41-43 Market Square, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 1AG

41-43 Market Square, Lisburn

Two three-storey single-bay mid-terrace Georgian townhouses, now converted into a single commercial unit, probably originating in the early 18th century. The building occupies a prominent position in the historic centre of Lisburn, south of the Assembly Rooms and opposite the Nicholson Memorial.

The building has a rectangular plan form with accumulated single and two-storey rear returns from various periods. It is constructed with smooth cement-rendered walls and has a pitched roof covered in fibre cement slate. A red-brick chimney with corbelled upper courses and a single yellow clay pot rises from the roof. The front façade is fitted with cast-iron rainwater goods, including an octagonal hopper head, cast-iron gutter and downpipe, though the rear has been replaced with uPVC.

The principal elevation faces north and is asymmetrically arranged across three storeys. The first and second floors retain their original character and proportions, with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with horns, each set within a narrow plain band surround and rectangular masonry cill. The first floor contains three windows, arranged with one to the left and two to the right. The second floor windows are similarly arranged but diminished in height. However, the ground floor has been completely modernised, losing its original architectural interest. It now features a centrally located front door installed as part of a modern glazed shopfront, flanked by two large single-pane windows with diminutive plinths. A projecting roller shutter box with contemporary non-illuminated signage is positioned between ground and first floor levels.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged and largely abutted by various returns. The ground floor left side is abutted by a single-storey flat-roof extension, while the ground and first floor right side is abutted by a two-storey lean-to return with stepped additions following the inclined site. All rear door and window openings have been infilled and rendered in cement roughcast. The left hand second-floor window is partially obscured by the rear return of the neighbouring building at 45 Market Square. Both gables are abutted by adjoining properties.

The building's principal interests lie in the overall proportions of its front façade and its early construction date, making it a rare survivor from the early 18th century. It holds significant group value with two nearby townhouses of the same period. The building is embraced by adjoining terraces of two and three-storey buildings of varying styles and states of alteration, many of which have undergone significant modification or replacement. The rear of the site overlooks a car park located adjacent to the Health Centre.

Historically, the town of Lisnagarvey (as it was known until the 1660s) was established in the early 17th century following a grant by James I to Sir Fulke Conway of the south Antrim manor of Killultagh. Sir Fulke established the headquarters of his estates at Lisburn and began laying out the town's foundations in the early 1620s. By 1640, the town had been laid out much as it appears today, with a central marketplace and radiating streets. A disastrous fire in 1707 led to the town's rapid rebuilding along its former street plan, with improved materials—brick replacing wood and slates and tiles replacing shingles. Lord Conway encouraged this rebuilding by granting forty-one year leases on waste holdings. The current building is similar in scale, proportions and detailing to townhouses at the end of the row dated 1709 and appears likely to date from this post-fire rebuilding period. A building on the site is shown on Pattison's 1833 map, though nothing further is known of its early history; it could not be identified in Griffith's Valuation or census records. The building is currently in use as a beauty salon.