57-79 Mill Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long single storey terrace containing 9 houses, all of probable 18th century origin, but much altered and modernised in recent years. The terrace is set on the N side of Mill Street, W of Comber town centre.

No.57-59 is to the E end of the terrace and was formerly two separate dwellings, but these were amalgamated in recent years. Roughly to the centre of the front (S) façade is a PVC door. To the left of this is a large window with PVC frame, with a similar window to the right of the door. The E gable is blank. To the right there is a large modern, single storey flat roofed extension. To the left of this (on the main rear façade) is a large window with PVC frame. The façade is finished in unpainted rough cast with smooth render surrounds to openings. The gabled roof is covered in asbestos ‘slates’ and has a large modern flat roofed dormer to the rear. Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

No.61-63 was also two separate dwellings until recently and, in essence, its front and rear facades repeat that of No.57-59, with large PVC windows throughout and a modern flat roofed extension and dormer to the rear. Its rough cast façade is painted, however, and there are asbestos-free ‘slates’ to the rear.

No.65 is an extremely small house with a plain sheeted door to the right on the front (S) façade, with a window (with PVC frame), to the left. To the rear there is a modern sheeted and glazed door to the left and a window to the right whose frame is covered up. Low single storey shed (with mono-pitched corrugated asbestos roof) attached to right side of façade. The façade is finished in plain render and painted. The gabled roof is covered in asbestos-free slates. Velux window to rear. Single rendered chimney stack. PVC rw goods.

No.67-69 is a larger property whose address suggests it was once two separate dwellings, however, old photographs (and its present façade) suggest that if there were originally two properties they were amalgamated by the beginning of this century at least. The front (S) façade has a timber sheeted and glazed stable door to the centre right, encased with plain pilasters and an entablature with cornice. To the left of this are two windows now with PVC frames, with a similar window to the right of the door. To the rear there is a large modern, single storey gabled extension. To the left of this (on the main rear façade) is a window, now with PVC frame. The front façade is finished in painted lined render, the rear in unpainted plain render. Asbestos slates to the gabled roof. Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

No.71 is similar in size to No.67-69 and has a similar front façade arrangement, only handed and with a different style of modern door without the surround. The rear façade has a modern door to the centre left. To the left of this is a small-ish window with modern frame. To the right of this are two largely similar windows. The rear façade is finished in rough cast. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate. Two rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods. The front doorway has been raised in height in recent years.

No.73 is a very small property (like No.65). To the front (S) façade there is a modern door to the left and a sash window to the right. The rear façade is now completely covered by a very large modern, single storey, flat roofed return, with the rear of the roof completely covered in a large, modern dormer (which actually rises above the original roof line). The front façade is finished in plain painted render. Asbestos ‘slates’ to front of roof. Single concrete brick chimney stack. PVC rw goods.

No.75 is a larger property set on the squint, with one half of the front façade set at a slightly different angle than the other- almost as if there were once two separate houses. The front (S) façade has a modern door to the left and two modern windows to the right, widely spaced. To the rear there is a large, modern, flat roofed extension with large, modern conservatory. The façade is finished in plain render and painted. The gabled roof has asbestos-free ‘slates’ to the front and natural slates to the rear. Thin rendered parapet to centre of roof to front. Single brick chimney stack to centre. PVC rw goods.

No.77 appears similar in size to No.75. The front (S) façade has a PVC door to the centre left. To the left of this is an enlarged window with PVC frame. To the right of the doorway are two smaller windows with PVC frames. There was no access to the rear of the building, but there is a large modern extension to the rear façade with a mono-pitched roof. The roof pitch to the rear has also been altered and is now quite shallow (presumably to enlarge the upper floor). The front façade is finished in a recent pebbledash with smooth render surrounds to openings. The roof has natural slate to front and concrete tiles to rear. Two Velux windows to front. Two rendered chimney stacks (that to the W quite tall with the raising in height of No.79).

No.79 was originally a small dwelling roughly similar to No.65, but it has been drastically altered in recent years with the roof raised in height, and a very large lean to extension added to the rear. As a result the property appears to have more than doubled in size and now looks entirely modern. The front (S) façade has a PVC door to the right and a small-ish window to the left with PVC frame. The W gable has an enlarged window to the left on the ground floor and a small window to the left on the upper level- both have PVC frames. This gable now has an uneven shape owing to the raising of the roof. To the left and centre at the rear is a large lean-to like extension whose roof has the same pitch as the main roof now has, thus giving the property an even (two storey) gable to the E side. The façade is finished in a recent pebbledash to the front with the rear and E gable in rough cast. The E gable has concrete tile and natural slate cladding. The roof has natural slate to the front and concrete tiles to the rear. Roof overhang and Velux window to front. Two tall, rendered chimney stacks.

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 Mill Street contained ‘19 houses exempt’ (i.e. below rateable value). It is probable that these buildings were among these houses, and may well represent some of Comber’s oldest dwellings. One of the present owners stated that she was told by the late local historian, Norman Nevin, that the whole terrace was early to mid 17th century, but this is uncertain.

During the last 25 years many of the properties have been amalgamated, and all, bar one, have been greatly extended.

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.
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.69 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

Long terrace containing nine single storey dwellings of pre 1834 origin, which due to a combination of amalgamation, modernisation and extension now bares very little indication of its original appearance. Only No.65 retains something of its original scale and looks and only No.67-69 still has its original stone door surround.