Wheyburn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay house with attics and basement.

Main entrance faces east. East elevation symmetrical with recessed central bay with curved head containing entrance and a window over. Walls of stone, rendered with dry dash of crushed stones, with some smooth cement render patching and some stonework revealed. Cement rendered quoins to extremities and around recess. Square eaves cornice has dentils on the soffit. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; chimney to each extremity; chimneys slate-hung, with pots also of angled slates, which is a rare occurrence. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, without horns, 2 over 2 to first floor, and 6 over 6 to ground floor. Below ground floor windows are basement windows, now blocked. Entrance is recessed in a segmental arched opening: comprises a panelled wooden door, original, with ornamented Victorian knocker, flanked by patterned sidelights with looped and curvilinear glazing bars to the fanlight. Lintel of doorcase has a curved band of coved ornament below a delicate dentil course. Rendered pilasters with moulded capitals rise to a moulded archivolt enclosing the doorcase. Flight of concrete steps up to door.

South gable slate hung, including chimney. Two windows, one to each floor, sashed as previous, 2 over 2.

Rear elevation two-storey, three-bay, symmetrically arranged. Walling and roof as previous. Central doorway, plain round-headed with rectangular flush door and smooth rendered panel over. Windows sashed as previous, 6 over 6 except ground floor left-hand side which is a later 4 over 4 in a shortened opening with raised cill. Metal gutter, partly collapsed, with cast iron downpipe. Projecting forward from right-hand extremity is a low rubble stone wall. Extending to left from left-hand extremity is a single-storey slated link block with rectangular doorway joined to an outbuildings wing.

North gable of rubble masonry with some traces of old render. One window, rectangular, sashed 6 over 6 as previous. Appearance spoiled by pipes attached to wall and partly obscuring window.

SETTING: The building stands in a rural area surrounded by farmland, set well back from the road and hidden from view among trees at the end of a long lane. There are outbuildings to its rear and a wide open meadow to its front. Outbuildings are of rubble stone, with some modern materials introduced, and exhibit no features of special interest. Gate piers of no special interest.

Historical information

The year of construction is not known but the house appears on the first OS map of 1833, and may date from the 18th century. Acquired by the present owner in 1935.

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1833, Co Antrim 35.

Secondary

1. C.E.B. Brett, The Buildings of County Antrim (Belfast, 1996), p 153.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A Georgian house in largely unaltered state which exhibits interesting and uncommon features.