Laburnum Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Sited on the south side of Tirmacoy Road and parallel to it and set back a garden’s length. It forms part of a farmyard group and closes one side of it. There is avenue access to the house with piers and decorative iron gates and separate laneway access to the farmyard. The garden to the front of the house was well tended in the past.

A two storey three bay wide Georgian style house of c1870s with gables, natural slates, red brick chimneys on each gable, wall finished in roughcast lime washed. At the north gable a single storey slated, gabled small extension. The north gable has one asymmetrically placed ground floor window, sliding sash with four panes and high in the gable two small two pane horizontal rectangular windows. The main facade has central doorway with side lights and one side a 16 pane sash window, on the other a projecting single storey canted bay with three number sash windows each with four panes. Bay has flat roof and was inserted in 1924 spoiling the symmetry of the facade. Three 12 pane sash windows at first floor placed directly over those below. There is a pleasing relationship between solid and void. At the rear while the first floor windows are similarly arranged as the front, the back door is off-centre, without side lights or fanlights. The ground floor windows have been changed from sash to hardwood with top hung vent. The window to the single storey extension is 16 pane and may be the original taken from the position of the canted bay.

The roof has no overhang, gutters supported on iron brackets with minimal of downpipes, rear elevation spoiled by untidy pipework in PVC.

Historical information

Probably built by Fishmongers Company c1870. House not included in Griffith’s Valuation of 1858 when the property was occupied by Robert Murray whose house was probably part of the existing farm buildings. Mr McSparran’s family has been in residence three generations and prior to that belonged to Townleys (related to McSparran and a common name in Tirmacoy and adjoining townlands). Mr McSparran had a keen interest in Clydesdale horses which had won several prizes. House does not appear on 1848 Ordnance Survey Sheet.

Reference:

Mr McSparran - owner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A pleasing small mid Victorian house in rural provincial Georgian style with good overall proportions and subtle solid to void composition. It’s overall symmetry has been marred by the insertion of the canted bay . Likewise the ground floor windows to the rear could also revert to former type.This allied with the fact that it is historically relatively recent in construction date means that at present it is not considered suitable for listing.