Cottage in Glenarm Castle Estate ('Lord Antrim's Cottage')

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Rambling, picturesque two storey ‘Domestic Revival’ estate ‘cottage’ of 1920, by Blackwood and Jury; greatly extended in 1991 and possessing multifarious gabled and hipped roof bays and projections, tall chimneys, rough cast render and multi-pane casement windows. The property is idyllically sited on a well wooded rise overlooking the Glenarm River, at the southern end of the Glenarm Demesne, roughly 2½ miles south of the castle and village of Glenarm.

To either side of the asymmetric front (W) elevation is a two storey gabled bay. To the right side of the central recessed bay is a semicircular arch headed timber door. To the right of the recess is a multi-pane (paired) casement window [most windows are similar but of differing size and (consequently) with differing numbers of panes]. To the right of centre at the half landing is a similar window. To the centre of the roof line is a flat roofed dormer with two casement windows as before but slightly smaller. The dormer roof has a c.300mm overhang.

To the left of the front elevation is a two storey projecting bay with a tripartite casement window to ground floor. To the first floor is a similar window. To the right is a further two storey bay. To ground floor is a window with four casements with lattice panes. To the first floor there is a paired window. Each bay has a c.300mm overhanging verge. Below the left side of the dormer there is a small date inscribed 1920 with a capital ‘A’ surmounted by an earl’s coronet.

To the right of centre of the S elevation is a projecting gabled canted bay. To the ground floor is a tripartite centred window. To the centre of the first floor is a paired window with a Tudor arched head. Below the window cill is a small date stone inscribed ‘AD 1991’. To the ground floor of each cant is a casement while each has a smaller casement to the first floor. To the left of the bay the lower portion of the wall is obscured by rampant plant growth but appears to be blank while the upper portion is blank. To the right of the bay is a casement window to the ground floor while to first floor there is a paired flat roofed half dormer. To the left of the bay at roof level is a broad chimney chamfered stack while to the right is a tall narrow chimney stack.

The E elevation has a two storey projecting gabled bay to each side The recessed bay to the centre has a French Window to each side of the ground floor and a small window to first floor. To the ridge is a wide chimneystack. The bay to the left (S side) has a recent (1991) canted sun room to the E side of the gable. This has a French Window to the E side and large multi pane windows to the N and S faces. To the first floor of the E face of the bay is a casement window. The N side of the bay is blank. To the right N side there is a small casement window while to the first floor there is a tripartite casement window. To the centre of the S face of the bay is a c.1991? canted two storey bay, To the ground floor is a tripartite casement window. To the first floor there is a similar window. To the ground floor of the cants there is a casement window. To either side of the ground floor of the bay is a casement window, while to the left side of the first floor is a small paired casement window.

The N elevation has a left of centre two storey bay. To the ground floor is a centred casement window and to the left of this is a sheeted timber door. To the left the bay merges with a small corner infill which links two bays. The left side of the bay roof slopes down over this single storey infill. To the N face of the infill is a timber sheeted door while to the E is a small 4 pane casement window. To the right of the bay the main wall is set back; to the left is a paired casement (each with 6 panes) to ground floor while to the first floor there is a casement window. To the ridge there is a wide chimney stack.

The walls are finished with painted roughcast while rw goods are cast iron. The roof is covered with natural slate.

Historical information

This house was built in 1920 to designs by Blackwood and Jury. It appears to have originally served as a dower house, but in later years was occupied by estate workers. The building was greatly extended to the south in 1991 and continues to serve as a private dwelling.

The property stands on the site of a pre 1832 cottage orné (apparently built as a gamekeeper’s lodge), shown on the 1832 and 1858 OS maps and marked ‘The Cottage’ on the latter.

Additional information supplied by the occupier in July 2004.

"The building work carried out in 1920 in fact added on to the existing cottage which was based on the Cottage Orne of the 18th centuary though an upper storey had been added in the 19th centuary and this continues to be the south end of the building with the internal walls removed to make a large room. Rather than being extended in 1991 it was reduced by the removal of a large sitgting room on the southern façade; the main other improvements were the relocation of bathrooms and the expansion of the kitchen into an adjoining room. Generally very little was changed - only updated."

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/1/29/1 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1832
2 PRONI D.3560/1 Views, engravings, drawings etc. of the Glenarm estate (early to mid 1800s) [one of these views shows the original cottage orné.]
3 PRONI OS/6/1/29/2 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1858
4 PRONI OS/6/1/29/3 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1903

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Rambling, picturesque two storey ‘Domestic Revival’ estate ‘cottage’ of 1920, by Blackwood and Jury; greatly extended in 1991 and possessing a variety of gabled and hipped roof bays and projections, tall chimneys, rough cast render and multi-pane casement windows. The property is idyllically sited on a well wooded rise overlooking the Glenarm River, at the southern end of the Glenarm Demesne, and stands on the site of a pre 1832 cottage orné. Notwithstanding the extensions of 1991 ( which were of high quality) it is deserving of statutory protection.

General comments

Previously recorded as HB06/02/097.