Rascahan Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A secluded smooth rendered painted house on 3 levels set on a generous site surrounded by tall mature trees. The house takes advantage of site undulations with a lower ground floor, which overlooks an enclosed yard, a ground floor with projecting wing whose roof sweeps down to cover an obtruding porch while on the opposite side of the wing the roof dips down to cover 2 small rooms. The main part of the house, containing the stairs is only one room deep and 3 bays long with a bay window on its N E gable. The main windows and door of the house have hood mouldings over square openings and all the roof barges are treated with wavy lines ending in a whorl. The eaves overhangs in contrast are formed with half round gutters. Each corner of the building has bold plaster quoins picked out in white against a pale pink wall creating a simple nicely modelled exterior. Roofs are covered in welsh slate throughout and the ridges are in red clay ridge tiles. Chimneys have tall red clay pots which may not be original.

The entrance avenue sweeps round the front of the house and dips down to the lower level of the enclosed yard, beyond which is a sunken garden which formerly must have been delightful to gaze down upon. The green lawns around the house, the gravel forecourt, the changes of level and the enclosing trees create a peaceful retreat.

Large pane Victorian sash windows. General Edwardian character.

Historical information

The house probably dates from the 1st half of the 19th century. It has obviously been repaired and the external detail altered around the turn of the 19th./20th C.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Charming mid 19th century cottage with large secluded garden.