10-12 Bridge Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Matching pair of three storey houses of perhaps c.1870, set at the end of a terrace on the N side of Bridge Street.

The (S) front façade of No.10 (to the W side) has a panelled door to the left on the ground floor. Above the door is a plain fanlight and the whole ensemble is encased with plain pilasters, entablature and dentilled cornice. To the right of this is a window with moulded surround, but now with PVC frame. The windows to the front of both properties are like this. To the first floor is a single window and to the second floor is another, slightly smaller, window. The front façade of No.12 is the same only handed, with the whole façade of both finished in painted lined render with chamfered in/out quoins to wall edges.

The E gable is finished in similar render and is blank. A large bill board has been attached to the gable.

The rear façade is finished in unpainted cement render. To the left on the ground floor is a timber sheeted door with glazed panel. To the immediate right of this is a small window with PVC frame (all rear windows have similar frames). This door and window belong to No.12. To the right is a similar door and window, belonging to No.10. The two upper floors each have three windows with that to the far right on each floor set at a lower level. Without access to the interior it is difficult to say which windows belong to which property.

The gabled roof is finished in asbestos-free ‘slate’ and has a tall rendered chimney stack to the centre and a small brick stack to the W. PVC rw goods.

Both of these houses were ‘gutted’ in 1998-99 and completely renovated.

Historical information

Though buildings are shown on this site from the 1722 map of Comber onwards, the style of the present houses suggests they were built in the mid to later 19th century, perhaps c.1870. This is supported by the fact that none of the buildings in Bridge Street in the 1834 valuation survey were of the height of this block. It is possible, however, that both houses represent a remodelling of an earlier, smaller, property(ies), but this seems unlikely.

Both properties were completely renovated in 1998-99.

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/M54/3, 11, 27, 33, 37 Londonderry Papers- Maps of Bridge Street 1793-1833.
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.62 1st valuation, Comber, 1834.
4 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
5 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
6 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and in the Linen Hall Library- the town plan to accompany this valuation is missing.]
7 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

Matching pair of three storey terrace houses of perhaps c.1870. Both were completely renovated in 1998-99 and now have PVC window frames throughout and asbestos-free ‘slates’ to the roof.