McConnell's yard,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Walled yard on the N side of High Street, between No.5 and No.7 with single and two storey outbuildings to its N and W sides.

To the S (High Street) side there is a high wall in random rubble with a large carriage gateway to the right with timber sheeted double doors. To the N of this is the yard itself. To the S side of the yard (against the wall) is an 'open' (shelter-like) store with sandstone rubble walls and a corrugated asbestos roof.

To N and W sides of the yard are single storey lean to/mono-pitch storehouses. These buildings are linked to form an L-shaped plan, with those to the W leaning against the gable of No.7. They have sandstone rubble walls and and rough-hewn (Tullycavy) natural slate (which appears to have been tarred at some point). The grouping to the W has three doorways with chamfered sandstone dressings and metal sheeted doors. That to the N side has two similar doorways and three small window openings. All of these windows are boarded/blocked, but the two to the left have the remnants of sash frames. There are four small, (presumably cast iron), skyklights to the roof of the grouping to the W which appear to have been covered in tar at some point, as with the rest of the roof.

To the NE corner of the yard is a flight of stone steps which lead to an upper level doorway on the W gable of a two storey outbuilding/store. This building is set further N that the L shaped grouping and appears to be constructed partly in brick and partly in rubble. Its S facade has a large carriage doorway to the left on the ground floor with a smaller doorway its right and one above. All these doorways have timber sheeted doors. To the right of these doorways this abuts the rear of a two storey outbuilding at the back of No.5.

The yard itself is mainly covered in grass, though there is a tarmac drive/pathway beyond the main entrance to the SE. There is a telegraph pole to the E side of the yard. The yard in general is in poor order.

Historical information

On earliest maps of Comber, dating from the 1720s, this site appears to have been occupied with small terraced houses/cabins. The map to accompany the first valuation of the town in 1833, however, appears to show a longer building on the general site. The revised OS map of 1858 shows the site much as today. Thus it would appear that this yard space was created some time between the mid 1830s and the mid 1850s, and, judging from the style and sandstone construction of the L-plan buildings probably closer to the latter date rather than the former.

The yard used to be known as 'Millings Yard' after the family (who once lived a short distance away on the W side of The Square). The Milling's later sold it to a Mr. McConnell. It is now belongs to another local resident and is used as a store.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/M1B/1-4 Londonderry Papers- maps relating to Comber town 1721-c.1850.
2 PRONI D.654/M54/4, 6-7, 12, 15, 24, 28-32, 34 Londonderry Papers- maps relating to Cow Lane, Comber 1793-1810. [High Street used to be known as Cow Lane- confusingly, however, it is called ‘Mill Street’ on the 1834 OS map, even though the actual Mill Street is(and was) a separate thoroughfare to the north.]
3 PRONI VAL 1B/316A 1st valuation, Comber.
4 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
5 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB1991), pp.28, 33.
6 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.
7 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber. [The map to accompany the 2nd valuation was never deposited at PRONI, making it impossible to ascertain the details of many properties within Comber at this date.]
8 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901-2, Down 10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Yard with outbuildings proably dating from the 1830s. To the north and west sides the yard is bounded by an L-plan grouping, single storey and constructed in sandstone. To the northwest corner is a larger two storey building which is partly in brick and may be much later in date.