Ballymullock House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and a half storey three-bay house with a two-storey return at one corner.

Main entrance faces north-west. Entrance front symmetrical with central semi-circular headed doorway with a narrow semi-circular headed two-pane window to each side, flanked by a pair of coupled windows either side, surmounted by a centrally placed first floor window enclosed in a gable with painted timber oversailing barge boards and a turned wooden finial.

Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; chimney to each extremity of ridge, smooth rendered with offset plinth and moulded cornice, painted brown. Walls smooth rendered, lined and blocked, painted white, with raised quoins to extremities and moulded plinth, painted brown. Stone cornice to wall, broken through by PVC downpipes to each end. Raised platband at first floor level, in line with cill of first floor window.

Windows vertically hung timber sliding sash, 1 over 1, with horns; moulded stucco surrounds. Sidelights to doorway are two-pane, in similar surrounds.

Door of panelled wood, modern replacement, with modern door handle; plain fanlight. Panelled pilasters with moulded capitals rise to a moulded archivolt enclosing the door. Doorstep clad in modern red tiles; concrete area across front of house.

Left-hand gable of house has two windows to first floor, similar to entrance front, with rectangular flush door, with glazed panel, to ground floor, coupled with a rectangular window, modern fixed light with top vent. Wall extends in same plane to two-storey rear return.

Return: roof slated as previous; PVC downpipe; two pairs of coupled windows to first floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns, in unmoulded openings. Ground floor has one rectangular timber window, timber fixed light of two panes with top-hung vents, in unmoulded opening; rectangular flush timber door to left-hand side, with four-pane rectangular fanlight. End gable of return blank. Four windows to rear elevation of return, all modern rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents in unmoulded openings.

Rear wall of front block has one window to first floor and two to ground floor, all segmental headed.

Right-hand gable of house similar to left-hand gable except three windows, two to first floor and one to ground floor, all sashed as on entrance front.

SETTING: The house stands in a rural location, in open countryside, facing onto the main road at an angle in the road, with lawns to the front and side and a farm yard to the rear containing undistinguished outbuildings. Boundary to front formed by low wall, smooth cement rendered, painted, with a front gateway comprising square rendered piers hung with a pair of moderately ornamental iron gates but of no special distinction.

Historical information

Rear buildings appear on the first OS map of 1833 but the front house appears only for the first time on the OS map of 1903. The year of construction is not known but may be dated to the 1860s or 1870s

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1833, Co Antrim 40.
2. OS Map 1903, Co Antrim 40.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an example of a late 19th century farmhouse of no particular distinction whose mixed style reflects the adaptation of Victorian architectural styling to a vernacular context.