9-11 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Pair of two storey terrace shops (originally houses) of perhaps c.1800 but much altered in recent years. Both are set on the NW side of High Street.

No.9 is to the NE. Its front (SE) façade has a panelled door to the left on the ground floor with semicircular fanlight. The doorway is encased with plain pilasters with a moulded archivolt with keystone. Oddly, the fanlight ‘rests’ on the pilasters. To the right of this is an enlarged shop window with recently installed three light frame with timber sign board over. To the first floor are two windows with sash frames and plain moulded surrounds. The front façade is finished in an uneven plain render and painted.

To the centre and right at the rear is a (fairly) modern single storey flat roofed extension. To the immediate left of this (on the main rear façade) is a small window with modern frame. Directly above the extension is a window at stair landing level with modern frame. To the left at first floor level is a similar window. The rear façade is finished in plain render with the extension built in brick and unrendered.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with two small cast iron skylights to rear. Rendered chimney stack (without pots) to NE. Cast iron and PVC rw goods.

No.11 is smaller than its neighbour. Its front façade has a modern glazed door to the right on the ground floor with semicircular fanlight. The doorway is encased with plain pilasters with a moulded archivolt with keystone. To the left of this is an enlarged shop window with shallow elliptical head and timber sign board over. To the first floor is a window with a modern frame The front façade is finished in an uneven plain render and painted. Two recently added projecting signs to right.

The ground floor of the rear façade is now completely covered by a modern, single storey extension in concrete brick with a mono-pitched roof. Directly above the extension are two windows (set at slightly differing levels) with modern frames. The rear façade is finished in plain render.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate. No chimneys stacks. Cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on the 1722 map and all other available maps thereafter. The 1834 valuation returns record two houses on this site both of whose dimensions appear to match the present properties- that to the NE (present No.9) in the then hands of a Mrs. Porter, with its neighbour belonging to a James Larrymore. Thus it is possible that both houses are of pre 1834 origin; they may date from c.1800 but subsequent changes make this difficult to confirm.

By 1861 No.9 appears to have been converted to serve as a dispensary (run by a William Kennedy), with No.11 home to a William Withers.

When first surveyed in December 1975 both properties were still dwelling houses, but both are now shops.

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/M54/2, 8, 9, 14 Londonderry Papers- Maps of Cow Lane 1793-1810. [High Street was known as Cow Lane in the 18th and early 19th centuries.]
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A p.68 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 most 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

Relatively plain pair of two storey terrace shops, formerly houses of possible pre 1834 origin. Both properties now have enlarged shop windows to ground floor front and modern extensions to the rear.