Crannie

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey gabled house with smooth cement rendered walls, rusticated quoins and slated roof.

Main entrance faces south. South elevation asymmetrical, five windows wide to first floor; two windows to each side of a later central projecting single-storey porch to ground floor. Roof of Bangor Blue slates in regular courses between skews of smooth cement render. Four chimneys: one at each extremity on apex of gables; one at intermediate position, on ridge, between second and third window from left; one behind ridge, laterally placed, between first and second window from left. Chimneys smooth cement rendered with projecting string course; modern red terracotta pots to three chimneys; one earthenware pot to extreme left hand chimney, between angle-cut slate pots. Clay ridge tiles. Cast iron gutter, painted black returning at ends to side elevations. Wall smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, most of it covered with creeper; straight rusticated quoins to extremities. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 4 over 4, without horns except for fifth window from left on first floor, later replacement, and first window from left on ground floor, later replacement, which have horns. Windows without horns have narrow glazing bars, original; glass secured by putty; windows with horns have glass secured by timber slips. Sandstone cills with tooled front edges. Replacement windows date from c 1994.

Porch has hipped roof; slated as previous, with metal hip rolls; timber fascia and soffit; cast iron gutter, painted black; cast iron downpipe to eastern return wall. Walls of porch smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with moulded string course to frieze, and plain plinth. South face of porch has central rectangular doorway flanked by rectangular widow each side; door 4-panel, with bolection mouldings; original handle of octagonal shape; original cast iron door knocker; modern brass letterbox; set in moulded timber architrave, all painted black. Windows timber fixed lights of eight panes; smooth cement rendered cills. Similar window to each side wall of porch. Two broad rendered steps to front door.

Extending from left hand extremity of south elevation: smooth cement rendered screen wall to yard, containing segmental arched gateway, new, hung with modern scrolling wrought iron gate; yard floored with modern red tiles.

West gable of house smooth cement render to first floor, new, unpainted, with rusticated quoins to extremities, painted black; textured cement render to ground floor, inappropriate, painted white. Cast iron gutter returning from front elevation, over top of quoins to right hand side with cast iron downpipe; moulded polygonal hopper. Projecting gable coping of smooth cement render, dressed with lead at base of chimney. One small vent opening at top of gable to left hand side. Large rectangular doorway to ground floor, new opening, with aluminium sliding doors, inappropriate; plate glass; to left of door, rectangular timber fixed light of six panes, new, with moulded glazing bars; recessed cill. Yard across west gable partly roofed with clear corrugated perspex panels on white painted timber supports extending from west gable to wall of outbuildings. Yard enclosed on north side by rendered screen wall which contains new rectangular hardwood door, 6-panel, set in rectangular opening reached by three concrete steps.

North or rear elevation two-storey, asymmetrical; slated roof as previous, with four small iron skylights, original; wall cement rendered, textured finish as previous, painted white, with plain plinth, painted black, stepping down slope from west to east. Cast iron gutter and downpipes, but first downpipe from left is PVC. Windows to first floor from left to right: two rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6, without horns, with slate cills; tall segmental headed timber sliding sash, 4 over 4 with margin lights and segmental headed panes to top, without horns, with sandstone cill lighting stairway; one small rectangular timber fixed light of four panes, with slate cill; one rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 6, with horns; sandstone cill. Ground floor windows from left to right: large rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6, with horns, with wrought iron bars attached, and recessed cill; rectangular timber top hung casement of six panes, lower three of translucent glass, with concrete cill;; small square timber fixed light of four panes, with recessed cill; large rectangular timber sliding sash with iron grille, all as previous rectangular timber sliding sash, 4 over 4, with horns, with iron grille and concrete cill. All windows with horns are replacements, with timber slips to glazing bars.

East gable has chimney to apex; projecting gable coping in smooth cement render, painted black, continuous across base of chimney. Wall rendered with textured finish, painted white, with smooth cement rendered plinth painted black. Cast iron gutter returning from entrance elevation at left hand extremity, with cast iron downpipe. First floor has rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 6, with horns, replacement, with sandstone cill; attic window timber sliding sash vertically hung, 3 over 3 with radial glazing bars to semi-circular head of top sash.

Setting: the building stands on an elevated site set back slightly from the main road and sitting at right angles to it, overlooking the town of Larne with distant views to the Lough and Islandmagee peninsula. Boundary to the main road from left to right formed by a short run of rendered walling with dry dash finish of chippings; wide timber slatted doorway painted black; smooth cement rendered rear wall of outbuildings, unpainted, extended to right hand side by a lower boundary wall with concrete coping slabs, which rakes down to curving screen wall of main gateway. Main gateway has square piers, smooth cement rendered, with shallow weathered sandstone caps; a pair of black painted timber gates of ledged lower panels and diagonal bracing, originally chamfered but three of the four braced panels now replaced without chamfering; mature hedge to right of gateway, terminated at southern extremity by a run of smooth rendered wall. Southern boundary formed by smooth rendered wall with concrete coping. Eastern boundary formed by rendered rubble wall to north end and hedge to south end. Northern boundary formed by textured rendered wall to east end and whitewashed rubble retaining wall to west end.

Outbuilding in yard to west: roof of corrugated asbestos sheets; PVC gutter and downpipe; walls of textured render, painted white; two small timber windows, fixed lights of small panes facing west gable of house; rectangular doorway with modern glazed and panelled door. Area to rear of house is covered in stone chippings; similar to east and to driveway in front; flower beds across front of house, contained by concrete kerbing to right of porch, and fronted by lawn to left of porch. A mature garden with shrubs and hedges lies to the south of the house. A modern single-storey double garage stands to the east.

Historical information

Appears on the OS map of 1832 although not named until the OS map of 1857.

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 40.
2. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 40.

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 a house in a vernacular Georgian style, displaying the characteristic proportions, details, and plan form associated with the style despite some later alterations. It enjoys a pleasant setting in its own garden and is of some local interest as the only Georgian house surviving with an essentially intact appearance within the built-up area of the town.