BALLYNACROSS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over concealed basement rendered house, built prior to 1832, with front entrance porch and two-storey return. Rectilinear on plan facing east with three-storey rubble-stone building to north and two ranges of two-storey rubblestone outbuildings to the west. Set on a mature elevated site overlooking River Foyle accessed via long winding lane to the north opening onto Letterkenny Road.

Hipped natural slate roof on U-plan with roll-moulded lead ridges and two symmetrically placed rendered chimney stacks with teracotta pots. Pitched natural slate roofs to return with black clay ridge tiles and further rendered chimney stacks with octagonal clay pots. Cast-iron and replacement steel guttering supported on iron drive-through brackets to rendered eaves course and cast-iron downpipes with some uPVC replacements. Rough-cast lime render over red brick walling to front elevation, over uncoursed schist walling to remaining elevations. Square-headed window openings with painted stone sills and original 6/6 timber sash windows having historic glass and no horns (unless otherwise stated).

Symmetrical three-bay two-storey front (E) elevation abutted by square-plan central entrance porch. Tripartite timber sash windows to ground floor. Flat roof to porch with moulded cornice and plain frieze having slender round-headed window openings to both cheeks with 4/4 timber sash windows. Elliptical-headed door opening with timber doorcase comprising; four-panelled timber door with bolection mouldings and cast iron furniture flanked by Doric columns on plinth blocks supporting panelled and stepped lintel cornice with plain glazed fanlight over. Door opens onto platform and stone step to front gravel area.

Two-bay south side elevation abutted to the right by semi-circular full-height bow having hipped slate roof with four rolled lead ridges. Smooth cement rendered walling to this elevation with bowed 6/6 timber sash windows to bow. Below the bow is a short flight of stone steps leading to basement level with vertically-sheeted timber door.

Two-storey rear elevation with two-storey with attic rendered return to right having gabled projecting to the north and single-storey lean-to projection to the northwest. Pitched natural slate roof to return, hipped to the east with cement rendered walling and original timber sash windows including 6/6, 3/3 and 6/3 with iron grilles to the ground floor. Single square-headed door opening to the north gable with vertically-sheeted timber door.

Two-bay north side elevation (first floor) with single window opening to the ground floor.

Setting:

Located at the end of a long winding unfinished lane on the south side of Letterkenny Road opening onto a short lane via pair of decorative cast-iron gates on octagonal cast-iron posts flanked by matching iron railings on low rendered walls and rendered piers. Adjacent to the entrance gates is a detached single-storey former gate lodge. To the north of the house is a three-storey rubblestone building with brick walling to the upper level having timber louvred openings and vertically-sheeted timber doors to first floor loading bays on east and west elevations. To the west are two ranges of two-storey rubblestone outbuildings, set on a north-south axis having pitched natural slate roofs . The range to the northwest has a pair of elliptical-headed carriage arch openings formed in red brick with sheeted timber doors. The south range is largely overgrown with some sheeted timber doors. A further laneway provides access to the yard leading northward and opening onto the short shared lane to the west of the former gate lodge. The shared lane crosses a rubblestone bridge before opening onto Letterkenny Road.

Materials:
Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron / steel / uPVC
Walling Rough-cast lime render over red brick / cement render
Windows Original timber sliding sash

Historical information

No. 40 Letterkenny Road, a two-storey three-bay farmhouse known as Ballynacross and located in the townland of Ballougry, was constructed pre-1832. The farmhouse was built by the Foster family and replaced their previous dwelling, a single-and-two-storey cottage located to the southeast of the building at No.17 Ballougry Road (HB01/12/016). Local tradition states that the cottage, which was known as ‘Ballynacross Cottage’ dates from the mid-17th century and predates the Siege of Derry (1688-89).

The NIEA HB Records note that the cottage was constructed of locally-quarried stones, lime and sand ‘with walls two feet thick with rood and rafters supported by tree trunks for beams.’ Records held by the occupants of the cottage suggest that the property was first occupied by a Ms. Elizabeth Mills who was born in 1581 and died in 1668. In the late-17th century the cottage was occupied by Elizabeth’s grandson, a Mr. Robert Mills, who fought as part of the city garrison during the siege. In his Derry and Enniskillen in the year 1689 Witherow recorded that during King James II’s march from Dublin to Derry he made his main camp on Ballougry Hill above Ballynacross Cottage. Furthermore local tradition suggests that the King slept in the cottage before making his final march towards Derry. A siege-era cannon and ball were unearthed from the hill overlooking the cottage and are in the possession of the current occupants. Following the siege, Robert Mills returned to his dwelling at Ballougry but died in 1690 and was interred at Killea Graveyard. In 1817 Ballynacross Cottage was signed over to Mary Foster (granddaughter of Robert Mills) and her husband William (NIEA HB Records).

William Foster had the two-storey farmhouse of Ballynacross constructed on the hill overlooking Ballynacross Cottage in c.1800. The square-shaped dwelling with shorter protrusion to its west face was first depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1830 which recorded that the farm possessed a ‘Tan Yard’ and a number of outbuildings on its north and west side. The contemporary Townland Valuations (c. 1834) described Ballynacross as a 1B class buildings (that is a slated building of medium age that was slightly decayed, but still in good repair) that measured 40ft in width by 34ft in depth and 16.3ft in height. The outbuildings depicted on the map included a scullery, a barn and stables. Foster’s farm produced leather and so possessed a tan house, leather store, curing shop and drying house for the tanning process. The valuer set the total rateable value of Ballynacross and its outbuildings at £10 and 16 shillings.

There had been few changes to the site by the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1853) which depicted the buildings along their 1830 layout (the map records that Foster possessed a thrashing machine in the 1850s for the separation of grain from stalks). Griffith’s Valuation (1857) notes that Foster leased the farm from The Honourable The Irish Society and that Ballynacross had been increased in value to £24 since the 1830s. William Foster continued to reside at Ballynacross until his death in 1858 at which time the farm passed to his son Samuel Foster who remained there until his own death in 1900 (PRONI Wills). The 1901 census records that Ballynacross was taken over by William John Foster, a solicitor with business premises on Richmond Street. In that year the census building return described Ballynacross as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 14 rooms and possessed extensive outbuildings including three stables, three cow houses, a dairy, two piggeries, a fowl house, boiling house, a barn and a forge. The third edition Ordnance Survey map (1904) records that additional outbuildings had been constructed to the west side of the farmhouse since the mid-19th century (most of these original outbuildings have now been demolished). The front entrance porch, bow to south elevation and two storey rear return also appear for the first time on the 1905 Ordnance Survey map.

Foster purchased Ballynacross outright from The Honourable The Irish Society in 1908 and continued to reside at the site until his death in 1930. Following his widows death in 1936 Foster’s farm was leased out to other tenants whilst his daughters inhabited Ballynacross Cottage. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) increased the value of the farmhouse and its outbuildings to £35 and noted that a Mr. William Coulter occupied the site in 1950. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the farm was inhabited by a Mr. Nathanial Gordon and had been further raised in value to £44. Ballynacross was listed in 1979 and continued to be utilised as a farm during the Second Survey although many of its original Victorian outbuildings have been demolished (NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
3. PRONI OS/6/5/20/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/5/20/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1924-25)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/5/20 – Townland Valuation Map (c. 1830)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/547A-F – Townland Valuation (c. 1830)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16A – Griffith’s Valuation (1857)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/10A-10G – Annual Revisions (1860-1929)
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/ – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/ – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
11. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Londonderry (1837)
12. Derry and Enniskillen in the year 1689: The story of some famous battlefields in Ulster (1873)
13. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
14. Census of Ireland (1831; 1901; 1911)
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (29 Jun 1858; 24 Sept 1900; 23 May 1930)
16. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
17. First Survey Record – HB01/12/009 (1972)
18. NIEA HB Records – HB01/12/009 (includes family history of Ballynacross Cottage)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over basement rendered house, built prior to 1832, with bowed bay, front entrance porch and two-storey return added in the late nineteenth century. Located within a secluded site overlooking River Foyle, the house is well proportioned with formal composition and retains much of its original external fabric, including hipped roofs and multi-paned sliding sash windows. Enhanced by its wooded elevated setting and three ranges of outbuildings, associated with the former tannery and farm, it is accessed via a narrow laneway with ornate cast iron gate screen adjacent to a gate lodge. The gate screen contributes style and character and is also set well back and accessed via a shared lane that crosses a rubble-stone bridge before opening onto Letterkenny Road; a decorative garden gate is also of interest and is set within walling on on the east side of the shared lane. The site has some recorded associations with the King James II and the siege of Derry, specifically through its group value with No.17 Balloughry Road (HB01.12.016), which it overlooks and was built to replace as a family dwelling. The scale, proportion and significance of this group are a noteworthy collection of historic buildings.

General comments

This record is associated with HB01.12.016, No.17 Balloughry Rd (it replaced the former as the main dwelling of the Foster family).