40-42 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small single storey urban vernacular house of pre 1834 origin, set near to the SW end of a terrace on the SE side of High Street. The property was originally two houses, but these were amalgamated in 1986 when the whole of the terrace was sympathetically renovated and restored. The building is situated on a slope rising NE to SW.

The front (NW) façade has a doorway to the right with timber sheeted and glazed door with plain fanlight. To the left of this is a sash window, with horizontal glazing bars (2 over 2). To the left of this is another doorway (formerly to No.40). This has a dummy door, same as before. To the left of this is a window, same as the previous window.

To the left at the rear is small, single storey, gabled return (‘shared with the neighbouring house to the SW). The NE face of this has a doorway (similar to front but with a large single pane of glazing) to the right, with a relatively small double sash window to the left. The gable of the return is blank. To the right of the return (on the main rear façade) are two sash windows, that to the right much smaller.

The entire façade is finished in rough cast and painted. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate, as is the return roof. Rendered chimney stacks to centre and NE of roof ridge. Velux window to rear of roof. Aluminium rw goods.

The yard to the rear is now flagged and has a raised area next to the façade of the house itself.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on the 1722 map of Comber. The present property was originally two separate houses, and both were probably two of the ‘seven houses exempt’ (below rateable value), noted at this end of High Street in the valuation of 1834. The valuers noted that these houses were of reasonable age at this stage, and may have dated from the 1790s or perhaps slightly later.

The whole terrace on this side is believed to have once housed workers of the near by brewery (later the Upper Distillery)- it may even have been purpose built. In 1920 the terrace was acquired by Andrews flax spinning mill (for use as employees housing) and in 1980 was vested in the Housing Executive. In 1984 the properties were acquired by Hearth Housing Association and renovated and restored two years later. This particular house was created from two smaller dwellings in the process.

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.65 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.

Secondary sources
1 Hearth Housing Association- notes concerning the history of 28-50 High Street.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Small single storey vernacular house (set within a terrace) of probable pre 1834 origin, formerly as two properties which were amalgamated internally in 1986 when the whole building was sympathetically renovated.