54-60 Castle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Much altered two storey terrace block containing two shops and a dental surgery, all probably originally dwellings of pre 1834 origin. The group is situated on the S side of Castle Street (close to Comber town centre).

No.54 is to the E end of the group and is now a barber’s shop. Its front (N) façade has a modern shop front to the ground floor with large window, and glazed door with tiling to the rest of the ground floor façade. To the first floor the two former window openings are now louvered (but still retain their simple moulded surrounds). The first floor level of the façade is finished in plain render and painted. In/out quoins to left. Projecting sign between first floor openings.

The rear façade has a small extension to the right on the ground floor, with mono-pitched roof and modern door and window to its W face. To the left of this (on the main rear façade) is a window with modern frame. To the first floor are two similar windows with that to the right now actually blocked (with breeze blocks) from the inside. The rear façade is finished in rough cast. The gabled roof is covered in rough cast and painted. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with a large Velux window to the front and one to the rear. PVC rw goods.

No.56 still looks like a dwelling house from the front but has been a dental surgery since 1994. To the left on the ground floor of the front (N) façade there is a panelled door with simple stone door surround with cornice. To the right of this are two windows with simple moulded surrounds and PVC frames. To the first floor are two similar windows, set further apart. Projecting [?neon] ‘toothbrush’ sign between windows. The front façade is finished in lined render and painted, with in/out quoins to right and chamfered base.

The ground floor of the rear façade is now completely covered by a modern single storey, flat roofed extension. To the first floor are two small windows with PVC frames. The rear façade in finished in unpainted rough cast. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with a Velux window to the rear. Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

No.58-60 was two properties at one stage, (though it may originally have been built as one), and is much larger than the other properties in the grouping. Its front (N) façade has a large, modern shop front to the ground floor with a large window to the left and to the right with door glazed doors between and a long PVC sign above. To the first floor are five windows (symmetrically positioned) with Georgian paned sash frames (6 over 6). Two internally illuminated PVC signs to first floor. The first floor is finished in lined render and painted, the ground floor in plain painted render. The W gable is blank and finished in plain render and painted.

To the left at the rear is a single storey, flat roofed projection which is blank to its S face. To the right of this is a larger full height flat roofed projection with modern window to the upper level on its S face. The ‘roof’ of the smaller projection spans beyond its E face to the W face of the larger projection. This ‘platform’ allows one to enter/exit the building via a PVC door to the upper floor left on the main rear façade, with the ground level accessed via steps leading from the platform. To the far right on the ground floor rear façade is a lean-to projection with corrugated iron and PVC roof. Above this (to the first floor of the main rear façade) is a small-ish window with modern frame. The main rear façade is in painted rubble (the coursing of the rubble suggests greywacke rather than sandstone). The projections in a mixture of plain render and rough cast.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate. Three rendered chimney stacks. Small Velux window to rear. PVC rw goods

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on the 1722 map of Comber and all other available maps thereafter. The valuation records of 1834 state that this section of the street (then known as Mill Street) contained ‘seven houses exempt’ (i.e. below rateable value), but site of No.58-60 appears to have been occupied by a building which at that stage acted as the local ‘The House of Industry’, or poor house. Judging from its dimensions (which match those given in the valuation), and its rubble construction, this would appear to correspond to the building we see today.

The House of Industry itself was a charitable institution which had been established in Comber 1826. Like many other similar bodies in other towns it provided assistance to the local poor. In 1837 it was reported to house 18 inmates engaged in flax spinning as well as acting as a centre for the co-ordination of outdoor relief, with up to 70 needy families being provided with provisions. With the passing of the Poor Law Act in 1838 a universal system of poor relief was instituted in Ireland and large purpose built work houses erected. Thus the functions of the Comber House of Industry were taken over by the new work house erected at Newtownards in 1841 and this property vacated.

After this the building appears to have been converted to a dwelling house or houses (or reverted to a dwelling house or houses). Since the mid 20th century, at least, the property has contained shop premises to the ground floor with an apartment above.

No.56 was a dwelling house until c.1993-4 when it was completely gutted and converted to a dental surgery. No.54 was still a dwelling house when first surveyed in December 1975, but later became a wool shop and is now a barbers.

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/M54/4, 6, 7, 12, 15, 24, 28-32, 34 Londonderry Papers- Maps of Mill Street 1793-1828. [Castle Street was also known as Mill Street in the 18th and early 19th centuries.]
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.69 1st valuation, Comber, 1834. [The valuation records of Castle/Mill Street and High Street, Comber, are very difficult to decipher. The original details of the buildings, in terms of dimensions, age/condition grading etc., dates from 1834. In 1838 (after the rateable threshold had been raised from £3 to £5), a revaluation was carried out in Comber. This entailed the making of various annotations to the original record book, the (apparent) discarding of the original valuation map and the drawing up of new one to tie in the 1838 findings. Unfortunately, the 1838 annotations do not provide dimensions or age/condition grading of the buildings and the new map has a different numbering system to that used in 1834. As a result it is extremely difficult to tell what properties the more detailed 1834 records actually refer to, making, in many cases, the correlation of buildings as they stand today with those of 1834, at best difficult and at worst impossible. The writers have tried to make as much sense of the records they can.]
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

Two storey terrace grouping of three properties of possible pre 1834 origin, now containing shops and a dental surgery, and much altered with two modern shop fronts installed. Evidence suggests that No.58-60 (the large shop to the west side), served as the local poor house between 1826 and 1841. No.56 (the dental surgery) has retained much of its original front façade but was completely rebuilt internally in 1994.