126 Foreglen Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey white washed and rendered house, built c.1850, with two-storey rear return centred on the back wall. T-shaped on plan facing south on an elevated site and set well back on the north side of Foreglen Road with rear yard having two ranges of single-storey and two-storey outbuildings to North and West (HB01/02/011B). Within the western range, the single-storey section of the outbuildings at the south end and nearest to the house is included in this record. This section of the outbuildings pre-dates the house and appears on the 1st ed. OS map of 1830s.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, lead valleys and replacement concrete block chimney stacks having clay pots and further rendered stack to the return. Cast-iron guttering on iron drive-through brackets and cast-iron downpipes. Rough-cast rendered walling. Square-headed window openings with painted masonry sills and largely timber sliding sash windows, without horns, having exposed box frames painted in contrasting colour to both sashes and surrounding walls.

Three-bay front elevation with central round-headed door opening. 4/8 timber sliding sash windows to first floor, 8/8 to ground floor. Replacement hardwood door with glazed upper panels surmounted by original spoked fanlight with glazed hub. Door opens onto painted masonry step to front footpath.

Gabled west side elevation has a single window opening slightly left of centre on the ground floor with 6/6 timber sash window and a further diminutive window opening to the attic level (fixed light) to the right of the central chimney.

Rear elevation (N) has two-bay two-storey return to the centre with rear entrance within the east face of the return. North elevation to main block has 6/6 timber sash window to ground floor and the same aligned directly above to 1st floor at left side of return; to right the same occurs, lower window has 5/2 window. Return has informal fenestration, with east face comprising replacement vertically sheeted timber door (with small glazed aperture) and top hung timber casement window to ground floor and two timber sliding sashes above, each having 6/3 lights; west face is similar, with top-hung steel casements to ground floor and right side at first floor, and timber sliding sash with 6/3 lights to left side at first floor.

Gabled east side elevation as per west elevation, without opening at attic level. Block-work repair evident to both gable walls, roughly along line of chimneys.

The south end of the west outbuildings (included in this record) is a single-storey single-bay gabled structure with sheeted metal double doors set asymmetrically and corrugated sheet metal roof, with projecting timber eaves board and uPVC guttering and downpipe, all painted. It abuts the rest of the West outbuildings range.

Materials:
Roof Natural slate / Corrugated sheet metal to outbuilding at S end of W outbuildings
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Painted rough-cast render
Windows Timber sliding sash

Setting:
Located on an elevated site as part of a farm with mature trees to the front garden and accessed via long straight gravel lane enclosed by hedgerows. Sloping rear yard enclosed to the west by a range of single and two-storey whitewashed rubblestone outbuildings and enclosed to the north by a further two-storey rubblestone outbuilding. The south end of the western range of outbuildings is included in this record. All other outbuildings (included in HB01/02/011B) have natural slate roofs, sheeted timber doors and casement windows. A single-bay smaller outbuilding connected to the house by a wall that abuts the east gable, is reputed to have been a former scullery by the current owner; its roof is removed. (Since the Second Survey the former scullery has been re-roofed with corrugated metal sheeting). To the east of the farmyard, two further outhouses remain.

Historical information

The Ordnance Survey map of 1830 shows a small, square structure on the site of the present house. By the time of the Ordnance Survey map of 1853 a larger house on the same footprint as the present dwelling is marked. It is represented as an oblong structure with a centrally-placed rear return. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1858) the property was in the possession of Stewart Christie who was leasing it from the Fishmongers’ Company of London. The buildings were given the valuation of £12 10s. By 1872 the property had transferred to Joseph Christie. He died in 1901 and the property was inherited by his niece, Caroline W. Scott.

The House and Building Return of the 1901 census indicates that there were five windows in front of this house and fifteen rooms in occupation. The equivalent return from the 1911 census again states that there were five windows in front, but this time the number of rooms in occupation had decreased to eleven. Caroline W. Scott died in 1915. The property was then acquired by Michael McLoughlin (or McLaughlin). He died in 1941 and the property passed to Mrs Rose Ann McLaughlin.

126 Foreglen Road was listed in 1979. A grant application was submitted to NIEA in Sept 2013, for replacement of slate roof, re-lining chimneys, replacing lime render, overhaul of existing sliding sash windows and shutters and replacement front door.

References

Primary sources
1. PRONI, Griffith’s Valuation
2. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1830 – OS/6/5/23/1
3. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1853 – OS/6/5/23/2
4. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1905, OS/6/5/23/3
5. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1925, OS/6/5/23/4
6. PRONI, Valuation Revision Books, 1860-1930, VAL/12/B/31/12A-F
7. PRONI, First Northern Ireland General Revaluation Books: Annual Revision Lists, 1936-57 – VAL/3/C/6/6
8. NIEA, First Survey Card

Online sources
1. 1901 and 1911 census returns: www.census.nationalarchives.ie
2. PRONI, Will Calendars: www.proni.gov.uk

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest
R. Age

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey white washed and rendered house, built c.1850, with two-storey rear return, and single-storey whitewashed rubblestone outbuilding, set well back on the north side of Foreglen Road. Whilst dating from the mid-nineteenth century, this simple gabled dwelling exhibits many earlier, Georgian features and detailing, including multi-paned sash windows, early fanlight and internal joinery. The symmetry, formal layout, internal detailing and good overall proportions indicate a formal architectural intention, in contrast to the vernacular character of the accompanying outbuildings (HB01.02.011B) that form a semi-enclosed farmyard to the rear. This quality and the survival of the group is of particular interest, as is the approach and rural setting. Alterations are minor and do not impact on the quality of the buildings.

General comments

This record was originaly listed as HB01/02/011, but has now been split as an A & B record.