Ardtrea House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay rendered house with prominent octagonal brick chimneys, and a long rear return.

It stands in a rural area within its own grounds.

The main entrance is in a projecting porch on the east elevation.
The east elevation is symmetrical with one window to each side of a central flat roofed entrance porch. Walling of the main block is smooth rendered to the front and sides with a slightly projecting plinth and modern dry dash to the rear and returns. Walling of the porch is of brickwork smooth rendered, lined, and blocked. The hipped roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with a flat soffit to the eaves. There are two chimney stacks, centrally grouped, with smooth rendered bases carrying three tall and prominent chimneys each, of octagonal form in brickwork. Windows are rectangular timber vertically hung sliding sash, 6 over 6 to the ground floor, and 3 over 6 to the first floor, all with horns except the window in the porch, and all surmounted by a rectangular drip moulding except on the porch.
The main entrance, in the south face of the porch, comprises a rectangular timber panelled door surmounted by a plain segmental fanlight set in a plain segmental headed surround. The north face of the porch contains a blind window opening.

The south elevation of the main front block is of similar materials to the main entrance front, and has one window to each floor, sashed as previous.

The west or rear elevation of the main front block is of similar walling and roofing to the front.
Projecting from it is a long lower two storey rear return, with slated pitched roofs, and a shorter and lower flat topped outshot constructed in red brick and rendered. Across the face of the return is a lower single storey lean-to. The rear return and the lean-to are finished in dry dash. Windows in these various projections from the rear wall of the main front block are modern timber replacement of fixed light and top-hung type.
The rear return itself returns toward the south at the west end. Its west gable has a rectangular chimney in brickwork.

The west elevation of the rear return is of hipped and gabled form, slated as previous. Walling is dry dash. There are three timber windows, small paned but of modern fixed light and top-hung type. There is also a comparatively modern glazed and panelled door.

The north elevation of the rear return is of two stages, comprising a slightly set back portion at the west end, one window wide, finished in dry dash, with plain reveals to windows, and a longer portion, sitting forward slightly, three windows wide, finished in smooth render, with rectangular drip mouldings over windows, and thus of similar character and appearance to the main front block. The roofs of both portions are slated as previous, with one chimney at the junction between the two stages. It is of octagonal form in brickwork similar to those of the main entrance front, but with the base of the stack left in exposed brickwork.
Windows in this entire range are modern replacement small paned, fixed lights with top-hung vents, except for one remaining original sashed window, one over one with margins, and with horns, on the first floor at the right hand extremity. At the ground floor at the left hand extremity is a slightly projecting single storey entrance bay containing a pair of modern small paned doors approached by a broad and deep step or platform of timber decking.

The north elevation of the main front block is similar to the south.

SETTING: The house is approached at the front by a tarmac driveway from a gateway comprising a pair of ironwork gates of simple construction set between chamfered square piers of sandstone with gabled caps, flanked by concave curved screen walls to each side. The driveway is bordered by modern concrete kerbing, with lawns to each side. The front garden contains some mature trees. The front boundary is formed by hedges, backed by new timber palisading. To the rear of the house is an extensive open yard, surfaced in cement screed, which leads on to a larger yard well to the south of the house, used for a commercial motor business. Immediately on the south side of the house is a small enclosed domestic yard accessed by a gateway of cut stonework adjoining the rear return, a plain outbuilding of lean-to form, and a rubble stone wall in poor condition.

Historical information

Built in 1810 by Rev Dr Elrington, rector of Ardtrea parish from 1806 to 1812, aided by a gift of £100, and a loan of £1050, from the Board of First Fruits.

See also HB09/08/020 Tievena House.

References - Primary Sources
1. OS Map of 1833-4.

Secondary Sources
1. S. Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), Vol 1, p 59.
2. J.B. Leslie, Armagh Clergy and Parishes (Dundalk, 1911), p 112.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-storey three-bay rendered house with prominent octagonal brick chimneys, and a long rear return.This is a building of early 19th century date of distinctive appearance and character. It retains its original exterior features on the main entrance front, which include sashed windows with drip mouldings and prominent and unusual chimneys of octagonal form in brickwork. Despite some later alterations which are noticeable on the rear and side elevations, notably the use of modern window types in place of what were presumably traditional sashes, the building stands as a good example of its type and period, of some local interest as originally having been the rectory for the adjacent church, and still forming part of an interesting group along with that church and its associated school on the other side of the road.