23-25 Fenaghy Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The building occupies a roadside position facing west at the north end of Galgorm village travelling northwards towards Cullybackey.

Originally a pair of houses that have been converted into one dwelling with some modification of the interior and the provision of an extension at the rear. The house is of one and a half storeys. The finish at the front, at the sides and at the right hand side of the rear is of roughcast coloured pink. At the left of the rear of the main block the fieldstone walling is exposed and the extensions have been given a textured finish coloured pink to match the main building.

The roof is thatched between raised cement parapet gables, the eaves are square cut and there are three rows of scallops at the ridge. Each gable rises to a red brick corbelled chimneystack with projecting base and there is a similar feature just off centre on the ridgeline above the position of the living room fireplace position. Each stack is provided with one pot.

On the front elevation from the left (north) the sequence of openings is as follows: -
A pair of windows, an entrance door, a single window, an entrance door and a further pair of windows. The timber-framed windows are vertically sliding and the sashes are lattice-paned. The timber doors are made up of opposed diagonal sheeting and are surmounted by lattice-paned fanlights. All of the openings are set in moulded surrounds with those of the entrances terminating at ground level in door blocks. The window sills are of intermediate depths at the leading faces. The elevation is provided with a plain base of slight projection. A plaque bearing the initials “RCM” and a date of “1794” appears at the centre of the wall surface.

On the upper floor the accommodation is lighted by pairs of lattice-paned casements in the gables and by small rooflights.

Lattice-paned casements, modern windows and glazed doors are used at the rear of the building.

An independent gabled building has been erected at the rear using an existing fieldstone wall, red brickwork and a pink-coloured textured finish. The double entrance doors are glazed and the windows are set in pointed openings.

Historical information

This house, which began life as two semi-detached properties, has is a date stone bearing the date 1794 and the initials ‘RCM’. A building matching the present, but without the return(s), is shown on this site on the OS map of 1832 / 33. Unfortunately nothing regarding the structure is noted in the c.1835 valuation, however, it undoubtedly contained two of ‘3 2-storey houses which [amongst others] extend along the road for about a third of a mile’ mentioned in the 1833 OS Memoir description of Galgorm village.

It is included in the second valuation of 1859 with the structure recorded as a pair of (semi-detached) dwellings rated at £3, leased, (or probably sub-let), by a John Young to a Hugh Beattie and an Andrew McNeice respectively, with each house measuring 7yrds x 5 x 1¾(storeys) with a return of 6 x 2 x 1½ .

The roof was re-thatched in 1986 and the condition was recorded as fair in the 1992 survey and at the time of monitoring in 1994. A major renovation scheme that included re-thatching was undertaken in 1996.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/1/37 OS map, County Antrim sheet 37, with valuation
references (1832 / 33-c.38)
2 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.23’ ed Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1993), p.11 (1833)
3 PRONI VAL/2A/1/37A OS map, County Antrim sheet 37, with valuation references (1857-c.59)
4 PRONI VAL/2B/1/64A Second valuation, Ahoghill (1859)

Secondary sources
1 Girvan, W.D., ‘Lists of Historic Buildings…Antrim and Ballymena’ (Belfast, 1969), p.22

Other references
1 EHS Survey of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 1992
2 EHS Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 18 May 1994

Re-thatching had taken place in 1986 and the condition was fair both at the time of the 1992 survey and at the time of the monitoring in 1994. At the latter time the house was on the market but the asking price had not been realised. A major scheme that included re-thatching was undertaken in 1996.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The house occupies a roadside position facing west at the north end of Galgorm village on the road to Cullybackey. Originally two dwelling units the house has been converted to single occupancy with modification of the internal layout.
The building is of one and a half storeys with a coloured roughcast finish and thatched roof between parapet gables and there are three red brick corbelled chimneystacks. On the front elevation the lattice-paned windows and diagonally sheeted doors have been restored to a late 18th century appearance. The building bears a date of 1794.