Ballysally House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay two-storey farmhouse with outbuildings; dated 1838 and located to the west side of the Portrush Road roundabout north of Coleraine. Rectangular plan with two-storey return to rear and modern single-storey extension at west.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled ridge tiles; pebble-dashed chimneystacks to gables having moulded caps. Plastic rainwater goods on projecting stones eaves. Walling is pebbledash, on a cement plinth, with quoins. Windows are replacement 6/6 timber sash with horns and exposed boxes; uPVC to rear; all in cement rendered surrounds with keyblock and projecting concrete sills.

The principal elevation faces south and is five openings wide at each floor. Entrance at ground floor centre is fronted by a modern slated concrete portico on two fluted columns and a concrete step. Replacement plastic panelled-and-glazed entrance door with faux bat wing fanlight in a round-headed cement rendered reveal.

The west gable has a small replacement window at first floor right and is abutted by the gabled single-storey extension in similar style as the main house.

The north (rear) elevation is abutted to centre by the two-storey return. uPVC window at each floor to either side of the return. Return has a window to first and ground floor of gable; replacement uPVC door to right cheek in a sandstone surround, accessed by two stone steps.

The east gable is blank.

Setting:

Situated on a large site in a semi-rural
setting north of Coleraine town centre; ring-road and roundabout to east and modern housing development to west. Overlooking open fields to south; farmyard to north has two ranges of nineteenth-century two-storey outbuildings running from north to south. Accessed from Atlantic Road at east via two whitewashed rubblestone piers with granite caps supporting replacement timber gates; fence-lined tarmacadamed avenue leads to farmyard at rear. To east side of house is a whitewashed rubblestone wall, extending along the avenue; entrance to front of house has two square whitewashed rubblestone piers with pointed granite caps supporting cast-iron gates; fence-lined lawned garden to front.

The two-storey former mill, located to the northwest of the site, is in a poor state of repair with many of its windows boarded over, there is a delapidated cast-iron waterwheel to the west of the mill. The remaining 2 large outbuildings to north have been partially modified, having whitewashed walls and replacement slate / modern slate roofs; small timber-sheeted openings to east elevation; west elevation has a large square-headed opening to allow access of large modern farming machinery. North-eastern range is not in use and more intact; comprising and two and single-storey block with natural slate roof and lime rendered rubblestone walls (partially red-brick to single-storey block). Large replacement metal sliding doors to east face of single-storey block; two-storey block has a variety of timber-sheeted openings including loading door, all with red brick relieving arches. Window openings are generally boarded, with one partially intact 3/6 timber sash window at first floor. Yards are laid with concrete and enclosed at south by whitewashed rubblestone walls having round piers with pointed stone caps and supporting modern metal gates.

To east of farmyard is a modified single-storey whitewashed rubblestone dwelling, with uPVC windows throughout and a modern uPVC entrance door accessed by a paved ramp at south gable.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Pebble-dashed and cement render
Windows: Replacement timber sash
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

Although the First Survey Record (1973) notes that Ballysally House, a two-storey five-bay farmhouse, did not appear on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map of 1830-31, the contemporary Townland Valuations (c. 1830) records that an earlier dwelling and outbuilding had existed on the site prior to 1838; inspection of the first edition Ordnance Survey map shows that the whitewashed two-storey outbuilding (located to the north of the farmhouse) had been constructed at this time. The map also depicted a second structure (now demolished) which may have been utilised as the first dwelling house. The Townland Valuations noted that the ‘house and offices’ were the property of a Mr. Black and were valued at £7 14s.

A date stone located at the site records that the current two-storey farmhouse was constructed in 1838; the building was first depicted on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (c. 1850) which captioned the site as ‘Ballysally’ and noted that the two-storey return was also built at this time. The map records that, apart from the two-storey dwelling, a number of other additions had been made to the site between 1831 and the 1850s; the current single-storey outbuilding located to the north of Ballysally House had been constructed in the interim, whilst a number of minor outbuildings had also been erected to the west of the farmhouse (all now demolished).

Griffith’s Valuation (1857) records that John Black leased the farm in Ballysally from The Honourable The Irish Society and that his property had been increased in value to £17 since the Townland Valuation. John Black continued to reside at Ballysally until his death in 1877; his will recorded that Black was employed locally as a farmer whilst the Ulster Town Directories also noted him amongst the gentry of Coleraine (PRONI Wills; Ulster Town Directories – 1877). Following Black’s death, Ballysally passed into the possession of his son, also named John Black, who continued to reside there until his own death in 1901.

The 1901 Census records that John Black (78, Presbyterian) resided at Ballysally with his two brothers (both of whom were recorded as retired farmers); the census building return described Black’s farm as a 1st class dwelling which consisted of eight inhabited rooms and possessed a number of out offices including a stable, four cow houses, a dairy, a barn and two sheds. Aside from these minor out offices, the third edition of the Ordnance Survey maps (1904) records that between c. 1850 and the turn of the 20th century, the Black family had constructed a corn mill at Ballysally. This mill is the long two-storey outbuilding located to the north-west of the site; it was provided with water by means of a sluice channel that ran from a mill pond located in the field to the north-east of the farm. Despite the construction of the corn mill in the late-19th century, there was no change to the value of the farm during this period and by the cancellation of the Annual Revisions in 1930, Ballysally’s value remained unchanged at £17.

Having resided at Ballysally for almost three decades since his father’s death, John Black died in 1901 (PRONI Wills). Black had no children and upon his death Ballysally House was acquired by Thomas and Joseph Glenn; the pair resided at the site until 1910 when a Mr. James Glenn took over sole possession of Ballysally House. The 1911 Census records that James Glenn (37, Presbyterian) resided at the farm with his wife Henrietta (25) and their two infant children; the census building return noted no major change to the layout of the site since 1901.

James Glenn continued to reside at Ballysally until the 1960s; in 1935, under the First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland, the total value of Ballysally House and its outbuildings was increased to £19 10s; there was no further survey of the site undertaken for over two decades due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of the Second World War, however in 1956 the value of the farm was increased to £28 under the second general revaluation (1956-1972). James Glenn vacated Ballysally House in 1960 at which time his relative, Thomas Glenn, took over the property residing there until at least the end of the revaluation in 1972.

Ballysally House was listed in 1977; the First Survey described the farmhouse (also known as Glenfield House to distinguish it from another Ballysally House in the area) as ‘a two-storey, five bay, pebble dashed house with quoins. The roof is slated, either gable rises to a rendered chimney. 12-pane sashed windows are set in plastered reveals. The entrance is fronted by a glazed gabled porch.’ Ballysally House continues to be occupied; the single-storey extension located to its west gable appears to have been added sometime after the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1975 (which was the first map to depict the extension). Whilst the farmhouse remains in a good condition, Ballysally’s outbuildings currently lie in varying states of repair. The single storey and two-storey outbuildings located directly to the north of the house have been whitewashed and are in excellent repair, whilst the two-storey former mill, located to the northwest of the site, is in a poor state of repair with many of its windows boarded over.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/3/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1830-31
2. PRONI OS/6/5/3/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map c. 1850
3. PRONI OS/6/5/3/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/3/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1922-39
5. PRONI OS/6/5/3/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1939-50
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/5/3 – Townland Valuation map c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/542C – Townland Valuation c. 1830
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/14 – Griffith’s Valuation 1857
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/17A-H – Annual Revisions 1859-1930
10. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/2 – First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1935
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/7 – Second General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland 1956-1972
12. PRONI Wills Catalogue (27 Dec 1877; 23 Apr 1901)
13. Ulster Town Directories (1860-1918)
14. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
15. First Survey Record – HB03/19/005 (1973)
16. Ordnance Survey Map – 13-5SW (1975)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Ballysally House is a symmetrical three-bay two-storey farmhouse with outbuildings; dated 1838 and located to the west side of the Portrush Road roundabout north of Coleraine. Well proportioned, the building characterises the transition from the vernacular farmhouse to the more formalised designs of the early nineteenth-century. Despite some twentieth-century alterations its essential character is stioll clearly expressed. A two-storey stone former corn mill, located to the northwest of the site, with an extant cast-iron waterwheel enhances the importance of the house. The other 2 ranges of outbuildings to the north have had incremental changes, illustrating the development of agricultural practices during the twentieth-century. The house and setting is further enhanced by rubble stone walling, gate pillars and cast iron gates. The group retains its historic significance and is representative of a type that would have once been more prevalent in this area.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age and S - Authenticity also apply.