Carnsampson

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Tall three-bay and three-storey gable ended mid-Victorian house, facing east, one-room deep, with adjoining office ranges to rere. The building was substantially remodelled in 2011. It is rendered externally in cement (prior to 2011 it was rendered in stucco), with recently re-slated roof (natural slate), wide eaves with plain wooden fascias and uPVC guttering. A rendered chimney stack rises from each end end-gable; these are surmounted with a projecting moulded cornice above a plain frieze.
All windows in the three-bay front elevation are modern wood sliding-sash replacements. Centrally placed in the ground floor is a projecting porch with flat roof, panelled door and a window (2/2 sliding sash) in both flanking sides. Both windows and door are flanked by plain pilasters supporting a projecting cornice crowned with a blocking course. The flanking ground floor windows have plain wooden sliding sash (2/2), while all three bays of the first floor have identical sliding-sash (8/2) windows with curved meeting stile at base of each top sash. There is a single bay central breakfront rising above the porch, which extends to the second floor. Each of the side bays of the second floor contains plain sliding-sash wooden windows (2/2), each positioned just below the eaves, while the central bay contains a camber-headed window (with two wood mullions and one cross transom), which rather awkwardly breaks through the roof eaves to create what is effectively a half-dormer with gently curvilinear coping.
Between the first and second floors, runs a bold projecting stucco string course, which also extends down the two side or end elevations of the house. This is supported at the corners and down the side elevations by pairs of stucco consul brackets, while in the central bay front projection there are no less than six consuls, which together with the string course, were all retained in the 20101 refurbishments of the house.
The south gabled elevation has a single window opening (uPVC casement) on the top floor below the gable, while at ground floor level a double door with single light over leads into a newly built single storey garden sitting room extension; this has replaced a late Victorian conservatory which occupied this position. The north end gable of the house has two window uPVC double casement openings at second floor level, wooden sliding sash (2/2) at first floor level and an uPVC door on the ground floor leading into the garden.
To the rere of the house there was formerly a two-storey gabled extension. This has been entirely demolished in 2011 and replaced with a larger two-storey extension which now joins an L-shaped office range. The latter, forms a rere yard, approached through a pend arch south-west of the house. This arched pend is original, but the range has been gutted and rebuilt internally, while the range on the south side of the yard has been entirely re-built.
With the building of the present house around 1870, a small park was created to east of the house, with the lawn (front meadow) flanked by a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees. The lawn was flanked to the north and south by the curved line of two approach avenues leading to the front of the house; one leading from the north-east (which had a gate lodge) and the other utising the pre-1870s avenue to the south. The planting mostly survies intact.

Historical information

The 1669 Hearth Money Roll gives a total of ten hearths in the townland of Carnsampson, with one entry having two under the name of Mr. John Stewart. This may possibly be a reference to a house at this location. On the first edition (1830s) and first revision OS maps (1860), there is a house at this location named 'Annaville'; while the size and shape of this building does not correspond to the existing house, two of the ranges in the rere appear to have the same footprint. The present house, built c1870, is shown on the second edition (1905) OS map, together with the front lawn with flanking avenue sweeps. This builders of the c1870 house, the Woodside family, were apparently minor gentry, army officers and active Unionists. They are known to have invested successfully in American property, railways and manufacturing and at home assets include Ballycastle Gas Company, the Ballycastle rail Company, the Ballintoy Sett quarry, the Limestone quarry and the Salmon Fishery. The house was substantially refurbised and altered in 2011.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three-bay three storey gabled-ended house of 1870, built on the site of a previous dwelling and incorporating earlier yard ranges to rere. The building was substantially remodelled in 2011, when most historic features were removed. All the windows were replaced, drylining was applied to inside walls and a new roof added. The rere range has been totally demolished and rebuilt, while the adjacent yard ranges have either been demolished and rebuilt (one range) or substantially remodelled (one range). The house retains its small attractive parkland setting and associated trees.

General comments

When visited the house on June 15th 2011 the house had been completely gutted and was a-rebuilding with new extensions, the outbuildings having been entirely demolished or some extrenal walls retained. Work completed at the end of 2011. All windows replaced with either wooded sliding-sash (front elevation) or pcv (other elevations); it has a new roof, new floorborads and joists. The old main staircase has been kept together with the plasterwork on ceilings of the front rooms.