is recorded as the owner of the house in the valuation records of 1834 and the house itself graded ‘A+’, that is, a new house ‘of superior solidity or finish’. Miller became one of Comber’s most prominent business men, and, along with the Andrews family, was responsible for the building of the local Non-subscribing Presbyterian church in 1838. A portrait of him still hangs in the entrance foyer of the church and Miller is also commemorated in the cobbled footpath in front of this house.

John Miller died in 1883. After this the house appears to have gone through a number of residents and another return was added to the north end of the rear. The current owners acquired the property in c.1960 and, a few years later, split it into five apartments, with the former coach arch to the north filled in for use as an entrance to two of the new apartments.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/M1B/2 Londonderry Papers- ‘Survey of the town, tenements and parks of Comber…1722’.
2 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.56 1st valuation, Comber, 1834.
3 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
4 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.442.
5 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.505.
6 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
7 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and in the Linen Hall Library.]
8 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870).
9 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 10.

Secondary sources
1 Norman Nevin ‘The Story of Comber’ (c.1980s) [typescript in Comber library].
2 Brian Townsend ‘The Lost Distilleries of Ireland’ (Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd. 1997), pp.73-77.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large two storey house of c.1825-26 with large returns to rear. In the 1960s the property was split into five apartments, mainly contained within the two storey returns and a further wing to the west end of these. In the process the former coach porch to the north side of the main house was filled into to become a recessed entrance leading to two of the apartments.