Roselawn Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey thatched cottage with a lower slated wing to the west.

Main entrance faces south. South front of main cottage has four openings: two windows to left of doorway, one window to right. Two chimneys, unmoulded, rendered and painted white; modern terracotta pots, with cowl on one to left. Roof thatched between gable upstands. Windows set in reveals without projecting cills: timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, with horns, one horizontal glazing bar each sash giving 2 over 2, replacements of c 1987. Door is timber ledged, of half-door type, replacement c 1987. Walls rendered over stone, with uneven surface, painted white, with humped cement copings to gables. Wall plane canted toward left hand end.

Roof timberwork is modern.

To left hand side a lower wing, set back marginally from plane of front wall of cottage; similar walling. Two windows in wing, as previous. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with grey ridge tiles, all replacement; no gutter or down pipe. End gable of extension plain; north elevation of extension blank, with cast iron soil pipe; roof slates cut to angle at eaves as wall plane canted.

North elevation of thatched cottage four windows wide, three small, one large, all as previous.

East gable of cottage has one window as previous. East gable of cottage has one window as previous; and stones projecting from wall surface; main feature a large stone at base of south east corner projecting forwards.

The external appearance of the thatch covering is inappropriate involving a block ridge and square cut eaves both in an English style (March 2000).

SETTING: The house stands well back from the main road, sitting at right angles to it, with later houses around it and the modern brick boundary wall of an adjoining garden tight against it at the west end, slightly spoiling its originally rural location. Concrete area in front of house, grassed lawn to rear.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1831 / 32, however it is not included in the contemporary valuation. It is recorded in the second valuation of 1860, however, the occupant listed as Mary Colwell, Col. Charles P. Leslie the immediate lessor, and the rateable value calculated at £1-5-0. According to the present owner the property was reputedly originally a forge, then converted to a school and then to a house [it is listed as a house in 1860 at least], with extension originally a byre.

The house was re-thatched in 1987 using Norfolk reeds brought from Scotland, with the ridge done in wheat.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/1/47 OS map, County Antrim sheet 47, with valuation
references (1831 / 32-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/1/47A OS map, County Antrim sheet 47, with valuation references (1857-c.60)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/1/34A Second valuation, Islandmagee (1860)

Appears on the OS map of 1831. Reputedly it was originally a forge, then became a school, and then a house; extension formerly a byre; house re-thatched in 1987 using Norfolk reeds brought from Scotland, with ridge done in wheat. (Information from present owner.)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An example of a vernacular type which is now rare, and which retains its original appearance on the exterior.