Ballygallin House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay two-storey-with-attic detached Georgian farmhouse; pre-dating 1830 and located to the east side of Portstewart Road north of Coleraine. Rectangular plan with two-storey return and single-storey flat-roof annexe to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks to gables having clay pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is cement render. Windows are uPVC replacements with projecting stone sills.

South-facing, symmetrically arranged about a elliptical-headed doorcase and with five evenly-spaced openings at each floor. Doorcase comprises four pointed-panel timber door with bronze door furniture, surmounted by radial timber fanlight and flanked by sidelights with decorative metal insets; accessed via a single concrete step.

The west gable has window to attic.

The north (rear) elevation has a window to each floor to either side of the central return. Return has two windows at first and ground floor, with modern entrance door at ground floor left. Modern single-storey annexe (of no interest) abuts left cheek; right cheek is blank.

The east gable has window to attic.

Setting:

Situated on a large mature site northeast of Coleraine, surrounded by farmland. Accessed from Portstewart Road to southwest via a long tarmacadamed laneway, leading to rear yard. Yard has variety of large modern agricultural sheds to north and a modern double garage to west. Cement-rendered two-storey former barn to northwest of yard is slated with terracotta ridge tiles, plastic rainwater goods and replacement timber-battened doors throughout. Set of external steps to centre running to east with modern metal handrail. Openings to left have cement architraves with keyblock. Rear elevation is abutted by a modern single-storey garage. House is enclosed to three sides with rear opening up onto the yard. Lawned garden to front and sides, with gravelled front entrance. Garden is enclosed to west by a rendered wall, (rubble-stone partially exposed at inner face), curving to north. Entrance at southwest has two circular rendered gate piers with flat caps supporting modern metal gates. Modern metal gate also to southwest corner. Garden enclosed to south by plantings and low rubble-stone wall. Entrance lane to southwest is flanked by hedgerow and, on approach to house, original rendered walls with saddle-back coping, turns to south with square piers having flat caps and supporting original cast-iron gate. Opposite, to other side of south lane, is a pair of round gate piers with pointed caps supporting original wrought-iron farm-gate.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Smooth render
Windows: uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Ballygallin House, a two-storey Georgian farmhouse located in the townland of Ballygallin, was constructed prior to 1830, first appearing on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map in that year. The map depicted the farmhouse, which then lacked its two-storey rear return, as an oblong structure situated to the south of an Irish ring fort (ráth). The map also depicted an outbuilding to the west and east of the dwelling; the outbuilding to the west of the farmhouse on the map may depict the current two-storey barn (however this is uncertain as the building depicted on the map appears smaller than the current barn, which may date from c. 1860). The Townland Valuation (c. 1830) did not include Ballygallin House as it was below the £5 threshold required for inclusion.

There had been no discernible alteration to the layout of the farmhouse by the second edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in c. 1860; this map first captioned the site as ‘Ballygallin’ and recorded that a number of additional outbuildings had been constructed since 1830 (all now demolished). The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1856) recorded that the site was occupied by a Mr. John O’Neill, a local farmer, who leased the site from Coleraine Town Commissioners; the valuer noted that Ballygallin House and its outbuildings were valued at £9 10s.

John O’Neill continued to reside at Ballygallin until his death in 1891 (PRONI Wills); the only alteration to the site during his occupation was the slight devaluation of the property to £9 in 1886, with no reason recorded. Upon O’Neill’s death his property passed to his son (also known as John O’Neill) who continued to reside at the site until his own death forty years later.

The 1901 Census records that John O’Neill (34, Presbyterian) lived at Ballygallin with his wife Mary (24) and their three infant children, employing a small number of farm servants; the associated census building return described Ballygallin as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of nine rooms and possessed a large number of farm building including two stables, five cow houses, a dairy, two piggeries and a barn situated in its numerous out offices. By the 1911 Census little had changed, however the number inhabiting the house had increased since 1901; in that year Ballygallin was occupied by John O’Neill, his wife Mary, a total of six children, along with three domestic and farm servants.

In 1908 John O’Neill purchased the farm outright from Coleraine Town Commissioners; there was no further notable change to Ballygallin House by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929 and John O’Neill continued to reside at the site until his death in 1935 at which time administration of the property passed to his son Robert Marcus O’Neill (PRONI Wills).

Ballygallin House was listed in 1977. The rear return was added in the mid-20th century, first appearing on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1965; this map also notes that the majority of the original mid-Victorian outbuildings were still standing in the 1960s, however all of the original outbuildings have since been demolished (apart from the western two-storey barn) and replaced with modern equivalents. Further, a single-storey flat-roof annexe has been added to the rear of the farmhouse since the 1965 map. Ballygallin House continues to be occupied and, apart from the loss of the majority of the site’s early outbuildings, the original character of the Georgian farmhouse has been maintained.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/3/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/3/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map c. 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/5/3/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/3/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1922-32
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/5/3 – Townland Valuation Map c. 1830
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/ 539A-B – Townland Valuation c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/15A+B – Griffith’s Valuation 1856
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17A – Annual Revisions 1859-1863
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17B – Annual Revisions 1874-1876
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17C – Annual Revisions 1877-1887
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17D – Annual Revisions 1888-1894
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17E – Annual Revisions 1895-1905
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17F – Annual Revisions 1906-1917
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17G – Annual Revisions 1918-1929
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (21 Dec 1891; 6 Sept 1935)
16. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
17. Ordnance Survey Map – 12-8 (1965)
18. First Survey Record – HB03/07/015 (1973)
19. First Survey Image – HB03/07/015 (1982)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Ballygallin House is a symmetrical three-bay two-storey-with-attic detached Georgian farmhouse; pre-dating1830 and located to the east side of Portstewart Road north of Coleraine. Retaining its original proportions, much of the Georgian character of the house is preserved, despite replacement fabric including uPVC windows throughout. Although the original farm-buildings to rear yard have been replaced, the house is enhanced by its mature setting and retains some original features such as round gate piers and examples of early nineteenth century metal-work. Ballygallin House makes an important contribution to the historic character of the surrounding area and is a good example of an early nineteenth-century farmhouse.

General comments

Listing criteria R - Age and S Authenticity also apply to this building.