The Irish Society

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached, symmetrical two-storey three-bay gabled and rendered Georgian house, built c.1859. L-shaped on plan, the main building is gabled with a two-storey return, abutting to south-side of western elevation. Located on the western bank of the River Bann, to the south west-of Coleraine town.

Pitched re-slated roof with terracotta ridge-tiles; reconstructed roughcast and painted chimneys rising from gables, having pairs of replacement cement pots. Ogee replacement metal rainwater goods to projecting rendered eaves course. Walling is roughcast and painted. Square-headed window openings with painted projecting stone sills, plain smooth-rendered and painted reveals and architraves. Windows are generally 6/6 replacement horned timber sashes to main building and 6/3 to rear return, unless otherwise stated.

Symmetrical primary elevation faces west, three openings wide with Georgian-style glazing surrounding a large round-arched door opening to centre; squared double-leaf six-panelled timber door with plain glass side-lights and timber panels below; restored fanlight over with glazing bars forming umbrella motif, encased within plain rendered and painted round arched architrave. Tripartite ground floor windows having painted timber mullions with narrow 2/2 sashes on each side. Doors are painted, timber-sheeted in plain squared openings (unless stated otherwise).

North elevation contains two windows to first floor.

West elevation is irregular with tall narrow stair-window to centre, in a slightly camber-headed architrave; two windows to right, that on first floor is multi-paned with narrow margin lights in early 19th century style. Right-side abutted by gabled return, having a pair of 2/2 windows to attic level; mono-pitched, slate roof abutment to ground floor having door to centre and four-pane timber casement to right-cheek. Return contains three 6/3 windows and door to right-cheek; two similar windows on left-cheek.

South elevation has a window at each level on far-right-side, that to ground floor having replacement cement sill.

Setting

Located on the east of Castleroe Road, in a mature
setting south of Coleraine town, on the west banks of the River Bann. Sited on a promontory, the prominent position means that the building commands impressive views along the river. The site overlooks the historic area known as ‘the Cutts’, whereby the water level drops significantly. Rubble stone walls bound the river-side with stepped areas leading to mooring points; a paved yard and grass area to the rear contains a concrete boating ramp. Combination of rubblestone walls and roughcast rendered and painted walls bound along the main road. Access is via two large capped and squared pillars, roughcast and painted, supporting replacement metal gates; the bifurcated bitumen path encircles a planted lawn. Two other contemporary buildings are located within the enclosed site, to the south-west and south-east.

Roof: Replacement Slate
Walling: Painted roughcast render
Windows: 6/6 timber sashes
RWG: Replacement metal

Historical information

The present dwelling house, of Georgian appearance, was built or remodelled c1859 to designs by Stewart Gordon and is situated beside the ‘Cuts’ or ‘Cutts’. These were made in a natural basalt slab across the Bann river in the seventeenth century to allow timber to be floated to Coleraine and were quickly adapted as fish traps (niarchive.org). Since the 1990s the licences of local salmon fisherman have been purchased by the North Atlantic Salmon Fund and the fishery is no longer in operation (niarchive.org)

A building is shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1830 but the present dwelling house is said to have been built or remodelled in 1859 to designs by Stewart Gordon. Gordon was surveyor for the County of Londonderry from 1834 to 1860 and prepared various designs for buildings on the Irish Society’s estates. This stretch of the Bann was dotted, at the period, with the substantial dwelling houses of the well-to-do and ‘Cutts House’ is shown on the third edition of 1904 in the vicinity of several other residences set in spacious grounds. The house and offices were unoccupied at the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) but were owned by Robert Allen and valued at £14. For a brief period the house was then leased by Joseph McCurdy of nearby Castleroe but McCurdy tragically lost his life on the river in 1860. McCurdy, who was an ironmonger with premises in the Waterside (1843 street directory), went out on a boat with his wife, her aunt and some friends visiting from Scotland. As the boat headed towards ‘The Cutts’ the elderly aunt became alarmed and jumped from the boat to her death, Joseph McCurdy also being drowned in his attempt to save her (Morning Chronicle 4th September 1860).

The house passed to John McCombie in 1867 and William Craig in 1885. Craig was conservator for the Coleraine district of fisheries (Belfast Newsletter 16th October 1900) but by the time of the 1901 census his son had taken over the house and associated farm. The Craig family employed two farm servants and a cook and the eight-room house was designated first class. By 1911 the house was occupied by Maxwell Given, architect and civil engineer in residence with his wife and a general domestic servant. Given was town surveyor for Portrush Urban District Council and superintendent for the Lower Bann Navigation Trustees. Given leased the house from the Foyle and Bann Fishery Company who had taken over the building in 1904. Valuer’s notes of the 1930s give a plan of the house showing the main dwelling with rear return and outhouses including a coalshed, washhouse, potting shed and ashpit. The accommodation comprised, on the ground floor, two receptions, a kitchen, two pantries, and a scullery; on the first floor, a study, three bedrooms, a bathroom and WC and on the second floor, two maids’ bedrooms. A force pump brought water to the house but drinking water had to be carried from the neighbour and the house was lit by oil lamps.

The house was taken over by The Honourable the Irish Society in 1952 and is presently its local headquarters. After listing in 1977, improvements and alterations were made in the 1980s and c1990 extensive restoration took place by the Irish Society (HB file).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/1 First Edition OS Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-50
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1949
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/59 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/V/1 First General Revaluation 1933-57
10. Griffith’s Valuation online
11. HB file – 03/14/011
12. 1843 street directory
13. Morning Chronicle 4th September 1860
14. Belfast Newsletter 16th October 1900

Secondary Sources

1. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine and Portstewart” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1971-2
2. www.niarchive.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical two-storey, three-bay rendered Georgian-style house, built or remodelled c.1859. The building is characterised by balanced and elegant proportioning, coupled with the plain detailing achieved through restrained application of simple classical devices. Refurbished in recent decades, the overall appearance has largely been retained although the roughcast exterior does not convey the rubble-stonework beneath, unlike the previous whitened walling. Owing to the rather unique location, on a protrusion extending into the River Bann, the building is a significant visual focal point within the surrounding area and constitutes a relatively rare surviving example of aspirational early 19th century architecture.

General comments

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