Ardvarness Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey detached Georgian villa with single-storey abutment; built c.1800 and located to the west side of Cashel Road south of Macosquin. Rectangular plan with projecting entrance bay to front and semi-circular bay with half-conical roof to north; single-storey abutment to east.

Pitched natural slate roof with leaded ridges and centralised rendered chimneystacks having moulded sandstone caps; terracotta crestings and finial to single-storey abutment; modern metal rooflights to front. Aluminium rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is painted smooth render (ruled-and-lined to west) with painted quoins. Windows are replacement timber sash with horns throughout; 6/6 to south, in moulded architraves having decorated keyblock, plinth blocks, and projecting painted stone sills; multi-paned tripartite timber windows to north.

The principal elevation faces south and is symmetrically arranged about a central projection with doorcase; flanking bays each have a glazed spoked oculus over a 6/6 window. Georgian doorcase comprises fluted pilasters supporting a moulded and dentilled archivolt with decorated keyblock. Raised-and-fielded five-panel timber door flanked by sidelights and surmounted by a large timber bat wing fanlight; door accessed by a single sandstone step.

The west gable has a replacement bipartite 3/3 window at first floor in a moulded architrave with projecting sill.

The north elevation has semi-circular bay to centre containing a 6/6 tripartite bowed window having 2/2 sidelights; similar window to flanking bays.

The east gable has a window as described at west. Abutted at ground floor left by the single-storey abutment. South elevation of abutment has two 3/3 replacement sash windows flanking a replacement timber-sheeted entrance door; north elevation has a tripartite timber window and a 2/4 window; abutted at east gable by a modern conservatory.

Setting:

Situated on a mature site to the west side of Cashel Road, separated from Macosquin village to north by the Macosquin by-pass. Replacement stone entrance walls and square piers with cattle grid to entrance at Cashel Road; tarmacadamed lane is shared with modern two-storey neighbouring dwelling; secondary entrance at west has replacement rubblestone square piers with stone caps surmounted by iron lamps. Gravelled to front of house with mature garden to south and large open field to road at north. Rubblestone wall with remnants of lime render runs from north to south between main house and single-storey abutment; rubblestone garden wall to west with original cast-iron latch gate at gable of house. Slated and rendered double garage to east of site.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Painted smooth render
Windows: Replacement timber sash
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

Ardvarness Cottage, a one-and-a-half-storey Georgian dwelling located in the townland of the same name, was originally constructed in the year 1773 as the residence of a Mr. F. Bennett Esq. The building first appears on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map for Macosquin in 1830; the map depicted the cottage as a T-shaped building and also depicted the outbuilding to the south-eastern side of the dwelling, however the cottage’s single-storey abutment had not been constructed by that time. The contemporary Ordnance Survey Memoirs record that Ardvarness Cottage (then known as Ardvarness House) was originally a ‘neat thatched house, two-storeys high [sic] and embellished with a short avenue and some trees.’ The Townland Valuations (c. 1830) note that Ardvarness was the seat of Richard Bennett Esq. and that Bennett’s property included an engine house (an outbuilding located to the south of the dwelling) and was valued at £14 10s.

Confusingly, Ardvarness Cottage (known as Ardvarness House during the 19th century) was located close to a building now known as Ardvarness House (but known as Ardvarness Cottage in the 19th century); Ardvarness House, a two-storey dwelling, is located to the west of Ardvarness Cottage, was erected in 1810 and was built by a Mr. Hugh Ovans Esq., a local gentleman (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, p. 80).

Richard Bennett had vacated Ardvarness Cottage by Griffith’s Valuation (1856) which recorded that a Ms. Mary Bennett leased the property from the Richardson estate. The valuer noted that the cottage and its outbuilding were valued separately; in 1856 Ardvarness Cottage was valued at £9 whilst the south-eastern outbuilding (described as a threshing mill) was valued at £1 5s. Ms. Bennett continued to reside at the cottage until 1866 when a Rev. William [Sturgeon] resided at the site; the clergyman was not a rector of St. Mary’s Church (see HB03/13/001) as its clergy resided at the Rectory (see HB03/13/003) but was presumably a Minister of Macosquin Presbyterian Church (HB03/13/009). The Annual Revisions note that the threshing mill had been abandoned by 1866 when the Bennett family vacated the site.

The Rev. [Sturgeon] vacated Ardvarness Cottage in c. 1874 at which time the Rev. Joseph Keane took possession of the site, however the Rev. Keane only briefly resided at Ardvarness and by c. 1881 a Mr. John Mooney had taken over the property. The 1901 Census records that John Mooney (71, Presbyterian) was a widowed farmer and miller who resided at Ardvarness with his many children and grandchildren who assisted with the farm work; the census building return described Ardvarness Cottage as a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of four rooms and still possessed its thatched roof. The farmhouse also possessed a stable, two cow houses, a piggery, a barn and numerous sheds amongst its out offices.

The third edition of the Ordnance Survey map shows that the single-storey extension, to Ardvarness Cottage’s eastern elevation, had been added by at least 1904; in that year John Mooney purchased the cottage outright from the Richardson estate. John Mooney vacated Ardvarness in 1909 (presumably upon his death) at which time his son Robert Mooney took possession of the property. The 1911 Census notes that Robert Mooney (40) resided at the cottage with his brothers and sisters whilst the census building return records that the building retained its original thatched roof as late as 1911.

Robert Mooney continued to reside at Ardvarness Cottage until at least 1935 when he was last recorded as occupant in the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland which set the total rateable value of the site to £10. No further valuation survey was carried out for over two decades due to the outbreak of the Second World War, however by the 1950s Ardvarness Cottage had passed out of the Mooney family when a Mr. William Moore was recorded as occupant in 1956. Moore resided at Ardvarness until 1966 when a Mr. James Morrow took possession of the site; by the end of the second revaluation in 1972 the total rateable value of Ardvarness Cottage stood at £38.

Ardvarness Cottage was listed in 1976; the modern conservatory, abutting the single-storey extension of c. 1904, was constructed at some point after 1972 as it was not depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of that year. Field inspection finds that he former threshing mill, originally located to the south-east side of the farmhouse continues to stand but has fallen into a state of disrepair with its original roof replaced with corrugated iron. It is not known when Ardvarness Cottage lost its original thatched roof, however it was certainly before the First Survey Image in 1974 which depicted the current slate covering.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1849-50
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1923
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1949
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/5/7 – Townland Valuations map c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/59 – Townland Valuations c. 1830
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/9A – Griffith’s Valuation 1856
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/11A-F – Annual Revisions 1860-1929
10. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/1 – First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1935
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/5 – Second General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1956-1972
12. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Londonderry VI, Vol. 22 (1831-36)
13. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837)
14. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
15. Ordnance Survey map – 20-8 (1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

A symmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey detached Georgian villa with single-storey abutment; built c.1800 and located to the west side of Cashel Road south of Macosquin. Subject to comprehensive restoration in the latter part of the twentieth-century, replacement fabric is of appropriate quality and character throughout. With its symmetrical design and balanced proportions, characteristic of early-nineteenth century architectural principles, the building retains the integrity of the original design and much of its Georgian character despite modern interventions. Situated on a largely unspoiled site, rubblestone garden walling and an original cast-iron gate enhance the setting.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and U - Historic Associatins also apply.