The Old Manse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical detached, two-storey three-bay rendered house, built as a manse during the mid 19th century and located on the northern side of Magheraboy Road, Portrush. Rectangular on plan, facing east with two full-height gabled returns to the rear elevation; that to the south dates from around the construction of the house; the truncated northern proportion is a modern extension, added in recent decades. An enclosed yard is located to the rear, with a mono-pitched outbuilding spanning the western end.

Pitched slate roof with angled black/grey ridge-tiles; uPVC rainwater goods to projecting eaves, mounted on plain timber fascia; plain timber fascia to gables with rendered chimneys having multiple octagonal terracotta pots (some missing or replacement); single smaller chimney to valley between two western returns, having circular pots. Walling is painted ruled-and-lined rendered over projecting smooth base; raised rusticated quoin strips to corners. Plain square-headed window openings with painted masonry sills; moulded architraves to eastern elevation; windows are 6/6 timber sashes with angled horns (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces east and is three openings wide, vertically aligned about central door-case having a projecting cornice above, supported on scrolled console brackets and panelled pilasters; panelled linings to recessed opening. Timber door is four-panelled (lower partially infilled) with original brass furniture; three-paned vertical side-lights with timber apron panels and pilasters to each side; narrow three-light transom above.

South elevation has a window at each floor to left-side (ground floor has frosted glazing inserts) and similar but very narrow windows to the right-side and left-of-centre.

West elevation is abutted by a gabled return to the right, with a modern mono-pitched single-storey extension to the far-right re-entrant angle (of no interest). Gable of return has two 4/4 sashes above a large replacement timber casement; right cheek has two 4/4 sashes to left and single, narrow version with frosted glazing to upper right. Left cheek and west elevation of main building abutted by shorter two-storey gabled extension (view of ground floor obstructed by perimeter wall) in similar style to return; 2/2 timber casements to first floor of gable and left cheek, which is abutted at ground floor by flat-roofed outbuilding spanning to north perimeter wall of yard. Remaining west elevation is blank.

North elevation has two windows to left and two narrower windows to right.

Setting
Situated on the north side of Magheraboy Road, to the southern outskirts of Portrush, the
setting comprises large lawned grounds with mature planting to the perimeter. Primary access is via a sweeping drive and entrance to the south-east which has painted ruled-and-lined rendered alcoved and capped walls, squared and capped piers supporting painted timber gates. Pedestrian access is to the south through a pair of similar piers leading to a concrete stepped path. A small river bounds to the far west. A single-storey capped perimeter wall bounds an enclosed yard to the west, abutting to each side of the west elevation; the north face is rubble-stone and rendered; the south face matches the walls of the house; both have timber sheeted doors; the north faces rises up to east having a flat-roofed outbuilding abutting to re-entrant angle. Mono-pitched outbuilding with corrugated asbestos roof abuts to west wall having a parapetted wall and a modern garage door to south; timber sheeted door to north.

Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Painted ruled-and-lined rendered
Windows Timber sash & casement

Historical information

No. 37 Magheraboy Road, a two-storey dwelling located in the townland of Magheramenagh, was constructed in c. 1875. The building is first recorded in the Annual Revisions for Ballylagan Electoral Division in 1875 which valued the dwelling at £13 10s; the property was constructed as the Manse to Ballywillin Presbyterian Church (see HB03/07/006) and was utilised as the minister’s residence until the 1970s. The first occupant of Ballywillin Manse was the Rev. Matthew Woodburn (1862-1877); however he only briefly resided at the manse due to his death in 1877. The next occupant was the Rev. Hugh Richardson Wells who served at Ballywillin for five decades and was the longest occupant of the Manse in its history.

‘Ballywillin Manse’ was first recorded on the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map for Magheramenagh in 1904; this map depicted the outbuilding to the west of the dwelling, but appears to show that the two-storey rear return had not been constructed by that time. The 1911 Census notes that Wells (57) resided at Ballywillin Manse with his wife Jessie (46); the census building return described the manse as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 13 rooms and possessed a number of farm offices including a coach house, a cow house and a shed (located in the outbuilding to the west). The south-west facing two-storey return had been constructed at some stage between 1904 and 1922 as the return was depicted on the fourth edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in the latter year, however, despite the alteration work there was no change to the value of the manse which remained at £13 10s. The manse, previously leased from a Mr. William Reid, was purchased outright by the Trustees of Ballywillin Presbyterian Church in 1919.

The Rev. Hugh R. Wells continued to reside at Ballywillin Manse until his retirement in 1929; at the time of his death in 1933 Wells and his wife had moved to No. 5 Dhu Varren Park (see HB03/10/062) (PRONI Wills). By the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935) the value of Ballywillin Manse had been increased to £26; at that time the manse was occupied by the Rev. William Hutchinson (Minister 1932-1953). No further valuation survey of the building was carried out for over two decades due to the outbreak of the Second World War, however under the second revaluation (1956-72) the value of the building was increased to £39. Between 1954 and 1961 the manse was occupied by the Rev. William Cowper Lynas, however in 1961 the property was occupied by the Rev. James Frazer, the last minister to reside at the site before the manse became a private dwelling in 1973.

Despite the Annual Revisions suggesting a construction date of 1875, Girvan states that Ballywillin Presbyterian Church’s manse was erected over a decade earlier in c. 1863. The church history similarly states that the manse was constructed shortly after the ordination of the Rev. Matthew Woodburn and that all of his six children were born at the manse (1865-1874). Ballywillin Manse was home to six ministers of Ballywillin Presbyterian Church; however in 1973 the Trustees of the church gained permission from the Presbyterian General Assembly to allow the Rev. James Frazer to reside at his own residence on the Gateside Road. In the same year the Old Manse was sold. Upon Frazer’s retirement a new Manse was purchased at No. 3 Magheraboy Drive (Ballywillin Presbyterian Church website).

Since the 1970s No. 37 Magheraboy Road, known as ‘The Old Manse’ has been occupied as a private dwelling. In 1972 Girvan described the Manse as ‘a late-Georgian style house, three-bay two-storey; rendered with moulded surrounds to the windows; Georgian glazing bars’ (Girvan, p. 39).
References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/3/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map c. 1860
2. PRONI OS/6/5/3/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1904
3. PRONI OS/6/5/3/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1922-32
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/15B – Griffith’s Valuation 1856
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1862-1864
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1865-1880
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1881-1889
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1890-1898
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/4A – Annual Revisions 1911-1929
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22D – Annual Revisions 1925-1930
12. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/2 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland 1935
13. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/7 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland 1956-1972
14. Census of Ireland (1901 1911)
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (27 April 1933)
16. Ordnance Survey Map

Secondary Sources

1. Girvan, W. D., ‘Historic Buildings in Coleraine and Portstewart’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.
2. Kirkpatrick, L., ‘Presbyterians in Ireland: An illustrated history’ Booklink, 2006.

Online Resources

1. Ballywillin Presbyterian Church website - http://www.ballywillanpci.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A neatly proportioned symmetrical detached, two-storey three-bay house, originally constructed as a Manse during the mid 19th century and characterised by moderate classical detailing to the principal elevation. Located in a mature site on the southern edge of Portrush, the L-plan building has been modified to a rectangular plan through the addition of a two-storey gabled extension to the north-west re-entrant angle. The building has been extensively refurbished and altered internally. Not of sufficient architectural or historic interest to warrant listing.