Turnarobert House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two-storey gabled gentleman farmer’s house of c.1795, with roof rebuilt with overhang c.1910 and dry dash render of c.1970s. The property is situated a short distance to the east of the village of Armoy, and accessed from a curving drive opening off Glenshesk Road.

The symmetrical front elevation faces E. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance, which consists of a panelled timber door and semicircular fanlight with ‘spider’s web’ tracery. The door and fanlight are encased with a moulded architrave, which is turn is encased with a plain cement render surround. To the left of the entrance there are two windows with timber sash frames with Georgian panes (six over six). There are two more identical windows to the right of the entrance with five more to the first floor.

To the right on the ground floor of the S gable there is a window as front. To the attic level (close to the eaves) there are two small windows with modern timber frames. The N gable is almost identical to that to S, but without the window to the ground floor.

To the left of centre of the rear elevation there projects a large two-storey gabled return. To the N face of this there is a doorway to left on the ground floor with partly glazed timber door. To the right of this there is a broad (possibly enlarged) window with a PVCu frame (all the windows to the return and rear façade of the main section of the house have similar frames). To the first floor there are two smaller windows. To the S face of the return there is a large window (undoubtedly enlarged) to the ground floor and two smaller windows to the first floor. The (W-facing) gable of the return does not have any openings. To the left on there ground floor there is a small porch projection with a flat roof and doorway to the S face.

To the left on the ground floor of the rear façade of the main section of the building there is a window, with two smaller windows to right (right of the return). To the first floor there is a narrow window to left, with a much larger (probably enlarged) one to right.

The front elevation and N and S gables are finished in a c.1970s dry dash render with a smooth cement render base course. The rear façade and the return are finished in unpainted roughcast.

The roof of the main section of the building is slated and has a gable overhang with plain bargeboards, boxed-in eaves and simple timber brackets. There are two gable chimneystacks to this section, both cream brick replacements, probably dating from c.1910 when the roof was replaced. The roof of the return is also slated, and there is a brick chimneystack to its (W-facing) gable. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

To the rear (W) of the house there is a large concrete-covered farmyard mainly surrounded by two to one and a half-storey rubble-built gabled outbuildings and a large open-fronted hay shed. Roughly in the middle of the yard there is a relatively small, free-standing, one and a half-storey rubble-built gabled building, now used as a shed. The present owner states that this building once had a fireplace, and that he believes it is a remnant of an earlier 17th century house which occupied this site before the present house was built in the late 18th century. A large concrete block lean-to extension has been added to the W gable of the building.

Historical information

This house is shown on the OS map of 1832. In the valuation book of 1834 it is noted as the home of Rev. Stevenson Hunter, with the dimensions given as 49 x 28½ x 22 for the main section of the house and 29 x 22 x 11 for ‘an addition in rere’, indicating that the return was significantly lower (single or one and a half-storey) at this point. Several one and a half and single-storey outbuildings all also recorded, including a ‘wash house’, ‘car house’, stables and stores.

The valuers supply the quality letter ‘1B’ for the house, suggesting that it was of considerable age at that point, probably over 25-30 years at least. The current owner states that he has seen two ‘old maps’, one drawn up in 1790, which does not show the house, the other in 1800, which does. If correct, this would date the building to around 1795, a date which ties in with the general appearance of the property as well as the original sections of internal detailing. The owner believes the house to have been built by a Hugh Clark, who may have been related to the Clark mill owners of Upperlands, Co Londonderry. The case for the house being built by someone named Clark is indeed a strong one, for a Henry Clarke Esq is recorded as living in the house in 1817, but the relationship (if any) to the Clarks of Upperlands is uncertain. However, there could be a connection with the Rev. Alexander Clark, who built near by Limepark in c.1760.

Clarks aside, the present owner is also of the belief that that there was dwelling on this site prior to the 1790s, possibly that built by Anthony Kennedy, who was granted the townland of Turnarobert by the Earl of Antrim in 1606. He states that the small building located in the middle of the yard to the rear of the present house may be a remnant of the original dwelling, Again, this is uncertain, however, a larger building is shown in this position on the OS map of 1832.

The OS Memoirs of 1835 state that the Rev Stevenson Hunter noted as resident in Turnarobert in the valuation of the previous year, was the then Rector of Loughguile Parish. The Memoirs also mention the property’s ‘tolerable garden’ and the planting about the house, which consisted of sycamore, fir and larch.

Rev Stevenson Hunter was still in residence when the second valuation was carried out in September 1859, with the valuers noting that the house contained a ‘parlour, dining room, small rooms behind, 4 bedrooms over, 2 garrets, kitchen and small room’. The last two rooms were contained within the return, which was still single-storey at this point.

Rev Hunter was succeeded by Rev Francis Dobbs in 1864, who was in turn succeeded by Hugh Gamble. Hugh Gamble died in 1909 or 1910 and Turnarobert passed to his relative [?his son-in-law] Samuel Acheson, whose descendants still hold the property. It was probably Samuel Acheson who replaced the original roof with the current overhanging version, raised the return a storey, and altered much of the internal detailing- all of which appears to date to around 1910. It should be pointed out, however, that the valuation books are silent on this matter, merely noting the construction of a ‘new barn’ in 1913.

The present owner replaced the roof in 1977. The dry dash to the front façade and gables appears to date from around this time also.

References- Primary sources
1 Atkinson, A., ‘Ireland Exhibited to England’ (London, 1823), vol.II, p.448
2 PRONI OS/6/1/13/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 13 (1832)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/130 First valuation, Armoy parish [Cary Barony] (1834)
4 OS Memoirs, Parish of Armoy, (1832-38), reprinted in ‘Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland…’ ed Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams and Noirin Dobson (Belfast, QUB, 1994), p.4
5 PRONI OS/6/1/13/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 13 (1857)
6 PRONI VAL/2B/1/23a Second valuation, Armoy parish [Cary Barony] (1859)
7 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1a Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1864-78)
8 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1b Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1878-85)
9 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1c Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1885-1900)
10 Bassett, George Henry, ‘The Book of County Antrim’ (Dublin, 1888), p.87
11 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1d Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1901-12)
12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1e Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1912-29)
13 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905)
14 PRONI VAL/3B/1/4 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle RD (1935)
15 PRONI VAL/3C/1/4 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland [annual revisions], Ballycastle RD (1936-57) ) [This valuation book is currently closed ‘according to the criteria set out in the White Paper on Open Government’.]
16 PRONI VAL/4B/1/9 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland [annual revisions], Ballycastle RD (1957-72)

Secondary sources
1 Hill, Rev. George, ‘An Historical Account of the MacDonnells of Antrim’ (Belfast, 1873), p.448
2 Girvan, W.D., ‘Historic Buildings…North Antrim’ (Belfast, 1972)
3 Brett, C.E.B., ‘The Buildings of County Antrim’, (Belfast, 1996), p.174
4 Information supplied by the owner (October 2004)

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/05/009 First Survey report (26 September 1972)
2 EHS HB05/05/004 Photographs (Oct 1972, Sept 1995)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two-storey gabled gentleman farmer’s house of c.1795, with roof rebuilt with overhang c.1910 and dry dash render of c.1970s, alterations which have devalued the building’s architectural / historical merits somewhat.