Aka Grey Gables

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 1½ storey, 3 bay gabled house, stone built, with rear extension, natural slated roofs.

The S elevation contains the entrance door, centred on the gable, 3 centre arch with chamfered sandstone reveal, heavy door frame, with white sheeted door, painted white, good brass ironmongery. To the right of the entrance a small vertical casement window with chamfered reveals and diamond pane glazing. At 1st floor, centred over entrance a 2 light casement, square head, chamfered reveals, set half in gable. Wall built of coursed, squared white limestone with sandstone trim to openings. Heavy kneelers to gable and weathered barge stone. To the left of entrance gable, a 2 storey small extension with modern windows, gabled, plain timber fascias and barges, lower roof pitch, walls finished in smooth rendering, unpainted. On the W elevation the small extension obscures the projecting entrance bay. The principal W gable has a central ground floor 6 light diamond panel casement, square headed, chamfered reveals, neatly tooled, a deeply undercut hood moulding, and over a 1st floor window with chamfered reveals. The original casement has been replaced with a modern pane window. Walls as before, likewise kneelers and barges.

The N elevation has a narrower projecting gable with a centrally placed canted bay in sandstone on the ground floor with 3 no. equal sizedouble hung sliding sash 2 pane windows. Bay has slated and hipped roof. Directly over the bay a vertical window opening with chamfered reveals and a modern casement insert. The N wall of the remainder of the elevation is obscured by a lean-to conservatory filling the angle. Small metal flue rises up from the conservatory roof.

The E elevation consists of a projecting gable with a 6 light diamond panel casement, square headed, chamfered reveals, neatly tooled, a deeply undercut hood moulding and over at 1st floor 2 light diamond panel casement with chamfered reveals. Barges and kneelers as before. Roofs have natural slates, several valleys where roof pitches join and 2 diagonally placed chimney stacks, one now redundant.

The house is sited in its own large garden well back from the Station (Lawford) road with a random rubble high boundary wall to that road with impressive circular gate piers with conical tops. A wall also separates the garden from adjoining ground to the south. Behind the house is a store recorded separately (HB09/06/016B). This store built in keeping with the house has been extended in stone with brick trim.

Historical information

In 1839 the Drapers Company had some 340 acres planted to enhance the appearance of the countryside. “Oak, elm, beech, ash, Spanish chestnut, Scotch spruce, Balm of Gilead firs, larch, alder, willow, birch and poplar were planted in enormous quantities”. Foresters were brought in from Scotland to look after the woodlands. In 1840 Booth designed the house on the Desertmartin Road (Station Road) for the head forester located on a site north of the old church graveyard. The house has all the details of Booth’s Tudor Gothic style. The house has been altered slightly over the years, the canted bay is an obvious addition with the wall removed to enlarge the sitting room. Probably done during the occupancy of the previous owner, Henrietta Burns, a music teacher. The 2 storey extension was done by the present owner who has been in residence some 30 years and also the several replacement windows. It is probable that the Drapers Company disposed of the property c 1900.

There is a similar house on the Magherafelt Road see HB09/06/026.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1832 Londonderry sh. 46.
2. O.S. Map 1832 Rev 1856 Londonderry sh. 46.
3. Curl J.S The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914 p. 216, 218, 219
4. Notes, 1st Survey, E.H.S. Hill Street, Belfast
5. Present Owner (2000)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A good 1½ storey house in Tudor Gothic style, designed by W.J. Booth for the Drapers Company for living accommodation for their forester to enable him to supervise the extensive woodlands that were being planted by the Company in the 1830-40s. Though some alterations have occurred, the original design is easily recognised. The site has a good boundary wall and gate piers.