69 Killeague Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

First Survey record - June 1971
A thatched cottage with harled and whitened walls. The main elevation contains fine plain sashed windows and a modern door. There is a corrugated asbestos roofed lean-to projection on the north side which also contains two plain sashed windows, a fully glazed window and a half door. Single/two storey outbuildings are of interest. One gable of cottage rises to a painted brick chimney stack, there is a further stack on ridge.

Second Survey description.
A former single-storey gabled thatched and whitewashed cottage which built in the early to mid 19th century. Now demolished with no trace of former house remaining and the site is overgrown. A range of two-storey outbuildings previously relating to the former house, still remain but appear disused.

Outbuildings are gabled, pitched and slated with rubble-stone construction having vestiges of render and whitewash remaining. Two-storey block having half-doors, timber sheeted and high level openings are generally timber sheeted also. Interior walling is largely exposed rubble, (some cement render and whitewashing), roof structure is late 20th century with some repairs evident to wallheads; some timber mangers remain to wall; floor covered in very thick layers of straw. Similar, single-storey buildings abuts having timber sheeted door to centre and multi-pane metal frame window remains to right; left-side abutted by single-storey, pitched corrugated iron structure largely obscured by vegetation.

Setting
Located in a remote rural
setting the gable of the former cottage previously fronted the western side of Killeague Road, south-west of Coleraine town. The immediate site is now overgrown with vegetation and bounded by a timber fence, modern metal farm gates and hedges. A large farm and house are located directly to the north-west. A range of associated single and two-storey rubble-stone outbuildings are located to the south, with a further small corrugated iron structure to the far south. A complex of more modern farm buildings are located to the south-east.

Roof: None
RWG: None
Walling: None
Windows: None

Historical information

The thatched vernacular building at Killeague Road has been demolished since the first survey, although some outbuildings remain. A building is shown on or near the site on the first edition OS map of 1831-2, however, the accuracy of the map is not sufficient to positively identify the dwelling house. The second edition does show the cottage, however, as one of a string of rectangular structures along the Killeague Road.

Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) lists the building as the home of Samuel Black who leases it from Thomas Richardson. The house and offices are valued at £1.10s and situated on a farm of over 30 acres. The farm remained in the Black family until 1882 when it was taken over by William Ramage. Ramage was recorded in the 1901 census as a farmer, living with his wife and four children. The four-room second class house was thatched as were half the houses in the townland at this date. By 1911 Margaret Ramage had been widowed but continued to live with her three children.

The first survey of the 1970s recorded a thatched vernacular dwelling with harled and whitened walls. There were ‘fine plain sashed windows’ to the main elevation, but the building has since been demolished leaving only the outbuildings.

Planning Permission was granted for a replacement dwelling around the same time as the buildng was listed and despite consultations between the Department and the owner and offer of grant aid the vacant building deteriorated.

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. Griffith’s Valuation online
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/11A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

The original single-storey thatched house, constructed in the early to mid 19th century, has been demolished in recent decades. No trace of the building remains and the site is overgrown and used for farm storage. The associated outbuildings appear to be unused.