Chapelfield House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

First Survey description
‘A two-storey, three bay house with slated roof and rendered chimney on either gable. The façade is rendered, quoins dress extremities, remainder of building is pebble-dashed. Unrecessed Georgian glazed windows are set in square moulded surrounds, cills are bracketed on upper storey. The entrance is flanked by panelled pilasters rising to a consoled head.’ (1972)

Second Survey description
A former detached two-storey, three-bay slightly asymmetrical Georgian-style house which was built c.1830 as the Glebe House of St John’s Parish Church of Killowen. The house has been demolished (c.1999) and replaced with a modern house which replicates the main elevations, with substantial modern extensions to rear.

Pitched slate roof with black angled ridge-tiles; pebble-dashed chimney to gable-ends; replacement metal ogee rainwater goods. Walling is smooth rendered and painted to east with painted and raised rusticated quoins to edges; pebble-dash to other elevations, all having projecting painted plinth. Replacement 6/6 timber sash windows to main building; generally multi-pane modern timber casements to rear extensions.

Main elevation faces east and comprises replacement timber and glazed entrance door, slightly offset to left of centre with entablature over, supported on panelled pilasters rising to consoled heads. The five windows have painted, projecting moulded architraves with bracketed cills to first floor level. The right bay is slightly wider than the left.

South elevation has two windows on each floor in plain reveals with projecting concrete cills.

West elevation is blank and almost entirely abutted by series of gabled modern extensions, with a two-storey bow window to the south (all of which are of no further interest).

North elevation mirrors the south elevation.

Setting
Located to the west of Laurel Hill Road, facing east and sited within a mature, elevated
setting. Stepped and rendered wall bounds to main road and access is via bifurcated bitmac drive which extends to rear; main entrance has squared, rendered and pebble-dashed piers supporting replacement metal gates with ‘CHAPELFIELD’ insert. Roughcast wall and garage complex encircle rear yard with two timber sheeted and braced doors providing access. Grass lawn around house with mature planted perimeters.

Roof Slate
RWG Replacement metal
Walling Painted render/ roughcast
Windows Timber sash/ timber casement

Historical information

The first survey describes the building as ‘A two-storey, three bay house with slated roof and rendered chimney on either gable. The façade is rendered, quoins dress extremities, remainder of building is pebble-dashed. Unrecessed Georgian glazed windows are set in square moulded surrounds, cills are bracketed on upper storey. The entrance is flanked by panelled pilasters rising to a consoled head.’ (1972)

The building is first shown, captioned ‘Chapelfield’ on the first edition OS map (1830), with an L-shaped plan and having a return to the rear which extended to the west. By the second edition OS map (1849) the building had been modified and comprised a rectangular plan with a central rear return. Girvan (1973) notes that the building was previously utilised as the Glebe House for Killowen Parish, but this function ceased at some-point during the mid 19th century.

Valued at £16 10s in Griffith’s Valuation (1856), the house was under the ownership of James Torbitt and was occupied by Isabella Lang. There were no further changes in valuation. There were a number of occupiers in the following years and during the 1870s, ownership passed to the Hughes Brothers, with a Hercules Hughes taking up occupancy in 1887 (General Revisions 1859-92). Reflecting the steady valuation, the third edition OS map (1904), illustrates that the foot-print of the building did not significantly change except for the addition of a small return, which infilled the re-entrant angle to the north-west, coupled with construction of an additional outbuilding.

According to the 1901 Census Records, Hercules Hughes was a master butcher and resided in the eight rooms of this house with his four daughters, a servant and a housekeeper. In the 1911 Census, the number of rooms recorded within the house, increased to thirteen, which may have resulted from the addition outlined above. The building remained the residence of the Hughes family until at least 1935 (First General Revaluation) and according to contemporary maps, the foot-print did not alter until the end of the 20th century.

The original house was illegally demolished in 1999. The case was taken to court and the defendant pleaded guilty and was fined.

A replacement house of similar form, appearance and external detailing has been constructed on site in recent years, with substantial modern extensions abutting to the rear. According to information obtained from the occupier and the HB File, due to unauthorised demolition of the house, the new building was made to conform to the external style and proportions of the previous house. However the detailing has largely been replaced with modern replicas such as some concrete sills.

References

1. PRONI OS/6/1/11/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1849-50)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/11/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map(1904)
4. PRONI OS/10/5/7/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch map (1922)
5. PRONI OS/10/5/7/7/3– Third Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch map (1949)
6. PRONI OS/11/13/13/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch Irish Grid map (1967-8)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/57 – Townland Valuations (1830s)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/8 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9A- General Revisions (1859-65)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9B- General Revisions (1866-74)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9C- General Revisions (1875-84)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9E- General Revisions (1885-92)
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9G- General Revisions (1893-99)
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9K- General Revisions (1900-12)
15. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9N - General Revisions (1913-31)
16. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/3 – First General Revaluations (1935)
17. HB File (HB03/14/004)
18. Census Records (1901 & 1911)

Secondary Sources

1. Day, Angélique and McWilliams, Patrick (eds) ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs; The Parishes of Co. Londonderry (Vol. 33) XII 1829-30, 1832, 1834-6, Coleraine & Mouth of the Bann’ Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University, Belfast (1993)
2. Girvan, W.D. ‘List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings & Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine & Portstewart’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Belfast, (1973)
3. Lewis, Samuel ‘A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ S. Lewis & Co, London (1837)
4. MacLaughlin. D, ‘A Short Sketch of the History of St John the Evangelist, Killowen, Coleraine’ Coleraine, (1900)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

The original pre-1830's Georgian style rendered house was demolished c1999. A replacement building was constructed on the same site which replicated the primary elevations and some external detailing of the original house.