15 Lisnamuck Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey-with-attic, three-bay detached rendered house situated in mature grounds, built 1826 and located to the west side of Lisnamuck Road in Aghadowey, south of Coleraine. Rectangular plan with portico to front and full-height return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks to gables having moulded caps and four tall clay pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves with cast-iron downpipes and hopper; plastic rainwater goods to rear. Walling is painted ruled-and-lined render with plinth course and raised quoins. Windows are 1/1 timber sash with horns in floated pole-moulded lugged surrounds with keyblock (vermiculated at ground floor) and projecting painted sills (unless otherwise stated).

The principal elevation faces east and is symmetrically arranged about a distyle portico with five openings to each floor. Portico has plain entablature and cornice, pilaster responds, timber sheeted soffit and is accessed via four stone steps. Elliptical-headed doorcase contains raised-and-fielded four-panel timber door with bronze door furniture, surmounted by elliptical-headed transom light and flanked by sidelights on painted block panels (replacement obscured glazing throughout).

The south gable has two diminutive 2/2 windows at attic; 6/6 window at first floor left; two 1/1 windows to ground floor left (that to far left is smaller).

The west (rear) elevation is abutted at left by the full-height return. 6/6 window and diminutive four-paned timber casement to first floor right; round-headed replacement stairwell window at centre. South elevation of return has 6/6 window and tripartite timber casement at first floor; ground floor with timber-sheeted and glazed half door to left and double-leaf French doors to right. North elevation has a 6/6 window to centre at first floor.

The north gable has two diminutive windows at attic; 6/6 window to first floor right and to ground floor right.
Setting:

Situated on a large mature plot to the west side of Lisnamuck Road and accessed via a shared laneway and long sweeping tree-lined avenue to north. Painted smooth rendered chamfered gate piers to north with modern cattle grid to entrance. Site is bounded, and house is sheltered, by a variety of mature trees, with timber fence to north. Rear yard is laid with modern slab paving and enclosed to south by a high castellated rendered wall; roughcast rendered square gate pier with flat concrete cap to entrance of yard. To south is a modern gabled garage. To front of house are two large carved and painted lions each on a painted pedestal.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Ruled-and-lined render
Windows: 1/1 timber sash with horns
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Meath Park dates from 1826 and is shown on the first edition OS map of 1831-2, captioned ‘Meath Park House’. The building appears on the first edition as a rectangular structure with return and an outbuilding is shown to the rear. By the second edition of 1849-52 further outbuildings are shown, one of which appears to have survived as part of the farm courtyard to the south of the house. Mullin suggests that the house was originally called ‘Mutton Hole’ and was occupied by William Forrester and then Henry Orr but no dates are given and this may apply to the land rather than the current house. (Mullin)

Meath Park is listed in the Townland Valuation of 1828-40 at £18 as the house of James Wilson Esq. The OS Memoirs record the property as a ‘good brick house... surrounded by some plantations of small extent’ and date it to 1826. OS Memoirs also record James Wilson as wishing to blow up the ‘Grey Stone’, the capstone of a Neolithic tomb in the townland of Crosslea, in order to carry away the fragments, perhaps as building stone. He was eventually dissuaded from this plan by a Presbyterian clergyman. (OS Memoirs) James Wilson married Maria, the daughter of Rev James Horner and had three children, one of whom, William, emigrated to America but returned to Meath Park in the 1880s.(Mullin)

Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists the occupier as James’ widow Maria Wilson. The house and outbuildings, still valued at £18, are situated on a farm of over 168 acres and leased from George Alexander. The farm passed through the Wilson family for some years and from 1885 was occupied by William Wilson who had returned from America to work as agent for the ‘Anchor Line’ with James Mullan of Castlerock. The Anchor Line ran passenger ships between New York, Londonderry and Glasgow from 1856 until the outbreak of war in 1939. (Mullin; www.londonderryport.com) Meath Park had fallen vacant by 1892 and appears to have been vacant at the time of the 1901 census. By 1911 the house had been taken over by Hugh R Morrison, 20 years old, who describes himself in the census as a ‘gentleman farmer’ and lives with his 28-year-old wife and a live-in cook. The ten-room house was designated first class.

In 1919, the house was ‘improved’ and a number of additions were made to the outbuildings including a new engine house for electric light containing a 6HP engine and a new motor shed. The valuation was raised to £30 as a result. The house subsequently passed to William James Wallace Bruce, minister of Aghadowey Presbyterian Church, who was resident in the early 1930s when the First General Revaluation took place. (Mullin) The accommodation at this time comprised, on the ground floor two receptions, a kitchen, scullery and pantry, on the first floor, three bedrooms, a dressing room, study and two bathrooms and in the attic two storerooms.
The house was listed in 1977 and continues in use as a domestic dwelling.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/11/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/5/11/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-52
3. PRONI OS/6/5/11/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/11/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/51 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/12/A/5/9 Valuer’s Notes (1919)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/1 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/A/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
10. Griffith’s Valuation online
11. 1901/1911 census online
12. HB file – 03/03/007

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A., P. McWilliams, English L., eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Londonderry VI, 1831, 1833, 1835-6, Vol. 22.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1993.
2. Mullin, Rev T H “Aghadowey, A Parish and its Linen Industry” Belfast, 1972
3. www.londonderryport.com

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Meath Park is a symmetrical two-storey-with-attic, three-bay detached rendered house situated in mature grounds, built 1826 and located to the west side of Lisnamuck Road in Aghadowey, south of Coleraine. Displaying proportions and detailing typical of the period, this is a well-preserved example of a middle-sized Georgian house. Mature grounds and an impressive tree-lined entrance add to the quality of the setting. Meath Park makes an important contribution to the historic rural landscape of Aghadowey and is of local interest to the surrounding community.

General comments

Listing criteria R - Age and S - Authenticity also apply