Kildress Rectory

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An L-shaped late Georgian house of two storeys with harled and whitened walls, slated hipped roof, and a curved central bay, three windows wide, projecting on the three-bay entrance front. It stands in a very rural area set well back from the public road within its own extensive grounds.

Walling is of roughcast render with smooth cement rendered reveals to window openings, and painted stone cills.The roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with a curved semi-conical form to the part over the projecting bay. There are two chimneys, of red brick with three modern red pots each. Rainwater goods are of cast iron, conprising half-round gutters and circular downpipes with moulded hoppers.

The main entrance faces east, located in the centre of the projecting curved bay which is in the centre of the east elevation. Windows are rectangular timber vertically hung sliding sashes, with horns, except to the first floor of the curved bay which are without horns. In the curved bay the ground floor windows are four over four, while those to the first floor are four over four with the central window three over three; these first floor entrance bay windows are also curved in plan corresponding to the shape of the bay. In the main façade flanking the central bay the first floor windows are three over three, while those to the ground floor are large tripartite windows (typical of Wyatt) with broad mullions, the central lights sashed six over six and the side lights two over two. The main entrance contains an original rectangular timber eight-panelled door whose rails are slightly off the horizontal, with the head built up at the right hand side, set in a moulded rectangular surround with a keystone and projecting base blocks. The doorway is approached by three stone steps which widen from top to bottom with curved fronts and sides.

The south elevation is six windows wide, almost but not quite evenly spaced to both floors. Walling and rainwater goods are as beforet. Roofing is also similar except that the lower four courses are deeper than the rest. Windows are similarly sashed, with horns, and are three over three to the first floor and six over six to the ground floor. There is a modern unpainted circular aluminium flue pipe projecting from near the left hand end. Projecting and extending from the left hand end is a single storey garage, harled and slated to match the house overall but with modern vertically boarded varnished timber doors.

The west or rear elevation of the house has walling, roofing, and rainwater goods as before. In the wall of the main front block there is a semi-circular headed timber sashed window, six over three with four radiating panes, without horns. The projecting rear return and the lower single-storey lean-to block in the angle contain rectangular timber windows of fixed light or opening vent type. The open recess in the lean-to block contains a later rectangular flush timber door with a glazed panel. The projecting garage block contains a small rectangular timber sashed window, two over two, with horns. The walling and roofing of this block are as before but it has modern rectangular section aluminium rainwater goods.

The north elevation of the main front block is two windows wide to each floor, with its windows sashed as to the south elevation, and exhibits similar materials.

SETTING: The house is approached from the south by a tarmac driveway lined by trees and shrubs, which extends across the front and along the south side. There are lawns to all four sides of the house, the one to the rear enclosed by rubble stone walls with a ruinous two-storey range of rubble-stone outbuildings along the west side. Beyond the lawns and rear garden walling are mature trees.

Historical information

Built in 1791 as a rectory for Kildress parish by aid of a gift of £100 from the Board of First Fruits.

References - Primary Sources
1. OS 1st Edition Map of 1833.

Secondary Sources
1. S. Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), Vol 2, p 88.
2. A.J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979), p 328.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An L-shaped late Georgian house of two storeys with harled and whitened walls, slated hipped roof, and a curved central bay. This is a good example of a late Georgian house in the classical tradition which retains most of its original character and detail. It exhibits such characteristic features of the period as tripartite windows and a symmetrical front, but more unusually has a projecting entrance bay of curved form which displays a conical roof and first floor windows whose frames follow the curve of the walls. The plain materials and unusual details combine to produce a building of very distinct character and attractive appearance which is enhanced by its rural setting.