47 Bridge Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small two storey shop house set in the terrace on the S side of Bridge Street.

Front (N) façade has a glazed and panelled doorway to the left with semicircular fanlight, all encased with fluted pilasters and moulded archivolt. To the right of this is a window with modern frame and unsuitable lattice work to windows (all the windows have similar frames and lattice work). To the first floor there are two further windows. The front façade is finished in lined render and painted.

To the rear there is a large, two storey gabled return set at an angle to the main house. This return is awkwardly placed and appears to be fairly recent. To the gable there is a small upper level window and to the ground floor there is a large timber sheeted store door and to the right of this there is a single storey shed extension with mono-pitched roof. To the W face of the return there is an upper level window. To the left of this the face of the return is recessed. There is a ground floor window to this recessed section. The E face of the return appears to be blank.

The exposed section of the rear façade of the main house (to the W of the return) has a window to the ground floor and one to the first floor. The rear façade and the return are finished in plain cement render which is mainly unpainted.

The roof of the main house is covered in natural slate with that to the return in asbestos-free ‘slate’. The main roof has hounds’ tooth ridge tiles and a yellow brick chimney to the W. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

Though 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 one John Hamilton in the valuation returns of the same year.

The door surround may be a later addition, perhaps added c.1830-40.

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 making identification of owners of properties largely impossible.]
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

Small two storey terrace house of probable pre 1834 origin. There is a large modern extension to the rear