Templecorran House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey gabled house with a symmetrical front. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation two-storey, three-bay, with a central entrance. Roof of Bangor Blue slates in regular courses between gable upstands with sandstone copings; dark toned ridge tiles; two chimneys, one on each gable, rebuilt using rough faced granite in narrow courses, left-hand one c 1960s, right-hand one completed c 1980s. Overhanging eaves on projecting stone eaves course; metal gutter, replacement for cast iron, c 1980s, looks authentic. Wall rendered, wet dash using crushed stones, replacement c 1980s for original harling; smooth cement render to reveals of openings. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6, with horns, except horns missing to left-hand window on first floor; all windows original except central one on first floor which is a replacement, c 1950s; all glazed with putty; projecting stone cills, painted grey. Entrance recessed in a segmental-headed opening: rectangular timber panelled door surmounted by a fanlight with looped and radial glazing bars, and flanked by simulated sidelights. Rectangular timber surround to door has stop chamfers, may be replacement woodwork. Door six-panel, raised and fielded, original, but lower two panels later replacements without mouldings. Brass ironmongery, presumably original; modern metal bracket lamp over door, inconspicuous. Two wide sandstone steps with iron bootscrapers each side, all original.

West elevation comprises west gable to right with side wall of rear return to the left. West gable walling rendered as entrance front; with recessed sandstone kneelers and projecting sandstone copings continuing as a horizontal string course at the base of the chimney. West gable has one rectangular window, as previous, to first floor, and one small semi-circular headed window to attic: timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 4 over 4, with horns, and with spandrel light to upper sash; reveals and cill as previous; granite chimney to apex. Side wall of rear return is set back: two-storey; roof slated as previous; one chimney on end gable, smooth cement rendered with projecting string and weathered cap; concrete flag copings to gable upstand; walling as previous to entrance front, with projecting stone eaves course; metal gutter as previous with circular cast iron downpipe, repaired at bottom. Two windows to each floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 4 over 4, with horns; exposed frames; projecting stone cills to first floor, thin concrete flag cills to ground floor, replacements for slate originals; frames are replacements, 1980s, but original sashes re-used. Back door is rectangular timber ledged, with rectangular fanlight which has eight small panes. Modern concrete flags to doorstep in two tiers. Extending to left is a single-storey later addition, built of brick but rendered this side as main house: corrugated asbestos roof on projecting eaves course constructed with concrete cills. Two rectangular timber ledged doors.

North or rear elevation (which cannot be viewed in total from one point due to presence of trees) comprises rear elevation of main house, one window wide to each side of projecting gable of rear return. Central gable walling as previous: one window to first floor semi-circular headed timber sliding sash, detailed as previous attic window to west gable; ground floor of gable of return obscured by later addition: brick end wall partly rough rendered; monopitch roof as previous; three windows, rectangular timber with wooden lintels; small fixed light to left; small top-hung casement to right; vertically hung, sliding sash, 2 over 2, without horns, to centre; recessed cills. Rear elevation of main house, to right of rear return, has a large rectangular timber window to each floor: 6 over 6, with horns, in recessed frames, to first floor; 12 over 12, with horns, in exposed frames, to ground floor; original stone cill to first floor; replacement cill of concrete slabs to ground floor. Roof slated as previous to entrance front; sandstone copings to gable.

Rear wall of main house to left of rear return has one window to first floor, as previous to entrance front. Roof slated as to entrance front but has three modern flush rooflights; sandstone copings to gable. Metal gutter on stone eaves course, as previous; circular cast iron downpipe to left-hand side.

East elevation comprises east gable of main block to left, with side of rear return to the right. East gable walling as west gable, with end of metal gutter of entrance front returning at left-hand side; cast iron downpipe. Large rectangular timber window to ground floor with projecting sandstone cill as previous to entrance front; similar window to first floor; small semi-circular headed timber window to attic, similar as to west gable.

Side wall of rear return: two-storey, similar to west side; two modern flush rooflights. Large semi-circular stair window to left-hand side: timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 4 over 4, with horns, with radial fanlight to upper sash; exposed frame; projecting sandstone cill. One window to each floor to right-hand side: similar to west side of rear return with projecting concrete cills, painted.
East elevation of extension to rear return: single-storey wall of rubble stonework surmounted by brick courses; overhanging corrugated perspex roof; most of wall hidden by overgrowth.

Setting: the house stands in a rural location in its own extensive grounds. Stone gravel area to the front of the house and across west gable; tarmac area across the east gable; modern concrete pavings to the rear at each side. It stands at right angles to the main road, set back from it and largely hidden from public view by trees which surround it. Main entrance gateway comprises a pair of circular whitened rubble stone piers with projecting slate string course to roughly conical cap; short whitened rubble stone screen walls curved forward from piers with short returns to each side which extend on the left-hand side into dry stone front boundary wall to main road; boundary wall overgrown with creeper; no gates. To north extremity of front boundary is a larger, rear entrance gateway to the outbuildings. Rear entrance comprises a pair of curving stone screen walls rendered as main house, with concrete copings to right-hand side and three regular courses of granite sets to left-hand side; a pair of modern iron gates deeply recessed. Left-hand screen wall abuts west gable of two-storey outbuilding directly on main road with PVC downpipe at the junction. Outbuildings are of rubble stone with external steps to east gable; modern car port to south side roofed with corrugated perspex, in concrete area bounded by curved screen wall to rear entrance gateway; roof of outbuildings is slated as previous. There are other detached outbuildings of no quality or interest. Between the outbuildings yard and the rear area of the house is a rubble stone wall of no special quality which has two gateways. Gateway to west has a pair of wrought iron gates of traditional design but recent manufacture, mounted on square piers rendered as house. Gateway to north has single gate, original, of flat iron, mounted between wall and a modern concrete pipe used as a pillar. To the front of the house is a sunken garden of curvilinear design, constructed of concrete retaining walls faced with granite.

Historical information

Appears on OS map of 1858; does not appear on OS map of 1831. Built in 1839 for the Presbyterian minister, Rev John Stuart.

References - Primary Sources

1. OS Map 1831, Co Antrim 47.
2. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 47.
3. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Antrim X, Vol 26 (Belfast, 1994), p 129.

Secondary Sources

1. A. Dowlin, Ballycarry in Olden Days (Belfast, 1963), p 68.
2. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of County Antrim (Belfast, 1996), p 131 [but erroneously suggests that the house appears on the OS map of 1831].

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is an early 19th century house in a vernacular Georgian treatment of the classical style, displaying the characteristic proportions, details, and plan form associated with the style. It enjoys a pleasant rural setting in its own garden and is of some local interest as the only medium sized house of Georgian type to survive intact within the area of the village.