Portnagolan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey stone house, built c.1884, with larger two-bay two-storey over basement extension attached to the north, built c.1910. Irregular on plan facing west and located on a mature landscaped sloping site on the east side of Layde Road overlooking the sea.

Pitched natural slate roofs with black clay ridge tiles, lead valleys, black clay finials and four tooled red sandstone chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Cast-iron guttering supported on timber fascia to overhanging eaves and cast-iron downpipes. Random coursed rough-hewn sandstone walling with feathered edges to flush quoins and cement pointing to south block. Random coursed rock-faced red sandstone walling with cement pointing to north block. Square-headed window openings with tooled flush red sandstone surrounds, red sandstone sills and largely replacement single-pane sliding timber sash windows with horns.

Three-bay two-storey west front elevation with a central wall-head dormer window, centred over a gabled projection at GF and smaller glazed entrance porch to the right. The central projection houses the entrance hall (G02) and has decorative timber bargeboard, timber finial and gable panelling; two diminutive square-headed window openings with fixed-pane leaded coloured glazing. The entrance porch has timber-frame glazing with arcaded plain glazed lights on masonry sill and brick wall, leaded coloured glazed overpanels and glazed panelled timber door; decorative bargeboard and timber finial. The advanced north block has a two-bay two-storey over partially raised basement gabled west elevation with matching timber bargeboard and panel and square-headed window openings with cruciform timber casement windows.

Informal north side elevation has randomly placed window openings of various sizes having timber casements of various sizes. Lean-to porch and shelter built in red brick, attached to centre at basement level and steel fire escape to the right.

East elevation faces the gardens and has an advanced two-bay, three-storey gable-fronted elevation to the north block with a three-sided canted bay window spanning the entire ground floor having hipped natural slate roof, timber casement windows and supported on three iron posts. Three-bay two-storey over partially concealed basement south block with three wall-head dormer windows and a central square-headed door opening with glazed uPVC door opening onto small concrete terrace at GF and steps enclosed by tooled sandstone ashlar plinth walls.

Gabled south elevation with central three-sided canted bay window having hipped natural slate roof, lead ridges and replacement top-hung timber casement windows.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Random coursed rough-hewn sandstone
Windows Sliding timber sash / timber casement / replacement timber casement

Setting:
Located on an extensive sloping landscaped site on the east side of Layde Road overlooking the sea enclosed by mature hedging and accessed via a winding gravel driveway leading south and opening onto the road via pair of replacement steel gates hung on original fluted cast-iron posts and flanked by a short stretch of curved iron railings set on a low rock-faced sandstone ashlar plinth wall.

Historical information

No. 17 Layde Road, a two-storey late-Victorian house (possessing an early-20th century extension to north) located to the east of Cushendall, was constructed in c. 1884 for the Dobbs family. The building was not depicted on either the first or second edition Ordnance Survey maps (1832; 1857) or on the contemporary Townland Valuations (c. 1834) or Griffith’s Valuation (1859). The house was first recorded in the Annual Revisions in 1884 when the newly-constructed building was valued at £20 and 5 shillings. The valuer noted that the site was leased by the Turnly estate, the prominent landowning family which owned most of Cushendall, to Madeline Dobbs (1817-1902), a spinster who occupied the house until her death in 1902 (PRONI Wills).

The property, which was also known as Portnagolan House, was first depicted on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1903) as a simple rectangular shaped dwelling; at the turn of the 20th century the building consisted of the three southern bays of the current house as the northern block was not added until c. 1910. The 1901 Census of Ireland described Madeline Dobbs as a Lady and noted that she resided at Portnagolan House with her sister and nephew. The accompanying census building return described the property as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of nine rooms and possessed a stable, coach house a cow house and a dairy amongst its outbuildings. Madeline Dobbs died in 1902 at which time Portnagolan House passed to St. Clair Dobbs, a magistrate, Deputy Lieutenant for Co. Antrim and a local land agent. The Annual Revisions suggest that the current two-storey extension was added to the late-Victorian house in c. 1910. In that year the value of the house was doubled to £40 whilst the contemporary 1911 census building return noted that the number of rooms in the building had been raised to 13. Portnagolan House was first depicted along its current layout under the further edition Ordnance Survey map (1921).

Portnagolan house remained occupied by the Dobbs family, who purchased the site outright from the Turnly estate in c. 1930. The value of the house was raised to £50 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) which noted that it had been inhabited by Margaret Dobbs, a prominent local antiquarian and Gaelic enthusiast. The Portnagolan House website notes that Margaret Dobbs was the daughter of Conway Edward Dobbs, High Sheriff of Carrickfergus and Justice of the Peace for County Antrim. Dobbs moved his family to Glenariff, where the family resided at Glenariffe Lodge, and it was here that Margaret Dobbs ‘was able to explore her interest in Gaelic culture and she enthusiastically promoted the Irish language amongst her group of friends, many of whom were from well-known Protestant families’ including Roger Casement’s family. Margaret Dobbs was a founding member of Feis na nGleann (the Glen Feis), a local festival which celebrated the rich Irish heritage of the area. Her passion for the region led Dobbs to write a number of plays, carry out original historical research and to take part in local archaeological digs. Margaret Dobbs was honoured by the Feis committee in 1946; a pair of stained glass windows, located within Portnagolan House, commemorate her life and work (Portnagolan House website).

Margaret Dobbs continued to reside at Portnagolan House until her death in 1962 at which time the house was divided into a number of self-contained apartments (PRONI Wills). By the end of the Second General Revaluation the total rateable value of the house was increased to £122. The Portnagolan House website records that the current owners took possession of the house in 1985 and converted the building into a pair of self-contained apartments for holidaymakers visiting the Glens of Antrim (Portnagolan House website).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/20/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1903)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/20/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1921)
5. PRONI OS/8/84/1 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1903)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/148 – Townland Valuations (1834)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/1/40B – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/7A-F – Annual Revisions (1864-1923)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/12A– Annual Revisions (1923-29)
10. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/4 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/10 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
12. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
13. PRONI Wills Catalogue (29 Apr 1902; 2 Jan 1962)
14. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
15. First Survey Record – HB05/02/042 (No Date)

Online Resources
1. Portnagolan House website - http://www.portnagolan.com/about/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached multi-bay two-storey with basement sandstone house, built c.1884, with larger two-bay two-storey over-basement extension attached to the north, built c.1910 located on a mature landscaped sloping site on the east side of Layde Road overlooking Shore Road and the beach at Cushendall. The earlier house is subservient to the larger extension, the latter replicating much of the original stone detailing. The interior of the complete house reads as a commodious residence with a seamless transition of the various floor levels. As the former home of Margaret Dobbs, a founding member of Feis na nGleann (the Glen Feis), a local festival which celebrated the rich Irish heritage of the area, the house is of cultural importance due to her contribution. Despite some modern alterations the house retains much of its late Victorian character both internally and externally, still responding to the sea views in its original setting, overlooking the coastline.