45 Bridge Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey shop with apartment set in the terrace on the S side of Bridge Street.

Front (N) façade has a modern glazed and panelled doorway to the centre left on the ground floor with sidelights. To the left of this a flat arch vehicle entrance (now used as a store) with large garage door. To the right of the house doorway is a large modern shop window with doorway. Directly above this is an internally illuminated PVC signboard with PVC projecting sign above this. To the first floor there are four windows with modern frames.

To the rear there is a large, modern, single storey ‘refrigerator’ extension. To the right of this, on the main rear façade the rear of the vehicle entrance has been reduced to a pedestrian entrance with plain timber sheeted door. To the first floor are two windows (of different sizes) with modern frames. Large [?extractor fan] ‘chimney’ to far left of façade.

The front façade is finished in lined render and painted, the rear in similar render but unpainted. The gabled roof is covered in asbestos-free slate. Yellow brick chimney stack to E. PVC rw goods.

Historical information

Through this end of Bridge Street is shown vacant on the 1722 map of Comber, it is shown occupied on all other available maps after this. It is likely that this property may date from the later 18th or early 19th century and is probably that shown on the 1834 OS map and noted as the home of a Hugh Hutchinson in the valuation returns of the same year.

When first surveyed in December 1975 the ground floor of this property had already been converted to a shop.

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

Two storey terrace shop with first floor apartment, originally a house of probable pre 1834 origin. The front façade now sports a large modern shop front and there is a large ‘refrigeration’ extension to the rear.