Rock Ryan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey stone former bath house, dated 1862, to the designs of Samuel Angell. T-shaped on plan facing east with central gabled entrance porch and located between the Promenade and Castlerock beach. Extensively renovated c.1990 and now in use as a holiday let.

Replacement natural slate roof with terracotta ridgecomb tiles and finials, a single asymmetrically-placed replacement redbrick chimneystack and two slate-hung box dormers to the front pitch with flat roofs and replacement timber casement windows. uPVC guttering on timber sheeted eaves and uPVC downpipes with replacement decorative bargeboards to all gables. Random coursed tooled basalt ashlar walling having rock-faced quoins. Square-headed window openings with voussoired basalt heads, painted masonry sills and largely original 6/6 timber sash windows with cylinder glass and no horns.

Symmetrical front elevation is five windows wide with central gable-fronted entrance bay. Entrance bay has a single window to the ground floor and a smaller window opening to the attic-storey having a 2/2 timber sash window with ogee horns and semi-exposed sash box. To the left cheek is a square-headed door opening with voussoired basalt head and uPVC door. To the right cheek is a slender window opening with an original 4/4 timber sash window.

South gable abutted by flat-roofed rendered garage. The attic-storey has a small window opening as per entrance porch.

Rear elevation is four windows wide with a further slate-hung box dormer to the rear pitch having uPVC window. Painted rough-cast rendered walling to rear. Two square-headed window openings to the south bays having original 6/6 timber sash windows without horns. Further pair of window openings to with replacement timber casement windows. To the northernmost bay is a square-headed door opening with uPVC glazed door. Door opens onto concrete path and raised lawn enclosed by sheer bedrock.

North gable has a single small window opening to the attic-storey with painted masonry sill and uPVC window to the attic level.

Setting
Located on the north side of the Promenade at the west end of Castlerock beach and built against a rocky outcrop forming the boundary to the rear garden. Bitmac front area enclosed by cement rendered walls with replacement timber vehicular and pedestrian gates.

Roof Natural slate
RWG uPVC
Walling Random coursed tooled basalt ashlar
Windows Original 6/6 timber sash

Historical information

Rock Ryan, dated 1862, was originally a bathing lodge built for Sir Henry Hervey Bruce of nearby Downhill House and was later (c1915) converted into a dwelling house.

After the opening of a railway halt in 1853 (McCutcheon) the railway company began to actively promote development in Castlerock and offered cheap tickets to those who would build or buy villas (Girvan). This led to the growth of a small seaside resort in an area which had previously been open countryside. Sir Henry Hervey Bruce, the local landlord, took a particular interest in the development of Castlerock and required all new building there to be of a certain quality and size. Castlerock was part of the Clothworker’s Estates until c1870 and their architect, Frederick William Porter, designed the parish church and altered some of the designs for housing in the area. (www.coastlinecastlerock.org) Sir Henry Hervey Bruce was also instrumental in the building of the Christ Church, and while this was being completed the Episcopal congregation used Rock Ryan as a place of worship. (Eccles)

The building is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1904 and there is some dispute about its original construction date. Girvan gives the date of construction as 1862 and this is better supported by the primary evidence, including valuation records and a rudimentary date plaque, than the date given by Curl. Curl also gives an architect, Samuel Angell, architect to the Clothworkers’ Company, who drew up a development plan for Castlerock in the late 1840s. However, if Angell is accepted as the architect, it would appear that some of the structures, including the present bathing lodge, that formed part of the plan were not executed for some years. (Curl) The lodge does not appear in Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 (although there is a very small structure shown on or near the site on the second edition map of 1848 that is not listed in the fieldbook) and is first recorded in the Annual Revisions in 1863 as a bath house, the property of Sir Henry Hervey Bruce Baronet and valued at £5. The lodge was converted into a dwelling house c1915 and this is reflected in a rise in valuation to £9. Valuers’ notes of that year state that the old bath-house had been ‘rebuilt’ and was let furnished to summer visitors. The house was taken over by a Mr Harvey the same year and between 1915 and 1923 a single storey separate motor house was added to the south of the house. This appears to have since been replaced by a garage which adjoins the main building.
Catherine Tosh purchased the lease to the house in 1928 for £275 and at the time of the First General Revaluation in 1933/4 the accommodation comprised, on the ground floor, a kitchen, scullery, three receptions, two bedrooms and a maid’s room. On the first floor were three bedrooms, a bathroom and WC. Subsequent owners were Mr Murphy in 1940 and Dr and Mrs Thompson in the 1950s and 60s.

The house was listed in 1977 and in the late 1970s renovations took place to gutters, windows and roof including the making good of damage to the bargeboards caused by a passing bus. (HB file)
References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/2/1 First Edition OS Map 1831
2. PRONI OS/6/5/2/2 Second Edition OS map 1848
3. PRONI OS/6/5/2/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/2/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI VAL/12/A/5/8 Valuer’s Notes 1915
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/10A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/H/5 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. HB file – 03/12/005

Secondary Sources
1. Curl, J S “The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914” Chichester, 1986
2. Eccles, J “Downhill, A Scrapbook of People and Place” London: Bath Press, 1996
3. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in North Derry including Limavady, Ballykelly, Castlerock, Downhill and Magilligan” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1975
4. McCutcheon, W.A. “The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland,” London: HMSO, 1980.
5. www.coastlinecastlerock.org
6. www.dia.ie

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
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey stone former bath house, dated 1862. T-shaped on plan facing east with central gabled entrance bay and located between the Promenade and Castlerock beach, it is possibly designed by Samuel Angell, architect to the Clothworkers’ Company. The house is picturesquely sited on Castlerock beach and has been sympathetically renovated with largely appropriate materials, while retaining its original timber sash windows. The symmetrical composition, good quality stonework and decorative roofing materials add to its character and it is a prominent local landmark on the Promenade.

General comments

Additional listing criteria apply - R - Age, S- Authenticity, T- Historic Importance & U- Historic Associations.