168 Low Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey gabled house which displays a re-used historic architectural fragment in its outbuilding wing. The house itself retains its original sash windows to the ground floor front elevation but has had most of the rest of its original fabric replaced by inappropriate materials, including asbestos slate roof, rebuilt red brick chimneys, metal casement windows to dormer, a later flat-roofed porch on pre-cast concrete base walls, and PVC downpipes.

Wing to west, of rubble, partly cement rendered, with corrugated asbestos roof. At right hand end of wing next to gable of house, a ledged door with sidelight; below cill of sidelight, a cusped sandstone recess in wall with dressed sandstone jambs and cill and traces of harling and limewashing inside recess and on sandstone opening. The sandstone fragments have the appearance of having come from the nearby church, St John’s Church of Ireland which dates from c 1600.

SETTING: The house stands in a rural location with a number of farm buildings alongside it.

Historical information

Appears on OS map of 1832. It is reputed that Gilbert Laird, owner of the house at the time St John’s Church of Ireland church was being reduced in size in 1827, re-used some fragments of window tracery that were being discarded. The property lies within the site of a graveyard which is recorded as an ancient monument, SMR no. ANT41:17.

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 41.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A house of no special historical interest or architectural merit in itself, but it displays a re-used historical fragment in its outbuilding wing which is worth recording.